The cheapest time to stay in Waikiki is September, October and late April through May. In the state’s official hotel data for the latest 12 months (October 2025 to September 2026), Waikiki hotels averaged $248 to $253 a night in those months, compared with $290 in July and $312 in December. This page lists every month with its source report, then adds the resort fee and Oahu’s 18.712% tax so you can see what a night really costs.
Waikiki Hotel Prices by Month: The Short Answer (November 2026)
- Cheapest months: October ($248.32 average daily rate), May ($250.83), September ($251.39) and April ($252.47).
- Most expensive months: December ($311.95), July ($289.55) and August ($277.89).
- Most empty rooms: November, at 73.4% occupancy. It is the quietest month for hotels, although its average rate ($258.24) sat just above the four cheapest months, and Thanksgiving week falls inside it.
- Busiest month: July, when 88.5% of Waikiki hotel rooms were filled.
- Real cost: add 18.712% tax and a typical $50 resort fee and an average October night comes to about $354, against about $430 in December.
- Best value window: September to mid-November and mid-April to late May, avoiding the holiday weekends listed below.
Compare Waikiki Hotel Rates for Your Dates
This is a price page, not a weather page. If you also want to know about rain, surf and water temperature by month, see our Waikiki weather by month guide. Here we only look at what hotels charged and how full they were.
The Cheapest and Most Expensive Months in Waikiki
Ranked by average daily rate (ADR), the year splits into four clear price bands. The previous 12 months showed the same broad pattern, with December and July at the top and autumn and May at the bottom, so this is a pattern rather than a one-off.
| Price band | Months | Waikiki ADR range | Occupancy range | Compared with the 2025 average ($268.08) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest | October, May, September, April | $248.32–$252.47 | 76.7%–78.6% | 6% to 7% below |
| Below average | March, November, February | $256.33–$264.35 | 73.4%–78.6% | 1% to 4% below |
| Above average | January, June, August | $272.39–$277.89 | 77.8%–84.4% | 2% to 4% above |
| Peak | July, December | $289.55–$311.95 | 82.4%–88.5% | 8% to 16% above |
Source: State of Hawaii DBEDT, Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Reports for October 2025 to September 2026 (data compiled by STR, Inc.); the 2025 full-year Waikiki ADR of $268.08 is from the December 2025 report.
The gap between the cheapest and the dearest month is $63.63 a night, or about 26%. On a five-night trip that is roughly $378 once tax and a resort fee are added. It is real money, but it is smaller than many travelers expect: Waikiki never has a true “off season” for hotels, because occupancy stayed above 73% in every month of the year.
Average Waikiki Hotel Rate and Occupancy by Month (Official Data)
Every month in this table comes from its own monthly Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report, published by the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT). Each report gives a separate line for the Waikiki region and compares it with the same month a year earlier. Click a month to open the report.
| Month (report) | Waikiki occupancy | Waikiki ADR | Waikiki RevPAR | Same month a year earlier (occupancy / ADR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2025 | 78.5% | $248.32 | $194.88 | 78.0% / $250.64 |
| November 2025 | 73.4% | $258.24 | $189.64 | 73.5% / $245.70 |
| December 2025 | 82.4% | $311.95 | $257.14 | 77.7% / $306.54 |
| January 2026 | 77.8% | $272.39 | $211.95 | 78.2% / $275.82 |
| February 2026 | 78.6% | $264.35 | $207.87 | 82.7% / $265.15 |
| March 2026 | 77.4% | $256.33 | $198.39 | 77.8% / $259.58 |
| April 2026 | 76.9% | $252.47 | $194.27 | 78.4% / $262.07 |
| May 2026 | 78.6% | $250.83 | $197.28 | 77.1% / $253.35 |
| June 2026 | 84.4% | $275.12 | $232.28 | 80.6% / $270.45 |
| July 2026 | 88.5% | $289.55 | $256.14 | 84.8% / $285.11 |
| August 2026 | 80.0% | $277.89 | $222.27 | 82.4% / $271.54 |
| September 2026 | 76.7% | $251.39 | $192.80 | 76.5% / $247.59 |
Source: State of Hawaii DBEDT, Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report, one report per month from October 2025 to September 2026 (Figure 1, Waikiki line). The year-earlier figures are as printed in each report.
