As travelers increasingly lean toward shorter albeit more expensive stays in Hawaii, a new trend is redefining luxury on the islands. Picture spending a day basking in resort opulence—lounging by pristine pools, relaxing in private cabanas, indulging in spa treatments—all without the expense of an overnight stay.
Initially launched as a creative revenue stream, Hawaii hotel day passes have gained momentum, allowing visitors and locals alike to enjoy high-end amenities on a budget. Here’s how this trend is transforming the Hawaiian travel experience and inviting everyone to taste a slice of paradise.
Are day passes are a win-win for visitors and for Hawaii?
Day passes—something relatively new at least to Hawaii resorts—now allow travelers to experience the islands’ most luxurious hotels without booking a stay. This trend, which Beat of Hawaii editors will personally be exploring in Honolulu next month, and have previously enjoyed on Kauai, has quickly gained traction as both a budget-friendly option for guests and a fresh revenue stream for hotels.
With Hawaii resort prices surging 60% in recent years, day passes offer access to exclusive amenities at a fraction of the cost, making sampling of high-end resorts more accessible to a broader audience. This fascinating “test-drive” let’s all of us check out resort amenities and service before committing to an overnight stay.
Top Hawaii hotels offering day passes.
For those looking to try out and enjoy Hawaii’s luxurious resorts, here’s a range of day pass options, starting from the most affordable to the more premium experiences. These passes allow access to amenities like pools, cabanas, and exclusive beach areas, so there’s something for every budget and level of luxury.
- Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach – Starting at $20
This is the most affordable day pass we could find, and includes pool access, making it a choice for those looking for a budget-friendly day pass. - Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach – Starting at $20
Enjoy the rooftop pool and lounge at this other best-priced Waikiki location for just $20. - Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort – Starting at $30
Set on 22 acres, this largest resort in Hawaii offers access to pools, a saltwater lagoon, and waterslides, providing ample activities for day visitors. - OUTRIGGER Kona Resort and Spa – Starting at $30
Located on the Kona coast, this resort offers day passes to its oceanfront pool, with amenities like poolside food service. - The Twin Fin Hotel, Waikiki – Starting at $25
The low-key experience in Waikiki, The Twin Fin Hotel offers access to its rooftop pool and cabanas. - Holiday Inn Express Waikiki – Starting at $25
This hotel, not a favorite of ours frankly, with impossible elevators among other problems, includes a rooftop pool, hot tub, and mini-golf. - Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui – Starting at $38
This oceanfront resort offers day passes for access to pools, waterslides, and the adults-only serenity pool, with cabanas available too. - Hilton Waikoloa Village – Starting at $45
This includes their iconic pools, towering waterfalls, and white sandy beach, set on 62 acres. - Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu – Starting at $50
On Oahu’s north shore, it offers beach and pool access. - Prince Waikiki, Honolulu – Starting at $50
Featuring an infinity pool overlooking the harbor, this pass includes access to poolside dining. - Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Big Island – Starting at $50
Situated along Anaehoomalu Bay, this resort offers access to pools and beach amenities. - Fairmont Orchid, Big Island – Beach Pass Starting at $50
Their beach pass provides access to its scenic beach and amenities, with options for cabanas or daybeds. - Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort – Starting at $75
This resort provides day access to its infinity pools and direct access to the beach, with optional dining at their beach bar. - The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, Big Island – Starting at $75
Located along the Kohala Coast, this day pass offers access to its pool, and beach. - Royal Sonesta Kaua’i Resort, Lihue – Starting at $75
With a large single-level pool and beach access/dining options. - Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa – Starting at $100
This is a renowned salt-water multi-level pool and beach access day pass. - Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina – Price Varies
Their day pass experience includes access lagoon pools.
How Day Passes can benefit Hawaii visitors.
For mainland visitors, or kamaaina residents like us, and any island hoppers, day passes provide a way to experience a luxury resort. Travelers, too, find value in day passes, especially when facing long layovers or check-out times that leave them hours before a red-eye flight. For anywhere from $20 to $150, a day pass allows access to pools, spas, and cabanas, with some also offering access to changing rooms, snacks, food and beverage services.
