Exclusive look at the Renaissance Honolulu opening Thursday

Attention Marriott loyalists: It’s time to start planning a trip to Hawaii because the Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa, one of TPG’s most exciting hotel openings of 2024, is set to open its doors Thursday — and we’ve got exclusive photos of the property that’ll have you packing your bags.

Developed and managed by Highgate, a hospitality and real estate company with popular hotels around the country, this Renaissance hotel is a whopping 39 stories tall and located near the popular Ala Moana Center, an open-air mall with designer shops, popular chain stores and lots of dining. It’s also about a 15-minute drive from the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and a quick commute to other popular spots like Chinatown, the Arts District and many popular beaches.

At the hotel, which is part of the Marriott Bonvoy program, guests can choose from a wide variety of rooms that fit many different travelers’ needs — 187 rooms, to be exact, plus 112 residences.

Standard rooms include all sorts of bells and whistles, including floor-to-ceiling windows with pristine views, big bathrooms with soaking tubs, Toto washlet toilets (there’s nothing better than a heated toilet seat) and Aveda bath amenities.

Related: Best hotels in Honolulu

Travelers can also book club-level rooms to gain access to the 15th-floor Coral Club Lounge, which boasts sumptuous ocean views as well as breakfast, daily snacks, evening hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.

For people who want more space to spread out or extra amenities that really feel like home, one-bedroom and studio residential-style accommodations are available. These include everything standard rooms have, plus fully equipped kitchens with Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances perfect for longer stays or for folks who like to make their own meals while traveling.

Throughout the hotel, there are many services to take advantage of, including a team of concierges called Renaissance Navigators that can help you maximize your time in Hawaii by helping guests find activities and neighborhoods tailored to their likes, as well as booking excursions and off-site activities.

On the eighth floor, the Sky Deck has the full-service Uhiwai Spa, offering Ohau’s first ofuro — traditional Japanese indoor and outdoor soaking tubs — plus steam rooms, cold plunge baths, Himalayan salt saunas and a range of treatment options like body scrubs, facials and massages.

There’s also a super modern gym with equipment from LifeFitness and Peloton, outdoor strength training experiences from MoveStrong and a glass yoga studio.

But the real stars of the Sky Deck are the pools, which include a 25-meter lap pool, a heated saltwater swimming pool and two hot tubs. Adding to the residential feel of the hotel, there are also cabanas and barbecue pavilions for guests to enjoy, with the option to buy barbecue kits from the hotel’s restaurant Mara that include everything you could need to grill in the warm Hawaiian sunshine.

Don’t prefer to cook? Private chefs are also available for hire. Or you could hit up Sway, the poolside restaurant and bar serving up locally-inspired meals.

Sway isn’t the only restaurant, though. Mara, a modern Mediterranean restaurant — helmed by chefs Michael Ocampo and Franz Wohlrab, alongside restaurateur Patric Yumul of TableOne Hospitality — offers tapas, grilled meats and seafood.

There’s also a lobby-level coffee shop pouring Lamill Coffee from Los Angeles and cafe fare. And, of course, room service, because sometimes the best meals are the ones you eat in bed.

And though the property is right near some of Honolulu’s great cultural centers, the hotel itself is sure to be an arts and entertainment hub thanks to works from local photographer Mark Kushimi and art from local artist Sig Zane and Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto. Want to make it feel like a true gallery experience? Just stop by The Discovery Center to learn more about the art and its creators.

Though the Renaissance Honolulu Hotel and Spa might not be the full-fledged resort experience that some of its sister Marriott resorts offer, we’ve been stoked for this property since we learned about it. It’s really the best of both worlds: a prime location near all the action with affordable rates and the option to earn or burn Marriott Bonvoy points. Not to mention, those apartment-style accommodations can go a long way for guests who need more space or are staying a good chunk of time.

How to book the Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa

The flexible booking calendar for the Renaissance Honolulu Hotel & Spa currently shows rates as low as $282 per night through June and $353 per night through September. In the busy fall season, low rates are slightly above $400 per night and continue through December.

Award availability throughout the year mostly sits in the 70,000-point range, though nights as low as 63,000 points are available at various points throughout the year. All that to say, the flexible booking calendar is a great tool to use while booking this new hotel — and booking early could help you save big.

When booking the Renaissance Hotel Resort & Spa, you’ll want to use one of the credit cards that earn the most points for Marriott stays, as well as one that possibly offers automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status for value-added benefits. These include:

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Platinum Elite status and 25 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Gold Elite status and 15 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Gold Elite status and 15 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Gold Elite status and 15 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card: Earn 6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Silver Elite status and 15 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card: Earn 3 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, automatic Silver Elite status and 15 elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.

The information for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.