The Laylow

A retro-Hawaiian-design boutique on Kūhiō Avenue in Waikiki — 251 rooms in a reimagined mid-century building, with banana-leaf wallpaper, vintage rattan, and a small backyard pool that does not pretend to be an infinity-edge resort feature. The Laylow leans into a 1960s Waikiki aesthetic the rest of the neighborhood largely tore down decades ago.

It's a Marriott Autograph Collection partner — operationally a single boutique with the program affiliation. The room count puts it past true small-boutique scale, but the design commitment is consistent throughout.

The setting

The hotel sits at 2299 Kūhiō Avenue in Waikiki, a block off Kalakaua Avenue and two blocks from Waikiki Beach. Walking distance to the beach, the International Marketplace, the Royal Hawaiian (the Pink Palace), and the Diamond Head end of Waikiki. Kapiolani Park and Diamond Head trailhead are 25 minutes' walk; downtown Honolulu and Chinatown are 15 by car.

The drive in from Honolulu International (HNL) is 25 minutes east; from Kailua and the windward side, 30 minutes; from the North Shore, 75 minutes.

The building

A reimagined mid-century building — exterior-corridor wings, mid-rise scale, the bones of the era it was built in. The renovation kept the structural geometry and replaced everything else with banana-leaf wallpaper, vintage rattan, lacquered woods, and the saturated colors of 1960s Waikiki. Materials are velvet, vintage rattan, and tropical hardwoods. The aesthetic is committed throughout — public spaces, rooms, even the elevator banks.

The Layback Lounge and Hideout restaurant share the lobby level.

The rooms

251 rooms across kings, queens, and several suite categories. From around $285. Rooms get the banana-leaf wallpaper, velvet headboards, vintage-style furniture, and modern bathrooms. Layouts are mid-sized; some rooms have small balconies, some pool-view, some city. The suite categories include separate sitting areas.

Food & drink

Hideout at the Laylow is the on-property restaurant — pan-Asian-leaning Hawaiian regional, dinner most nights, plus breakfast and lunch. Open to non-guests. The Layback Lounge runs cocktails and light fare in the lobby.

On the property

A boutique-scale amenity stack:

• Outdoor pool (small, courtyard-style)
• Hideout restaurant and Layback Lounge
• Concierge for surf lessons and car rental
• Open year-round

Who it's for

• Repeat Waikiki visitors who want a smaller designed hotel over a tower resort
• Couples and friends groups doing a long beach weekend with a strong dinner anchor
• Designers and architects reading "retro Hawaiian" as a feature
• Travelers who want walkable Waikiki without the resort tier

Who it's not for

• Travelers wanting beach-front rooms (the hotel is two blocks back)
• Anyone needing a full resort with multiple restaurants, full spa, and beach club
• Light sleepers in Kūhiō-Avenue-facing rooms

Nearby

Waikiki Beach and Kalakaua Avenue are two blocks east. The International Marketplace is two blocks. The Royal Hawaiian (the Pink Palace) is five minutes east on Kalakaua. Kuhio Beach Park (with the Duke statue and the surf-class beach) is five minutes' walk. Diamond Head crater (and the trail to the summit) is 25 minutes' walk or five by car. The Waikiki Aquarium and Kapiolani Park are 15 minutes east. Iolani Palace and downtown Honolulu's restaurant scene are 15 minutes by car. Pearl Harbor is 35 minutes west.