How to read these numbers
- ADR (average daily rate) is the average room rate paid per occupied room, before taxes. It mixes every kind of Waikiki hotel, from budget towers to the beachfront icons, and every kind of booking, so treat it as a market average, not a quote.
- Occupancy is the share of available rooms that were sold. When occupancy is high, as in July, popular hotels and room types are the first to sell out.
- RevPAR (revenue per available room) is ADR multiplied by occupancy. Hotels watch it; travelers can ignore it.
- Coverage: the September 2026 survey covered 86 Oahu properties with 29,983 rooms, 94.9% of the rooms in the island’s lodging properties with 20 or more units. Vacation rentals, timeshares and small B&Bs are not included.
- Waikiki dominates Oahu: in September 2026, Waikiki had 788,400 of Oahu’s 947,900 available room nights, about 83%.
One caution from the reports themselves: STR changed the categories of some properties in January 2026, so 2025 figures printed in 2026 reports may differ slightly from those first published. The Waikiki pattern is the same either way. In both 12-month periods December was the most expensive month, July came second, and September to November and May were among the cheapest.
How Prices Move for Each Type of Hotel
The reports also split Oahu’s hotels into five STR classes, which roughly follow price level (the reports do not say which hotel is in which class). Because the class definitions changed in January 2026, this table uses only the nine months of 2026 published so far.
| 2026 (Oahu) | Luxury | Upper upscale | Upscale | Upper midscale | Midscale & economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | $512.21 | $294.23 | $205.15 | $167.98 | $145.02 |
| February | $525.34 | $280.54 | $201.81 | $160.50 | $141.31 |
| March | $488.23 | $281.04 | $200.59 | $154.63 | $135.16 |
| April | $461.32 | $278.25 | $196.82 | $155.67 | $126.82 |
| May | $437.38 | $273.46 | $197.24 | $158.61 | $127.70 |
| June | $472.39 | $309.32 | $218.12 | $169.97 | $133.45 |
| July | $504.54 | $322.37 | $229.99 | $177.20 | $152.00 |
| August | $531.12 | $303.82 | $207.26 | $164.91 | $135.31 |
| September | $431.80 | $278.74 | $191.99 | $157.77 | $125.14 |
| Jan–Sep 2026 average | $473.25 | $291.87 | $206.20 | $162.36 | $133.73 |
Source: DBEDT Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Reports, January to September 2026 (Oahu ADR by class); year-to-date averages from the September 2026 report. Bold marks the cheapest 2026 month in each class.
Three things stand out. First, luxury hotels swing the most: about $99 a night between September ($431.80) and August ($531.12), and February is a luxury peak while it is only average for the market as a whole. Second, upper-upscale hotels, the class that typically covers full-service resort brands, were cheapest from March to May and in September, then jumped about $49 a night from May to July. Third, midscale and economy hotels moved by only about $27 a night all year, with July the one real spike, so if you are booking a midscale room the month matters less than the hotel’s fees and parking. Our cheap hotels in Waikiki guide compares those extras.
Real Nightly Cost Once the Resort Fee and Tax Are Added
The ADR in the reports is before tax. On Oahu you pay 18.712% on top of the room rate: 11% state transient accommodations tax, 3% Oahu county tax and the 4.712% general excise tax that hotels pass on (our Oahu hotel tax guide breaks it down). Most Waikiki hotels also charge a daily resort fee, and the same 18.712% applies to it. Of the 30 Waikiki hotels in our resort fee list that charge one, the median is $48 a night, so the table uses a round $50 example ($59.36 with tax).
