TV Restaurants

Is Kauai Inn Still Open? Hotel Impossible Update (Lihue, HI)

Hotel Impossible, Season 7 Lihue, Hawaii

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, Kauai Inn is open — confirmed via Yelp, July 2026.

What the source shows: Yelp (updated July 2026) and a TripAdvisor review dated 2026-05-19 both show The Kauai Inn as currently active, despite the inn's own website displaying only 2020-dated content. How we decide a status →

What happened after Hotel Impossible?

Hotel Impossible featured Kauai Inn in Lihue, Hawaii, a property whose owners describe it as Hawaii's first hotel, built in 1890, on season 7, episode 7, 'Malpractice in Hawaii,' which aired 2016-05-30. The episode followed the show's format of a hospitality consultant working with an independently run hotel on operational and guest-experience issues. In the years since, the property has continued operating under the name The Kauai Inn at 2430 Hulemalu Rd. Yelp's listing for The Kauai Inn, updated July 2026 with 115 reviews, and a TripAdvisor guest review dated 2026-05-19 both describe the property with recent guests praising clean rooms, free breakfast, and helpful staff.

Google Places also lists the inn as operational. By contrast, a direct check of the inn's own website on 2026-09-09 found only 2020-dated copyright and content, despite a server last-modified header from 2026-09-01, indicating the file was recently touched without its displayed content being updated. No news coverage of a closure, sale, or legal issue involving the property was found. The inn is also described in third-party listings as featuring 48 air-conditioned rooms, an outdoor pool, and free parking near Nawiliwili Harbor. Lihue is the county seat of Kauai and sits near Lihue Airport, making it a common overnight stop for visitors arriving on the island.

The episode Hotel Impossible, Season 7

Episode 7
Aired
Title: Malpractice in Hawaii · What was featured: Historic Kauai inn, hospitality turnaround episode

Also in Season 7 Hotel Impossible

Season 7: 8 of 13 still open · 3 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 13 Season 7 episodes →

Nearest places By distance from 2430 Hulemalu Rd

All 96 TV restaurants in Hawaii →

Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the hotel — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 3 references

  1. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-kauai-inn-lihue
  2. Tripadvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60623-d87340-Reviews-or290-The_Kauai_Inn-Lihue_Kauai_Hawaii.html
  3. thekauaiinn.com http://www.thekauaiinn.com/
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Record hi-076 · checked by Cal Marchetti.