Enhancing brand loyalty through day passes.
Day passes have become a valuable tool for resorts to boost brand loyalty, especially among younger travelers or those whose budgets may not allow for a full luxury stay in Hawaii. By offering a taste of their high-end experience, resorts plant the seed for future visits and potential overnight stays. For local Hawaii hotels, day passes also serve as a meaningful way to connect with the community, inviting residents to enjoy resort amenities and fostering a sense of inclusivity.
Booking a day pass in Hawaii: tips for visitors.
Reserve in advance as these sell out. Platforms like ResortPass and Daycation make it easy to book day passes, while early reservations help secure your spot and ensure a seamless experience. On checking today, we found many were sold out over Thanksgiving week for example.
Check amenities. Each hotel offers different day pass packages, often tiered to include access to pools, spas, or other features. Review these carefully to match what you’re looking for from pools, to beach or spas.
Many Hawaii hotels offer kamaaina discounts that apply to day passes. Be sure to check the hotel’s policy and bring your Hawaii ID to take advantage of these.
Timing matters too. Some hotels have specific hours for day pass users, typically from mid-morning to early evening. Plan to arrive early to make the most of your time and enjoy the resort offerings.
What’s next for Hawaii’s hotel industry?
This fascinating trend seems to reflect a broader shift in Hawaii travel toward wellness, local experiences, and brief but rejuvenating escapes. With Hawaii’s luxury resorts seemingly embracing fully the concept, the day pass models is set to evolve.
What’s your take and will you be trying any of these Hawaii resort day passes?
Note: Prices quoted are from November 8, 2024, and subject to change.
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Why would I pay to sleep at a nice resort when I can just show up? Why would I pay to sleep at a nice resort only to discover that all the amenities are being consumed by people that aren’t staying there?
If you stayed at one resort and payed the accommidations’s tax when booking of 18.5%. Wouldn’t the next location charge you 20-125 per person for pool,drink privledges,and restaurant services enabling them to tack on 18.5% tax on every pass. They are accomidating walk-in’s not guests. 18.5 tax could be imposed on every restaurant food item as well as drinks and pool,towel,chair,cabana fee’s also. The state of Hawaii and the Hotel Resorts will make out on this deal.
Any service could fall under this accomodations tax. This might lead to booking a hotel stay and every guest might need a day pass to enter the pool or restaurant. Hotel ammenities for guests might just be a thing of the past. Good luck.
If Hawaiians are as savvy as I have found them to be on my 13 visits you will be getting ready to join California, Oregon and Washington when they break away in 2026. No need for Hawaii to associate with the current mentality in the mainland. I’m out of Vegas next month to a condo in Anaheim.
Is one day 12:01 am to 11:59pm on the same day? Don’t pools close at like 8pm? Sounds like the visitors from the street will take towels, shampoo and surely try to get their money’s worth. Do hotel guests have priority over day passers? IMO it’s just a form of a resort fee for all the people without hotel rooms. Most hotels don’t have the space to store and be responsible for non guest luggage. What a hassle for room guests to be delayed in staff having to deal with servicing day passers. If the pool is closed can you sleep in the lobby until 11:59pm?.
This is a horrible idea, though I can only speak for the Grand Hyatt Kauai.
We’ve been going for 15 years and went last fall for 3 weeks as a big celebration trip and I can firmly say we won’t be going back for a long time, maybe ever. Here’s why:
(1.) We stayed in 2 of best rooms on the property, on opposite sides, and both had ant problems and not just a few; entire colonies rolling through daily all over the furniture, as in, living in the couches, etc
(2.) While halls, rooms, and exec lounge were unpopulated, the common areas – especially the pools – were over run with a type of customer we hadn’t seen at the property before, ie loud & rowdy and/or doing …. stuff in the pools & hottubs. not cool.
(3.) The spa was a low traffic area, though while empty was very worn; e.g the deck chairs were at least 15 yo because I have pics of them from the 1st time we went! And they were Beat. Up. missing trays, etc
very sad.
