Superior Room | Living area

Reviews of Wild Ginger Hotel

2 out of 5
Wild Ginger Hotel
100 Pu'ueo Street Building A, Hilo, HI

Reviews

7.8

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 238 out of 508 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 114 out of 508 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 48 out of 508 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 35 out of 508 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 73 out of 508 reviews" "

7.6/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

6.6/10

Amenities

6.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

2/10 Terrible

DAVID

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Will not recommend.
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

2/10 Terrible

Randi, Rochester

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
After I booked a seven-night stay at the Wild Ginger, I began receiving emails from them about how "humble" the property was and how grateful they were that I had booked with them. After the sixth or seventh of these, I started to wonder if I should cancel. I've stayed in many substandard motels, so I figured, "How bad could it be?" Sadly, it was worse than I could have imagined. I asked for and was promised a ground floor room with no stairs, but they booked me into a room at the bottom of a 16-step staircase. When I went into the room, it had not been cleaned since the last guest, so the bed was unmade, there was trash all over, and all the towels were wet and strewn everywhere. I came back to the "desk", which was in a lobby that looked like a neglected warehouse, and told the receptionist that the room had not been cleaned. First she denied this, then she said it was the only room they had available, so I'd better take it! I convinced her to go look at the room, and then she returned and apologized and called the manager. I did receive a full refund a few days later. But this place is not ready for guests—it's dirty with peeling paint and spooky, dark corridors, and what I did see of the room would have ruined our vacation if I had been forced to stay in it (no AC, no Wifi in the rooms, for example). Don't be tempted by the low price. Don't stay here.
Stayed 7 nights in May 2024

2/10 Terrible

Leila

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very poor service, nothing in the hotel works, door left wide open, floors flooded, beds looked slept in, no electricity, broken bathroom door, windows stuck shut, no airflow, staff unknowledgeable and unhelpful
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

2/10 Terrible

Emma

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It just was not what I thought and did not work for me. Felt moist inside my room because of the rain and my shower only had an ice cold setting.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2024
Response from Wild Ginger Ohana on May 19, 2024
Hello Emma, all of our rooms have hot water. You simply need to wait a few minutes for it to arrive as it can be slow to arrive. Also, it can feel humid on our side of the island compared to many other places in the world. It’s because we are blessed with a plenty of rain (usually, either early morning or late evening) which gives life to our amazing tropical trees and fruits. It’s paradise here. Nothing we can really do about the humidity but we appreciate your review. Take care

2/10 Terrible

Evelyn

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

2/10 Terrible

Carroll

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Totally false advertising. The place was a disaster. No hot water, shower did not work. Holes in the walls and floors. Wallpaper peeling off. Dirty mattresses propped up on the wall in the front of the building. Old vehicles in the front of the building. Mold everywhere. Would not return our deposit of one night for two rooms. Horrible situation. Shady part of town, felt unsafe. DO NOT GO THERE!
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024
Response from Wild Ginger Ohana on May 9, 2024
Aloha Carroll, Your review is inaccurate. Firstly, there’s plenty of hot water. We routinely check our rooms to make sure that the hot water system is functioning. It is an older historic building so at times the hot water does take some time to arrive depending on the time of day. However, there’s plenty of it. Regarding room cleanliness… We are an open air hotel located in the most humid part of the country. We do our best to thoroughly clean our rooms every day. If we miss something simply let us know and we will happily move you to another room while we reclean it. Next, there are no mattresses posted out front. The only item out front are natural grasscloth wallpaper material that are being installed into our future renovated rooms for guest enjoyment. Regarding our location, we are located in downtown Hilo. To say you don’t like our location is to say you don’t like downtown Hilo. Perhaps next time consider staying at a different island that suits your expectations. In regards to the truck located at the hotel… Many hotels have utility vehicles onsite for Maintenence. That utility vehicle that you referred to is used to haul large pieces of wood to carve out the large Tikis that you see in the lobby carved by the owner. Regarding the last-minute cancellation policy… You where made aware of our standard last-minute cancellation policy prior to booking and received the policy again with your confirmation . The policy is in place because we held the room for you which would have otherwise booked. Carroll, It’s common that when people do not receive a refund for the services provided they do as you did and write a negative review to hurt others. Would like to remind you that we held your room, we provided the services advertised. Thus your actions are unkind and very unfair to us, but we still wish you well and hope you find whatever it is you’re looking for on our beautiful island.

