Wild Ginger Hotel

I booked two rooms for two nights online with hotels.com, of course without being able to preview the hotel. Upon driving approaching the hotel, we were shocked and terrified that this was the hotel! There was one car in the parking lot presumably owned by the hotel staff plus an abandoned large military vehicle. The building, parking lot pavement appeared no maintenance for many decades, looked like a morgue with eerie atmosphere. Upon getting keys to enter the rooms, we were more astonished that the rooms had crawling bugs and flying mosquitoes (also in hallways. The bed linens and blankets were full of spots of stains. More importantly, the rooms and the hallways emitted mold smells. We then told the hotel staff that the rooms and the hotel had health hazards, and concerning our safety and health we had to immediately cancel our reservations and request for refund. The staff cited that cancellation and refund was only available 5 days before arrival, and gave us no refund. We told her that we were unable to find the health hazards and the conditions of the hotel before arrival. Since then we have been working on resolving the refund. If you don’t want your Hawaii vacation ruined by a hotel, DO NOT consider this place. As a licensed realtor from California, I don’t think this place would have passed city or state inspection for health and safety. City and media should look into this hotel.

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

This charming hotel puts you steps away from all the best venues in downtown Hilo. During our stay, we were able to walk to yummy restaurants, cool bars, the famous farmers market and the new Friday night market. The hotel offered free parking and free breakfast so this hotel may just be the best lounging value on all the Hawaiian Islands.

Absolutely loved our stay at the Wild Ginger. It was by far our most memorable hotel stay in Hawaii. So much character and energy. The staff is young, beautiful and kind. The location is perfect. The guest we met were soooo cool. This place seems to attract the very best of travelers. The building is old and none of the guest cared. On the contrary people loved the place and everyone just seemed grateful to be there. Oh and the paintings and sculpture were all done by the owner. An artist owner....how cool is that!!! The painting above our room was on another level. I would have paid so much more for the this place!! Thank you Wild Ginger!!!

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 : )

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!

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.

This is a hostel at best, use of the word “hotel” is not only inaccurate, but outright misleading and fraudulent. This “hotel” is run down and unsafe and not only needs to be removed from booking systems but shut down. The area this place is in felt unsafe, and we were worried about our car being left in the parking lot. After booking we received a email stating: 1. The Wild Ginger Inn is an old, Hawaiian-style Hotel and not a luxury resort. The building is full of history, character and aloha. It is truly a unique Hawaiian experience and we are excited to share it with you. While I was not expecting a luxury resort, this “Hawaiian style hotel” that is branded “it has history and built in 1911” is exactly what your getting.. a place that has been allowed to continue business with nothing being renovated or kept up to safety code since 1911. The stairs were shot (was surprised luggage didn’t go through them) The gardens are overgrown and decrepit. The room had no fire smoke alarm and a bathroom door that either would not shut or if slammed closed you need the help of someone to kick it open or be trapped in the bathroom that had no hot water… The bed had 1 top sheet and no blanket to keep warm and the noise of other guests that had also been scammed by booking this place filled the hallway. The photos do not match the reality of what this place actually is. This place needs to be shut down and reported. DO NOT STAY HERE..

The property is described as unique old Hawaiian hotel, it is clean but unmaintained, would not recommend for more than a one night stay. No hot water, windows that do not close, bathroom door that did not stay closed, no TVs or air conditioning, very limited WI-FI signal and service desk staff. Shared the room with spiders, flying bugs and a gecko in one of the windows.

Close to the airport and walkable to sunset on the beach and downtown restaurants