The Modern Honolulu

• 18.5 Feedback Score
  out of 20

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  • Rooms

    18.0

  • Service

    18.0

  • Public Spaces

    19.0

  • Overall

    18.5

• 4 Verified
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The Modern Honolulu

Style: Modern Design

Atmosphere: Lively

322 Rooms

There’s plenty of fun to be had in discovering some obscure little boutique hotel, and its eccentric creator. But there’s also a lot of pleasure to be had in seeing yesterday’s edgy ideas working their way into the mainstream. Hawaii, in particular, could use a bit of boutique-hotel funk, as its natural gifts have long kept its hotels from needing to innovate. This is why the Modern Honolulu is such an exciting development — this is one of just a few hotels that combine mainland style and Hawaiian splendor.

The 353 rooms and suites are sleek and sophisticated to a degree that’s somewhat unusual in Hawaii — there’s perhaps a hint of Miami Beach to the ivory-on-cream décor and the sunny sea views. There are some well-chosen local details and the look isn’t generic, by any means, but there’s also a studied avoidance of island kitsch. And a quick look around even the most basic city-view rooms reinforces the fact that this is a high-end property: 46-inch LCD screens are standard, as are Frette linens, down comforters and house-provided iPods or iPads — by the time you get to the suites, much less the penthouse, you’re in luxury-hotel territory for sure.

Rooms are only half the equation in this sort of boutique-style hotel, and this one is no different. A full-service spa, a poolside lounge and a private lagoon-side beach club make for relaxing days, and nights are spent in Morimoto, the Japanese restaurant, or the nightclub/DJ venue. It’s probably more excitement than the average Hawaii traveler can take, but for the rest of us it’s a much-needed addition to the scene.