4/10 Poor

Nancy

Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff nice. Continental breakfast and home baked goods with local fruits also good. Rooms need maintenance and cleaning. This place on the verge of being funky, but too many projects and problems prevent that label.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2024
Response from Wild Ginger Ohana on May 6, 2024
Aloha, thank you for taking time to leave a review. Our rooms are I very cool but are vintage and we like it that way. The hotel was built in 1911 after all. As with almost all the buildings in Hilo, there’s always maintenance to be done. The reason for this is that Hilo has one of the highest humidities found anywhere. Because of this, we enjoy beautiful waterfalls, lush vegetation, and of course, lots and lots of extra daily maintenance that wouldn’t be needed for similar buildings and other locations : ) One of our biggest daily goals is to keep an affordable clean venue for our guest that visit from all over the world…and we have been doing that well for over 100 years. However, due to the change in traveler interest we are in the middle of a remodel to try to accommodate everyone. New windows, new roof, new driveway, new fixtures and so much more are on their way. This is a very costly and slow process because we are located on a remote island but are progressing as quickly as possible. We hope you get to see our new look in the future. These changes, of course, will bring up the daily room rates but we hope to be able to appeal to the most demanding travelers like yourself . Again, thank you for your feedback and Enjoy your travels.

8/10 Good

richard W

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is a nice two-star place. My only complaint is the wifi only worked for me when I was in the lobby area.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024
Response from Wild Ginger Ohana on May 6, 2024
Mahalo for the review. We will work on extending the Wi-Fi to all rooms. Stay blessed and happy travels

8/10 Good

Dinh

Just okay
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

4/10 Poor

Nikhil

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The rooms are not clean and are not as shown in the pictures. The carpet is too stained and the walls in the wardrobe are broken and the windows don't close completely. Overall it's an unpleasant surprise.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

6/10 Okay

kurt

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

2/10 Terrible

PHILIPPE

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Hard to believe that this hotel is still operating . Not sure that the health department is doing it's job .First impression is the parking with an old military vehicle sitting there for 100 years .Maintenance is not on part of the schedule for this hotel . The term "old colonial" as nicely mentionned means absolutely nothing , better say " old crabby colonial "hotel .Not recommended at all
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Cory

👍
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

2/10 Terrible

Kenneth, Lake elsinore

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This property was so bad we made the decision to forgo our night. Stay give up the money we had paid and go rent somewhere else.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

2/10 Terrible

Holden

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

10/10 Excellent

Sheri

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
This truly is a historic hotel. We felt we were going back in time. The hosts do all they can to make us feel at home. Close to shops and restaurants.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Leona

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Wild Ginger brought back memories of when I was little. Old Hawaiian living. It's very old. Property owner is trying to up date but it's perfect for shower, bed, and breakfast. I would definitely stay again to watch it's growth.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Donna

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
The old Hawaii experience was great. I enjoyed hearing the birds chirping late afternoon and early morning … and even the coqui frogs chirping all night.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jacob

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

jrayanne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2024

4/10 Poor

Frederic

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Kind of last minute and just for 1 night: place is not only old but also run down. Depressing.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

2/10 Terrible

Patrick

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Room and mattress was infested with bugs/spiders/moths. Did not stay there, cancel the booking and refund please
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from Wild Ginger Ohana on Mar 18, 2024
Hello, we don’t understand what you’re talking about here. If there’s something that’s wrong with your bed, just let us know and we’ll fix it. I mean we’re an open air hotel so sure the Occasional little fly may sneak in but infested… I don’t think so. Your review is out of line . Our hotel policy is to do everything within our power for our guest . We’re sorry but this review is exaggerating and dishonest.

8/10 Good

Ian

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Thsi ace has character! Not a 5 star resort so don't expect that and you won't be disappointed. The staff were great, breakfast was excellant, the rooms were very clean. The only thing is you have to realize this is a 112 year ol builing so it won't be as fancy as new but the character includign the paintings, carvins and sculptures make up for it.. Great place if you aer stayign for a few nights.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024
Response from Ginger Ohana on Mar 18, 2024
Our sincere Mahalo for your review. We appreciate you!!! Thank you for being a good person and writing an honest review. We will definitely put you on a preferred guest list. Safe travels!

4/10 Poor

Jordan

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Not a very good place to stay. It’s some sort of old building renovated to be a “hotel”…The floor was painted plywood. The ceiling in the bathroom leaked from all the rain. However, the bed was comfortable and the location in Hilo was convenient.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

2/10 Terrible

Sherrie

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Anthony

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Maximillian, san diego

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 6 nights in Feb 2024

2/10 Terrible

Iouri, Staten Island

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very old hotel, build around 1950-th. Don’t remodeling, don’t repair. No windows (plexiglass). Very old mattress, Bath the same ages of my grand grand mother. Floor not horizontal, have angle and all furniture have spesial lockers from papers (opened, don’t properly closed, opened without lockers). Furniture very old (I think from garbich).
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024
Response from Wild Ginger Ohana on Mar 4, 2024
All the furniture in the rooms are under a year old, including the mattresses. Not sure where are you getting your information from. But your entire review is inaccurate.