Great a day pass. Well to a homeless person this has to be heaven. For $20 dollar of panhandling one could enter the pool with a bar of soap and clean up. Leave and leave the stinch behind. Ask for money from guests while you’re there. Why not they are rich. Go back to your camp pass the day pass to the next person and repeat the process. I guess we will wonder when bars of soap are found in the bottom of the pool. No credit card needed. Just a minimum $20 bill would do the trick. Nobody said the passes were not transferable? Lots of things happen in a day.
It does not work like this at all. You book online, check in with pool staff and are expected to follow the resort rules just like everyone else. Aloha still rules on the Hawaiian Islands.
I can’t imagine the first thing a homeless person is going to do when they get $20 bucks together is spend it on a day pass at a resort. This is a problem that’s not going to happen. There are showers at most major beaches. Homeless people can, and do use those for free. They are going to be using that money on food (and unfortunately booze & drugs)
I’ll say that this seems like a plus/plus for the Hotels and Resorts that offer the day passes. On one hand, as your article points out, the Hotels and Resorts are making some extra money, also allowing day pass holders to actually see first hand what else is offered. It’s like free advertising, but the visitors are paying customers. On the other hand, the simple fees collected do help the bottom line, with tourism currently in a slump anything extra helps. The potential for future bookings also turns the dismal hovering black clouds a little lighter, possibly gray. Good Article BOH, Thanks!
Hi Ernie.
Thanks. We are very appreciative of your more than 1200 comments!
Aloha.
This isn’t really a “hack.” The Coachella Valley hotels have been selling day passes to locals for years. Now I have more reasons to not vacation at Hawaii hotels. I believe that hotel amenities should be exclusively for hotel guests. I don’t need to be a paying guest and have to compete with non guests for pool chairs, drink, and food service. Exclusive access to the hotel amenities is why I am paying to stay at the hotel, so if the hotel cheapens the experience with non guests, what’s the point? The pools are usually crowded enough so I don’t think inviting even more people to the pool area is a good idea, to me. Perhaps the revenue stream the hotel anticipates collecting will exceed the amount of now non booking hotel guests to make this policy worth it for them.
Day passes present a problem for hotel guests and in some cases, timeshare owners (me). When there are no available pool chairs or other amenities because of day pass holders, someone paying a lot of money to stay at the hotel has a legitimate reason to be upset.
This also works well if you arrive on an early flight from the west coast. You can get a resort pass from 10:00 AM until your 4:00 PM check-in time. It’s a great way to start your Hawaii vacation.
I think it’s a great idea, especially for those who fly a red eye into HI and have several hours to kill until they check in. My one question would be, would the day pass allow me to check my luggage at that Hotel even if I wasn’t staying with them?
Andaz on Maui has a great pass for $97 that let’s you use all the pools and other amenities for the day. Was just there Monday, November 4th.
Staff and servers are friendly and helpful in selecting your preferred lounge chair. Drinks and food can get pricey in addition to the cost of the pass, but worth it if you want a lux splurge day at the pool. It was about $225 for the day all in…that beats $1,000 a night IMO. I recommend tipping the person who sets up your lounge chair in addition to your server. They work really hard to ensure you enjoy the experience!
If you charge a fee then it makes the establishment liable. Accidents,fights, non guest problems. Just wait until the lawyers get involved.
Those day passes are to guests saying in lower cost STR’s that don’t have the amenities of the large resorts. Close the STR’s and those revenues evaporate.
just new ways to get into your pocket book…just plan accordingly. endless miles of beach for free. no thanks.
Update on your list; Turtle Bay Resort on O’ahu , now operated by Ritz Carlton, does not offer any day passes for anyone not staying overnight. Just FYI. I wish they did. Back 20 years ago locals could stay for $199/night or just respectfully use their original pool and bar area. We live at Waimea Bay, but used to enjoy getting away for the weekend.
I don’t think I’m a fan. We pay top dollar to enjoy the amenities at these resorts and now I’m competing for lounge chairs with people who aren’t even staying there?
I agree Alison. It reminds me of what it is like at an “all-inclusive” resort.. If I wanted to squeeze into a pool or hunt for a lounger to become available, I’d go to an all-inclusive resort, not evermore expensive Hawaii!
