More specifically, the lack of noise. No crying. No kids. Kids are great. On a Friday night, its bar was packed with locals. Its restaurant was filled with sought after Honolulu influencers enjoying themselves, not working to hype the place.
Its staff was professional and calm. Attentive in every way. And a team that recognizes you when you return. Opening a hotel is hard. Things can go wrong. A lot of things usually do. Large-scale glass sliders open up to lanais in most rooms. For light sleepers, the rooms are pitch black when curtains are drawn. Romer House has nailed a comfortable aesthetic and easygoing attitude that never feels overproduced, or missing something, which often plagues the introduction of so many other new hotel experiences.
The hotel has leaned toward a vibrant local arts community for its vibe. Guests are greeted by large black and white photographs by renowned surf photographer, Arto Saari. A rotating gallery wall, with unobstructed views from the restaurant, currently features paintings by Chelsea Kinch. On the second floor, The Backyard is a brand new outdoor pool deck that includes cabanas and loungers with rows of umbrellas and a bar for classic cocktails, bites and bentos.
You can tell that the hotel has a lot of plans for this spot in the future, and it will be fun to see what happens here. But it never feels out of place. Chef recommendations include a delightful oko-oko pancake, and a sendai curry yakisoba noodle dish.
The poke sampler of ahi tuna, kampachi ceviche, and spicy octopus; miso caesar salad and miso-dressed sugar snap peas are all winners. The Japanese wagyu steak trio is a great way to try the A-5 rib eye grilled tableside teppanyaki style. My husband and I absolutely loved the Party Line, a build-your-own sushi hand roll platter of maguro, hamachi, hotate, tobiko, cucumber, pickled daikon, tamago, inari, shiso, and rice that you wrap in crispy nori.