2/10 Terrible

Christopher

Business traveler
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is the worst hotel I have ever rented through Expedia. Hotel rooms were literally falling apart. Rotten walls, mold in shower stalls, holes in floors. The hotel is in a noisy area and you cannot close the windows due to air flow. This is a less than 1 star hotel.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

2/10 Terrible

Jason

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
I love beach dive hotels, and have stayed in many This one is quirky and unique, but unfortunately the room was awful. I can deal with no tv, ac, dirty fridge What got me was mildest/moldy shower, stained pillow case on bed, filmy entry door with no deadbolt or secure locking mechanism Took one look, said no thanks Was told they “were not authorized “ to issue refund, even though had other vacant rooms Hard pass. Got a very nice room for similar price up road
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024
Response from The Wild Ginger Ohana on Feb 22, 2024
Sorry you booked a hotel incorrectly. Why do you need a deadbolt exactly? Just weird review. Hope you enjoy your travels though . Mahalo

10/10 Excellent

Chris

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
**Best Little Value Hotel in Hawaii**
We absolutely loved our stay at the Ginger. It felt like we were sleeping in the trees. The air was crisp, cool and fresh. The bedroom was clean, comfortable and fun. The bathroom was basic but has everything we needed. Hot water took a few minutes to arrive but that didn't bother us. *Tip - There is also a guest lobby bathroom that has instant hot water. Overall, we absolutely would recommend this hotel to anyone really looking to get connected with the culture and community. May not be the best selection for thus looking for a hotel they can lounge in all day. The Wild Ginger offers a wonderful unforgettable stay for thus adventurous value travelers types like us : )
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

2/10 Terrible

Eric

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This hotel may have been charming in my 20s but was quite lacking. The photographer did an amazing job of making the rooms look nice. I can’t recommend and we chose to drive back to our condo instead of staying there.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024
Response from Wild Ginger Ohana on Feb 19, 2024
Aloha Eric, we're sorry we were not the sort of hotel you were looking for. We are renovating and will offer luxury rooms in the future that may be more what you are looking for. Oh and yes, although we are fortunate to host guest of all ages...our hotel primarily serves a younger traveler. Mahalo for your review.

2/10 Terrible

SEYOUNG

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Worst place to stay.
Response from Wild Ginger Ohana on Feb 19, 2024
Aloha, we don't understand your review as you stayed in a beautiful room and paid almost half the going rate for comparable hotels. If you are looking for 5 star accommodations we do have them on the island...you simply need to pay a lot more for them. In any case, we wish you happy travels and hope you find your joy during your vacation. Mahalo

2/10 Terrible

Clair

Traveled with family
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The windows would not close.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2024
Response from Wild Ginger Ohana on Feb 19, 2024
Aloha Clair, we checked the room after your stay and the windows closed just fine. The building is old so it does take a little more effort than new windows to close. However the windows close just fine. We hope you find happiness with the rest of your stay on our beautiful island. Mahalo

4/10 Poor

Ikaika

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Very interesting stay. Staff are excellent place is a bit run down and unpleasant
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Thomas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
It’s a lovely old school hotel with lots of character. The free breakfast is great offering fresh fruit, bagels, coffee and juice. The staff are very nice and helpful, special thanks to Jason who told us all there is to do on the island and the best places to eat his recommendations were great. Overall very happy with our stay.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Todd

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

4/10 Poor

Stephen, San Diego

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I liked the staff and the plants around the property. My husband had no hot water. There was a mold in the shower and a moldy shower curtain. The edges of the rugs in the room were curled, which caused me to trip in the middle of the night. They are a liability and should be removed.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

2/10 Terrible

Bryan

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This property was unmaintained, worn out, uncleaned, and unsanitized at all. There were dead bugs all over the room, no hot water, window frames were twisted, and plugged with plastic bags, and moldy bathroom. I do not recommend this property.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

2/10 Terrible

VICKY

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I knew I was in trouble when I pulled up and saw a building that had seen better days. Old palm leaves hung from the roof, a non-working military vehicle was parked on the side of the parking lot, and the parking lot itself was covered with large potholes. When I checked in, I saw ear plugs and asked if it was because of road noise (it backs into Highway 19). The clerk said no, it's because birds are noisy in the morning and frogs at night. My room was on the end, backing into the highway. With no AC, you have to leave the windows open. There was no TV and no internet in the room. The hotel looked like it was built in the 1960s and had not seen any maintenance. In Hilo, the rain and humidity play havoc. You have to stay on top of things or they go downhill quickly. Pipes in the bathroom were full of rust, and the baseboards had noticeable termite damage. I've stayed in some dives, but this one is about the diviest. Just because you have a few carved tikis in the foyer doesn't make ti quaint. The bedding did look clean, I'll give them that. I left and drove back to Kona - I was not going to endure road noise all night long!