| Month | Average rate (ADR) | Rate + 18.712% tax | + $50 resort fee with tax | All-in per night | 5 nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | $248.32 | $294.79 | $59.36 | $354.15 | $1,770.75 |
| May | $250.83 | $297.77 | $59.36 | $357.13 | $1,785.65 |
| September | $251.39 | $298.43 | $59.36 | $357.79 | $1,788.95 |
| April | $252.47 | $299.71 | $59.36 | $359.07 | $1,795.35 |
| March | $256.33 | $304.29 | $59.36 | $363.65 | $1,818.25 |
| November | $258.24 | $306.56 | $59.36 | $365.92 | $1,829.60 |
| February | $264.35 | $313.82 | $59.36 | $373.18 | $1,865.90 |
| January | $272.39 | $323.36 | $59.36 | $382.72 | $1,913.60 |
| June | $275.12 | $326.60 | $59.36 | $385.96 | $1,929.80 |
| August | $277.89 | $329.89 | $59.36 | $389.25 | $1,946.25 |
| July | $289.55 | $343.73 | $59.36 | $403.09 | $2,015.45 |
| December | $311.95 | $370.32 | $59.36 | $429.68 | $2,148.40 |
Source: Waikiki ADR from the DBEDT Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Reports (October 2025 to September 2026); 18.712% Oahu tax; $50 is an illustrative resort fee, not any one hotel’s charge. Parking is not included.
Two lessons come out of this table. The resort fee is a fixed cost that does not get cheaper in low season, so on a cheap October night it adds 20% to the taxed room rate. And choosing a hotel with no resort fee saves $296.80 over five nights, which is close to the $377.65 you save by moving the same trip from December to October. If you bring a car, add roughly $35 to $89 a night plus tax for hotel parking, or see our Waikiki parking guide for cheaper garages.
| Hotel | Area | Price level | Resort fee | Parking | Booking.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Imperial Hawaii Resort | Waikiki Beach Walk (Lewers St — 50 yards to beach) | Mid-range | $0 when booked direct; about $15 + 18.71% tax per night ($17.81/night total) on third-party sites | Valet-only $35/night or $175/week | Check prices |
| The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club | Central Waikiki (Lewers St, mauka of Kuhio Ave) | Mid-range | None on direct bookings ($0 amenity fee); check third-party price breakdowns | Off-site self-parking at Hyatt Centric garage, $40/day with front-desk validation (no oversized vehicles) | Check prices |
| Shoreline Hotel Waikiki | Central Waikiki (Seaside Ave, between Kalakaua and Kuhio) | Budget | $30 + 18.71% tax per night ($35.61/night total) | Valet-only $45/night + tax | Check prices |
| Aston at the Waikiki Banyan | Waikiki East (Diamond Head / Kuhio Beach) | Mid-range | $32 + 18.71% tax per night ($37.99/night total) | Self-parking pass $43/night (limited; no vehicles over 6 ft) | Check prices |
| Aston Waikiki Sunset | Waikiki East (Paoakalani Ave / Kuhio Ave) | Mid-range | $35 + 18.71% tax per night ($41.55/night total) | FREE self-parking for one car per suite ($150 refundable gate-card deposit; no vehicles over 6 ft) | Check prices |
| Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani | Waikiki West (Kalia Road — across from Halekulani) | Upscale | None ($0 mandatory resort fee) | Self-parking or valet $60/night | Check prices |
The full list of zero-fee hotels, including the luxury ones, is in our guide to Waikiki hotels without resort fees.
Weeks and Events That Push Waikiki Prices Up
A monthly average hides the weeks inside it. December’s record rate comes mostly from the holiday fortnight, and November’s average is lifted by one week. These are the dates to check before you assume a month is cheap.
- Christmas to New Year (about December 19 to January 3): the most expensive stretch of the year. December 2025 averaged $311.95 with occupancy up 4.7 points on the year before. Our Christmas and New Year’s Eve hotel guide shows the costs of a holiday week.
- Honolulu Marathon weekend (Sunday, December 13, 2026): race weekend adds demand for rooms near the start and finish. See our marathon hotel guide.
- Thanksgiving week (Thursday, November 26, 2026): the one busy week in the quietest month. Our Thanksgiving in Waikiki guide covers dinners and events that weekend.
- Winter (January to March): January was the priciest winter month ($272.39 in 2026), while February and March came in below the annual average. Presidents’ Day weekend (Saturday, February 13 to Monday, February 15, 2027) and spring-break weeks in March are worth checking separately.
- Japan’s Golden Week (around April 29 to May 5): a major travel holiday in Japan. Check these days separately, even though April and May are cheap months overall.
- Summer school holidays (mid-June to mid-August): July 2026 hit 88.5% occupancy, the highest of the year. Book early if you need a particular room type.