The All Inclusive games manship in order to get the lounge chairs that you would prefer. Being up and semi dressed just prior to the crack of dawn, racing down to poolside before anyone else. With beach towels in hand, choosing your preferred seats, hopefully with an umbrella. Placing the beach towels prominently upon the chair, you feel like a Champion of some kind of imaginary battle. Once done comes the walk back to your room, occasionally glancing back to see if there’s anyone poolside upset for being woefully Inadequate, astonished at losing the fight!
That’s how Mauna Kea on Big Island has been the last two times we’ve stayed. If you didn’t get a chair reserved on the beach by 6:30 AM you didn’t get a decent spot or one even close. I also noticed people would try to leave their stuff overnight to reserve chairs for the next day but not have to get up at the Crack of dawn to grab chairs.
The chair game at Mauna Kea was exactly like an all inclusive resort in Mexico.
Definitely agree with you, Alison.
Hi Alison, The occupancy at Hawaii hotels is between 74-52 % so you’re not really competing for a pool chair that much. Guest always have priority and you will notice that on most days there is no availability for passes for external guests. I live in an exclusive area and it works the same way here. Sometimes I stay as a hotel guest and sometimes I visit people who live in lovely homes without a pool and use Resort Pass to get my pool fix.
Sad to see so many passes are for Beach access which is legally “free”?
Maybe the DOJ needs to investigate?
It’s more than mere beach access, it’s the prestige of being able to enjoy the amenities of the Resort or Hotel.
We reserve a day pass at Sheridan Kapaa. $50 adults $25 children. We stay all day before a late flight or just go for the day if we want to use the pool, beach and have lunch. Reservations are needed and they only allow so many passes. It’s never too crowded.
There’s a reason high end hotels, such as Andaz or Fairmont target a certain demographics willing to pay higher nightly rates. These guests expect a certain level of exclusivity which may not be there anymore once you allow access to everyone willing to pay 50-75 bucks. Be careful how you want to increase your profit margin. It’s probably smart that Four Seasons haven’t taken this approach yet.
I was thinking the same thing.
I booked a day pass to a Waikiki hotel in July that included a cabana that was essentially a daybed. It was a very nice option as we had a flight that arrived early but we could not get into our accommodations until later in the afternoon. I used Resort Pass. Do you know whether the hotels you listed offer the passes directly, or do we need to go through a booking platform like Resort Pass? BTW, sign up for Resort Pass e-mails and you will often be offered discounts.
What’s the difference between this and the 15% extra charge that restaurant was charging on Kauai for eating at their restaurant as some kind of resort fee? The saltwater lagoon used to be free if you entered on the park side and these new charges might as well be named entrance fees. Eating at one’s restaurant just don’t make sense but to use a pool facility 20-75 bucks per person. Who would pay that? I suppose you have to pay 20+ dollars just to order a beer,soda,water,cocktail at a bar or outdoor lounge too. Is there a charge of 20+ dollars to make a hotel reservation also? IMO just a resort fee charge for walk-in’s. Everybody take notice it say’s starting at $20. No thanks.
Are these passes going to end up like airport lounge access passes and things will get very crowded?
Oh… and yo u have to pay for parking on top of the pass when going to these resort?
Self parking at Fairmont is free.
Just wait until the elitists staying at these luxury resorts start complaining about the pool pass people taking over the resort amenities. Only a matter of time. Just more have vs. have nots. No Thank You…
People willing to pay what it costs to stay at these resorts would be right to expect that not everyone can access and use the amenities if they are willing to pay, it cheapens the experience.
I know… I am an elitist.
There’s a reason there are five star and one star hotels. People who earn the kind of money that affords them to stay at five star hotels have every right to expect a certain level of service and exclusivity. There’s nothing “elitist” about spending your hard earned money the way You want. Do we also need to give access to First class on every flight in the name of some imaginary social justice and equality? There have always been haves and have nots. Thank God we’re not Cuba.
Keoki, be careful what you say, never know who is listening. They will take what you have said, turn it around to being their own idea and suddenly you’ll have economy ticket holders sitting in First Class because they are being Discriminated Against! Be careful with what you say, never know what will happen next.