2/10 Terrible

VICKY

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This backs into Highway 19. With no air conditioning, you're stuck keeping the windows open. They have free earplugs, which should have been a hint. The clerk said they were for the birds in the morning and frogs at night. No, they're for the road noise. The property is NOT maintained. There's lotgs of rust and visible termite damage as well as potholes and an overflowing dumpster in the parking lot. There are no TVs and no Internet in the rooms. I've stayed at some dives before, but this one takes the cake. Just because they put a few carved tikis in the so-called lobby does not make it quaint. I stayed all of 5 minutes before dropping my key by the desk and leaving. I ate the cost of the room for one night. It wasn't worth fighting to sleep with the noise. To top it off, they put me on the end unit, which was the closest to the highway.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

Xuedong

Liked: Staff & service
You get what you paid for the price. The issue for us is no hot water.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Franklin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

Margaret

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
The property is self-described as "an old, Hawaiian-style Hotel". The problem with it is the cleanliness. Edges of floors, corners, baseboards all had many dead bugs and too much dirt. Outlets and switches have no covers. The screens and bent and leave gaps. With a little TLC and elbow grease, this hotel could be a charming place. Without higher standards of cleaning, I could not recommend it to anyone.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

2/10 Terrible

Robert

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Amenities
The friendly service provided by the sweet ladies at the front office belied the condition of this hotel. Water never really got hot and had little flow. Rooms and bath had nowhere to place our things. The loud coqui frogs will likely overrun this place soon and it will be even harder to get get to sleep. We paid for three nights, but left after the first night.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

2/10 Terrible

Brittany

Traveled with group, Traveled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities
i understand this is a old property and i expected and was excited for the old character, but what we got was just terrible there was bed bugs like hundreds of them all through my bed there was blood stains and hair all over the sheets the area itself seems very unsafe and very dirty . the breakfast was a complete joke and day old food that should be refrigerated sitting out in the heat i would not advice anyone to stay here at all so your self a favor and avoid this place

2/10 Terrible

Shaun

Traveled with family
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
WILD GINGER - HILO, HI *TERRIBLE*
Requested a refund due to not receiving my after-hours check-in, therefore unable to stay the night. Still waiting for a response from rhe owner and waiting for my refund. Get this, the staff says you (the guest) have to contact the owner to request a refund. Never received a call back in response to any of my phone calls. I didn't have any expectations as far as the facility is concerned, but I did expect to at least have been given the necessary info to access the room. I even spoke with the manager or receptionist to inform her that I would be arriving late. I'm sure others have had a decent experience, but I sure didn't. If the owner is reading this, respond to my numerous emails and give me my refund. Hotel.com should remove listings for establishments that are sub-par. I'm very frustrated with businesses that are not trustworthy and non-responsive.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

4/10 Poor

Bereket

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The room lacks basic items as a hotel and it is not clearly listed on the website. The place is more of a cabin stay not a hotel. It would have been nice if it was listed as a cabin and I knew ahead of time what I was paying for.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024
Response from Wild Ginger Ohana on Jan 16, 2024
Aloha, thank you for your review. We’re happy to provide any items to make your stay more comfortable. You simply need to ask. Please feel free to write us and let us know what recommendations in regards to items you would like in our rooms. Happy travels and we appreciate you.

2/10 Terrible

Michael

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This property is dilapidated and should be torn down. The floors are slanted, windows rotten, holes in walls, black mold all over. No face lift will help this property.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Response from Wild Ginger Ohana on Jan 13, 2024
Aloha Michael, building is historic and being preserved. Brand new foundation. Please write the hotel and where exactly you found mold because we’re not familiar with any . And if some, does exist we’d like to address immediately. Mahalo

10/10 Excellent

Debra

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Response from Wild Ginger Ohana on Jan 16, 2024
Mahalo Deborah! We are thankful for you! Mahalo for visiting our hotel and island. We hope to see you again soon.