TV Restaurants

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

Open verified

As of September 2026, Kauai Inn is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed July 2026.

Primary source
Yelp ·
Secondary source
Tripadvisor ·

Last verified

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.

  • Season / episode Season 7, Episode 7
  • Original air date
  • Address 2430 Hulemalu Rd, Lihue, HI 96766
  • Current name The Kauai Inn

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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.

Featured on Hotel Impossible

Season / episode
Season 7, Episode 7
Original air date
Episode title
Malpractice in Hawaii
What was featured
Historic Kauai inn, hospitality turnaround episode
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Kauai Inn

Frequently asked questions

Is Kauai Inn still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Kauai Inn is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed July 2026.

What happened to Kauai Inn 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. As of September 2026, Kauai Inn is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed July 2026.

What is Kauai Inn called now?

Now: The Kauai Inn (formerly Kauai Inn). As of September 2026, Kauai Inn is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed July 2026.

Where is Kauai Inn located?

2430 Hulemalu Rd, Lihue, HI 96766. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Hotel Impossible featured Kauai Inn?

Season 7, Episode 7 of Hotel Impossible, first aired May 30, 2016. The episode is titled “Malpractice in Hawaii”.

What do reviews say since Hotel Impossible?

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. We summarise what dated sources report; we do not publish our own rating.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
2430 Hulemalu Rd, Lihue, HI 96766
Venue type
hotel
Official website
thekauaiinn.com

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

Sources

  • Yelp — https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-kauai-inn-lihue
  • Tripadvisor — https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60623-d87340-Reviews-or290-The_Kauai_Inn-Lihue_Kauai_Hawaii.html
  • thekauaiinn.com — http://www.thekauaiinn.com/

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