7 of us stayed at the Embassy Suites for my mother in laws 60th. We had 2x2 bedroom suites and they were great. Always clean and a great size. Staff were very helpful and I dealt with most of them during our stay asking directions and recommendations. Food is hard for us Kiwi's to get used to. Not our usual breakfast but hubby made great use of the omelette chef. Yes there is construction going on as the new Trump Tower is being built next door but it never bothered me. I have kids and am used to switching off to loud noise. I liked the location and the fact it is not on the beach front did not bother me as we were going to Maui and only went swimming at Waikiki once since it is not exactly a great beach. I would definately return.

OK. I stayed here just last week and was here for 6 days. I came with my girlfriend and chose this because it was one of the most highly rated here that was available. This is my experience while checking in...
I got there and (because I'd read about the construction and also warned not to get a room next to elevators) I requested a room away from both. I was told that the only rooms with King beds was next to the elevator. I was also told that there were none with Kings away from contruction. I was given the option to pay an additional $50 per night to get a room with 2 beds on a high floor away from elevators and Trump construction. I was extremely annoyed because I felt like I was the victim of the old 'bait an switch'. It was terrible way to start a vacation. Nevertheless, i paid it because I'd rather pay more for peace than ruin my entire vacation. Once I got to the room , it had a wonderful view and the decor, etc. was nice.

This is the list of pros and cons based on my experience there...


Pros:
Location (right in the edge of Waikiki and you can get to just about anything on the beach from here)
Newness (the room was updated and modern)
Staff (friendly and courteous)
Business Center (Internet access..whoo hoo!)
Breakfast (the breakfast buffet is probably the most memorable thing about the hotel)
Managers Reception (can't go wrong with free drinks. the snacks were not that good but it WAS free)

Cons:
Pool (always crowded with wayyy too many kids. Can you consider an adults-only hour or two a day?? One day, a young girl threw up in the )
Location (the front of the hotel is on the Trump construction side and it's a pretty small narrow street. Some tour buses are not allowed down this street because they don't fit.)
Fitness room (This was small and while they DID have quite a few treadmills, it's inadequate for weighlifters)

Final thoughts: If you're looking for a hotel with lots of 'stuff' then this is the wrong place for you. The Hilton Waikiki Village has shops on th epremises and a private lake, etc. It seems to be more adult friendly. I've heard that they nickel and dime you to death and it's older and tackier. If the hotel for you is one that's clean, and provides a good home base so that you can explore the island. I'd recommend the Embassy Suites.

Before I booked this place I knew 3 things from reading Trip Advisor:

1) Construction noise (thanks Donald)
2) Lots of kids
3) It ranked #5 in Honolulu, where there are about 8 million hotels

After having stayed there for 6 nights, I can confirm that there is in fact construction noise, a fair amount of kids (no big deal really) and it was a clean, nice hotel in a great location for a decent price. I paid $249/night AAA rate and I didn't feel overcharged at all.

A couple things to note:

1) If you select a room with a king-size bed you will be next to the elevators and they will annoy you all night long. We moved to a room with two double beds and while not our first choice it was much quieter and we were happy.

2) The construction noise is very real and very annoying. However, our second room was in the Aloha tower on the side away from the construction and noise was a non-issue after that. If you have a room on the side where the construction is happening it will probably bother you. Something to consider.
You will not, however, be able to escape the noise while at the pool. If you wait until 3pm to visit the pool you will avoid the noise.

3) I was unaware of the free breakfast when I booked the hotel and was very pleasantly surprised. The food was good and there was plenty to choose from. This is NOT the cheesy continental breakfast most US hotels offer. They also have a Manager's Reception each evening with free drinks and snacks.

4) Valet parking is mandatory and costs $25/day before tips. We were able to rent a car for the day for $38 and returned it that night. That might be a better solution if you're a cheapskate like me.

Overall the staff was friendly and helpful.

Suite setup is great and bathroom is quite large.

Location is great with plenty of shops & restaurants nearby and the beach is a 5 minute walk.

The ABC Store (2 right outside the hotel) will have everything you'll need at reasonable prices.

I would definitely recommend this hotel to friends and family and would not hesitate to stay here again.

We really enjoyed our stay at the Embassy Suites Waikiki.

Pros:
Great breakfast - nice buzz in the mornings.
Pool are and bar were nice.
Room was perfect - clean, modern plenty of room.
Great location.
Evening reception everyday was super - we didn't even know about this so it was a great bonus.

Cons:
3 pm check-in sucks if you arrive early after a long flight with young kids. The reception staff are clearly trained to just tell me people to whistle dixie if they arrive early - no flexiblity about it and the bad news was not delivered with any charm. This really soured our first day at the hotel. I was fully aware that the check-in time was 3pm but it's the first time I have not been able to get checked-in early anywhere in a hotel which was far from full.
Construction going on beside the pool area is ugly and at times noisy but it was not a big problem for us - rarley payed it much attention.

We will be back - and we'll try to book a later flight so we don't have to deal with surly reception folks.