Yes, thankfully I took care of that early, booked hotel a few months ago and getting there on the 13th actually :). Just want to make sure I can get a pass or else I guess I will learn surfing for a week haha.
I forgot who mentioned it, but someone said that the pass was only for Japan and typically anyone can go in. I could be completely wrong as I’ve never been to Worlds but I know the Convention Center is huge and typically anyone can just walk in there. Fingers crossed we won’t need to do any lottery or get a pass!
Last year was my first Worlds (spectator from lottery) and the staff checked for badges to get inside. Not sure how typical that was versus one held elsewhere.
Spectator passes were pretty easy to acquire UNTIL Yokohama 2023 where the demand was insane. It was also more importantly to have the badge that year vs past years.
There’s no way to know what this year will be like. Presumably the demand will again be high and it might be a bit of a grind to acquire one
If you want something within walking distance the Ala Moana Hotel will be the closest and is literally a 5 minute walk or less. Then the next closest would be The Prince Waikiki, Ilikai, The Hilton, or Renaissance Honolulu.
From a local’s perspective, I feel that the Ala Moana Hotel is the cheapest of the 5 mentioned.
Realistically walking distance doesn’t matter too much because Honolulu isn’t that big, 2 uber rides a day two and from might be cheaper than a more expensive hotel closer