- Three-day weekends: Memorial Day (May 31, 2027) and Labor Day (September 6, 2027) bring short spikes into otherwise cheap months.
How to Get the Low-Season Price
- Aim for the four cheapest months. September, October and May were among the lowest Waikiki rates in both of the last two 12-month periods, and April joined them in 2026. Early November also works if you avoid Thanksgiving week.
- Shift by a week, not just a month. A monthly average cannot show the difference between the first half of December and the holiday weeks, or between Thanksgiving week and the rest of November. Compare a few start dates before you book.
- Compare totals, not headline rates. A $260 room with no resort fee costs less than a $230 room with a $55 fee once tax is added ($308.65 against $338.33 a night). Check that the price you compare includes both the fee and the tax.
- Look at the hotel’s class, not just the month. Luxury rates moved by about $99 a night between their cheapest and dearest 2026 months, while midscale rates moved by about $27. Splurge stays gain the most from good timing.
- Book refundable and check again. Hotel rates change often. A free-cancellation booking lets you rebook if the price drops closer to your dates.
- Skip the car on beach days. Hotel parking can cost more than the resort fee. Rent one only for the days you leave Waikiki.
An Ocean View for Less
Lower occupancy means more unsold rooms of every type, including the ocean-view categories that hotels price highest. That makes September, October and May good months to try for a view room at a lower rate. Our list of Waikiki ocean view hotels under $300 shows where to start.
Prices vary according to travel dates and availability.
Planning the whole budget, not just the hotel? Our Oahu trip cost guide adds flights, food, a rental car and activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest month to stay in Waikiki?
October was the cheapest month in the latest official data, with Waikiki hotels averaging $248.32 a night in October 2025. May ($250.83), September ($251.39) and April ($252.47) were almost as cheap. In the 12 months before that, November 2024 was the cheapest at $245.70, so the whole September-to-November period is worth checking.
What is the most expensive time to stay in Waikiki?
December is the most expensive month: Waikiki hotels averaged $311.95 a night in December 2025, and the Christmas to New Year weeks are the peak within it. July is second at $289.55, with the year’s highest occupancy (88.5%).
How much does a Waikiki hotel cost per night on average?
The average Waikiki hotel room cost $264.78 a night from January to September 2026, before tax and fees, according to the state’s hotel performance report. With 18.712% tax and a typical $50 resort fee, that is about $374 a night. Budget hotels averaged far less and luxury hotels far more.
Is November a cheap time to visit Waikiki?
Yes, apart from Thanksgiving week. November has the most empty hotel rooms of the year (73.4% occupancy in November 2025), and its average rate of $258.24 was below the annual average. Avoid the days around Thanksgiving (November 26 in 2026) and it is one of the easiest months to find rooms.
When is Waikiki the most crowded?
July is the busiest month for Waikiki hotels, at 88.5% occupancy in July 2026, followed by June (84.4%) and December (82.4%). Even the quietest month, November, was still about three-quarters full, so Waikiki is never empty.
Are these the prices I will be quoted?
No. These are monthly averages across all surveyed Waikiki hotels and all booking types, not live rates. Use them to choose your month, then compare real prices for your dates and hotel, including the resort fee and tax.
How we checked this guide
We checked this guide in November 2026 against the state’s monthly Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Reports from DBEDT for October 2025 to September 2026, which are compiled from STR survey data, as well as the Hawaii Department of Taxation’s GET pass-on rate and the resort fees in our own fee list. All figures are monthly market averages, not live rates or quotes, and hotel prices change constantly. This guide is based on that research. We did not stay at the hotels to write it.
Sources
- DBEDT: Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Reports (index of monthly reports)
- Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report, September 2026 (incl. year-to-date and Oahu classes)
- Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report, July 2026
- Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report, May 2026
- Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report, December 2025 (incl. 2025 full year)
- Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report, November 2025
- Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report, October 2025
- Hawaii Department of Taxation: General Excise Tax (4.712% Oahu pass-on rate)
Photo credits
- Photo: Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view from Los Angeles, USA / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Simon_sees from Australia / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Anthony Quintano from Honolulu, HI, United States / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: ErgoSum88 / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}