My husband and I decided to stay at the Outrigger our first night in Hawaii - assuming we would be tired from a long flight and trying to adjust to the time change. We had some trouble finding the hotel - drove by it a couple times before realizing the correct entrance.

The location of the hotel is great - it's right by several good restaurants and shopping. The staff was very friendly - checking-in and out wasn't a problem.

We were not very happy with the room we were given - first floor, right on top of the road. The room was missing an element of "luxury" that other hotels in the area have. In fact, later in our trip we stayed at another hotel in Waikiki for $25 more per night and were much happier. The Outrigger isn't a bad hotel - the room was clean, TV worked fine, bathroom was comfortable. But once we compared it to another hotel in a similar price-range, we were convinced we'll stay in the other hotel next time.

Although other review sites, including who we booked with show moderate to high ratings (3 stars or higher), it was less than expected or described in our package. We should of had a kitchette, but only had a partial kitchette. Had a small regrigerater, sink, dishes and coffee pot, but no small microwave to warm/heat up food or beverages. Bathroom did not have a fan. Our room was close to road, so a lot of traffic noise if had door open. Noisy A/C unit. Had a rental car which cost $18.00 per day...no mention of paying for parking in our package. (maybe mentioned elsewhere)
On the other hand, we did see some beautiful rainbows almost every day! The pool was nice. The walk to the beach wasn't too bad especially via the park. Nice coffee shop.

Our overall stay in O'ahu was wonderful. Would return again, but not sure would stay at the Luana.

This is honestly one of the worst hotel experiences I've ever had in my life. We are a young couple in our mid 20's who enjoy traveling alot and are not difficult people to deal with. However, this one is truly a hotel experience to remember forever. I just returned from a 5 night stay at the Outrigger Luana and booked it through Travelocity, which I will also never do again. So before booking this hotel, we read great reviews about it on Trip Advisor and searched for the lowest rate. It turned out that Travelocity had the best rate because the site clearly stated that there was "Free Parking" at the hotel. Since most hotels in the Waikiki area charge $15 to $25 a night for parking, we decided to book it with Travelocity. To ensure that Free Parking was a guarantee, we even called the Customer Service number and was confirmed by one of the staffs that Parking was included for free.

When we got there, the hotel manager told us that parking was $18/day even tho we had the confirmation printed out with a print screen saying that Free Parking was included as one of the amenities. She told us that they never had free parking even tho it stated on our reservation. So she called Travelocity on the spot when we tried checking in and they said that they don't have free parking stated on their site. Turns out that Travelocity updated their site since we booked it 2 months ago and deleted the free parking. The manager then insisted that she would try to figure out how the Free Parking even got there in the first place. At one point, they were even trying to accuse us of modifying the confirmation even tho we had a print out of it! Can you believe that? First of all, why the would you ever put your guests in this situation where you have doubts on how the confirmation turned out. I thought that was extremely unprofessional of them and was highly disappointed. We also felt so uncomfortable staying there because all the staff knew that we were the ones who had the "parking issue" and was not too friendly to us. Anyhow, they really ruined the reputation for the Outrigger chain hotel. If I were them, I would just easily have taken care of the $90 parking especially when we had the confirmation printed out and was so upset over it. I thought overall it was so unfair and that it was a false advertisement. Bottom line is regardless if it's Travelocity's fault or not, they should just cover it and somehow try to get reimbursement with Travelocity and not inconvenient the guests by making us call and contact Travelocity directly. This was our vacation! We did not have to even deal with this! If it wasn't for the parking mess, I might stay here again. But because of it, I rather stay somewhere else where it's closer to the beach and provide me with better customer service. Enough said, just never again at this hotel! Awful experience!

I read the reviews of this hotel on Tripadvisor.com and took into account the plusses and minuses of this property before booking my reservation. I just returned from a five-night stay at the Outrigger Luana and I'm happy to say I made the right choice!
For $135/night, I got a "park view" studio room, which faces Fort DeRussy R&R Park and the ocean, which was very nice! I found the queen bed and furnishings extremely comfortable and nice to look at. There's an "eSafe" in the armoire closet for your laptop and other valuables. There's a good-sized TV and an Ethernet cable connected to the Internet! Granted, it's not wireless, but it's cable Internet (Oceanic Cable) and it's FREE. No dial-up here.
While I didn't have a kitchen room, my studio room had a nice granite countertop, sink and mini-fridge, which kept my leftover dinners fresh. (Just go downstairs to the friendly Front Desk folks and have them microwave your meals.) I bought fresh fruits, veggies, bagels and cream cheese, and guava juice. Having the fridge saved me money. There are kitchen amenities like utensils, plates and glasses too.
I had a handicapped bathroom without a tub, which was fine; the shower was great. Some reviewers mentioned there's a lack of space for personal toiletries, which is true. So I kept them on the granite countertop outside.
I exercised at the small Fitness Center, mostly for weight training (machines and free weights). There are two treadmills and a bike, which is just right for this small condo hotel.
The Luana staff are extremely friendly and helpful; they greet you when you leave and greet you when you return. Check-in and check-out was extremely fast and efficient. Security is always a concern for someone traveling alone and I felt very safe; it's very comforting to see hotel security walking the property. The Bell Staff and Housekeeping are also friendly and helpful too.
I didn't bother getting a car since I'm from Honolulu and know my way around by bus (TheBus) and by foot. The Luana is so close to everything, just get a good map (ask the Front Desk for one), buy a multi-day bus pass and explore on your own. The Luana is centrally-located and close to shopping and transportation. I'm a runner so I ran all over Waikiki and Honolulu with a runner's backpack, water and food. You might see runners training for December's Honolulu Marathon (they run in packs).
Something fun you might want to try is going on the Outrigger Reef Hotel's catamaran, which is within walking distance of the Luana. Supposedly, it's the fastest catamaran ride in Waikiki. The hour-long experience is better than an amusement ride that last mere minutes.