The Equus, an Ascend Hotel Collection Member

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

2327 reviews

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  It's worth revisiting but maybe not?

  I am torn right down the middle when it comes to my thoughts and opinions of this motel. I say motel despite it saying hotel on the wall because all of the rooms are accessed from the outdoors. This was my second stay here and I think that my memories of the place were actually nicer than the place itself. As with most motels, the photos that you see on their website are professionally taken and manipulated to make things seem way nicer than they actually are. Case in point, the website shows the exact same room in the photos for the deluxe and the classic king rooms. In the photos, the motel looks plush and inviting. The rooms seem clean and well maintained and overall, you feel like you're getting good value for your money. The first time I stayed here, the room was booked for me as I was on a work trip. I only stayed here from around 10pm until check out the next morning and so my experience was very limited. Because I had been here before, when I decided to bring my wife and her mom on vacation, I looked them up. That is where my memory must have been a bit foggy because I remembered it being pretty nice and the prices that I was looking at were great compared to other nearby places. What the motel staff didn't know was that I would be able to enter into two of their rooms and this is where I felt lied to. I booked a deluxe king suite for my wife and I and to save mom some money, I booked her the classic king. Ours was on the 9th floor and mom's was on the 7th. They were EXACTLY the same and when I questioned the front desk about it, they said that the only difference is that our room has older antique furniture. So, if you never knew the difference, you are literally paying more for the same room. It seems that each floor of this motel has mostly the same room just with different furniture inside and that wouldn't be a bad thing if the rooms were quiet. We heard and smelled most of our neighbors as well as noise from the street below and it would also help if the rooms were cleaned well. Our shower had someone else's long black hairs on the wall, there was soap scum and grit and grime in every crevice. The room overall feels worn out and you cannot enjoy the balconies because the mini splits are mounted to the ceiling and cause the whole balcony to be crazy hot and uncomfortable. Add to that the fact that even though you have air conditioning controls in your room, they seem to have no effect on the machine's settings whatsoever. You either have it on or off at whatever temperature they've preset it for. My suggestion for this motel is that since the water pressure is terrible. Install some handheld shower heads that can be taken from the holder and used to rinse. My wife had to get back into the shower three times to get the soap off of her. I know this is running long but conscious travelers ought to know the details. They have an elevator, but it only runs from the 3rd floor to the top so be prepared to lug your baggage up a two-story flight of stairs before you get to the lobby where the elevator is. They have a very small swimming pool that we didn't use because by the time we came back from our day trips, it was already closed, and the saving grace of the establishment is the onsite Paniolo bar and cafe. All of the bar tenders were super friendly and welcoming. This little outdoor oasis serves craft coffee in the mornings and is mostly a full bar for the entire day. Everything they serve from the beer to the sandwiches is all locally sourced and the prices are competitive. Ben and Julia were awesome! As for the motel. If you're like me and basically need a bed to crash in. They are surprisingly comfortable. We spent most of each day away from the motel so paying a premium wouldn't have made much sense. This place is within walking distance to the Ala Moana Center shopping mall, a convenient ABC store and Waikiki beach and the Ala Moana beach park. The don't oversell their parking spaces so if you land one, you won't need to worry about having a spot, but the lot is a nightmare, and they charge $30 per night. Add that to the surprise transient fees on top of the regular resort fees and when you're done, you'll still save a little bit of money. All three in our party agreed that we would definitely stay here again. We would even recommend the Equus to others who are traveling to Honolulu but then again. We are frugal and forgiving when it comes to certain standards that others may have stronger convictions about.

  Jan 14, 2026
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  Rene and her team were the best!

  I want to say that we had a very pleasant stay at The Equus during our post Xmas to New Years stay 2025 to 2026. Rene and her team were extremely friendly and went out of their way to make our stay a very special one. They always were warm and friendly and even suggested ways we can be reassured during our late check in the first night. They seemed like they were waiting for us! Everyone on their staff is always smiling and happy.

  Jan 03, 2026
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  Small, but very nice

  Very nice and clean little place to stay many places to eat and things to do in the immediate area ABC store is a three minute walk away and there is a small bar downstairs first nights free drinks

  Jan 02, 2026
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  All round great.

  Always a lovely stay. Family feeling. Lovely staff. Good food. Nice wee bar great bar staff. Very convenient to walk to Ala Moana ( big shopping complex) the beaches and local buses.

  Dec 21, 2025
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  I stay here over and over

  The Equus is a hidden gem. I try to stay there when I travel to Honolulu from Hilo, Hawaii. They have a pool, a bar with free welcome cocktail, cappuccinos in the morning and grilled sandwiches. The only problem I sometimes have is with the traffic noise, as they are situated (conveniently) close to Ala Moana Shopping Center, the Marina and Waikiki. If you ask for a room in the back, it should be quieter. Staff is friendly and helpful, rooms are clean and prices reasonable.

  Dec 15, 2025