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Happenings

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Statewide
  • ATA Airlines (800.435.9282; www.ata.com) plans to increase its flight capacity to Hawaii beginning this month, adding a number of daily flights between Oakland, Calif., and Honolulu, Kona and Kauai, as well as between Las Vegas and Maui.

  • Starting June 22, Hawaiian Airlines (800.367.5320; www.hawaiianair.com) will increase its Honolulu-Seattle service from three times a week to daily. The airline recently boosted its service between Seattle and Kahului, Maui, from four flights a week to daily.

  • The Hawaii Superferry (www.hawaiisuperferry.com) will start operations in July, offering passenger and vehicle ferry service daily between Oahu and Maui and six times a week between Oahu and Kauai. In 2009, the line plans to offer service between Oahu and the Big Island as well as a second daily trip between Maui and Oahu.

Oahu
  • The Sheraton Waikiki (808.922.4422; www.starwood.com/hawaii) wrapped up a renovation of all 1,481 standard guest rooms in March. Each room is appointed with luxury bedding, an LCD flat-screen television, a mobile desk area with dataports, high-speed Internet access, and a large safe. Upgrades to the hotel’s 214 suites will be completed in November.

  • Outrigger Enterprises Group has taken over management of the Ala Moana Hotel (808.955.4811; www.alamoanahotel.com) in Waikiki. The property recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation that included the addition of a new poolside restaurant, lobby lounge and fitness center. In addition, the hotel’s 1,154 guest rooms have received new soft goods.

  • Aqua Hotels and Resorts (866.406.2782; www.aquaresorts.com) added the 80-room Coconut Plaza Hotel to its portfolio and renamed it the Aqua Coconut Plaza. Several million dollars worth of upgrades are planned for the hotel this year.

  • A $100 million makeover of the Outrigger Reef on the Beach (808.923.3111; www.outriggerreefonthebeach.com) was recently completed. The property features 631 renovated guest rooms and new amenities that include whirlpool baths in the oceanfront suites, VIP pool service and complimentary wireless Internet access.

  • Outrigger Enterprises Group has taken over the management of the 400-room Wyland Waikiki Hotel (808.954.4000; www.outrigger.com), formerly a Doubletree property. The hotel just finished a renovation of all guest rooms and public spaces. A new signature restaurant, specialty coffee shop, day spa, and fitness center are scheduled to open over the next few months.

  • The recently renovated, 644-room ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Hotel (866.774.2924; www.resortquesthawaii.com) added a new meeting room designed for conferences of up to 60 people.

  • Following a franchise agreement with Hilton Hotels Corp., the Waikiki Prince Kuhio became the Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio (808.922.0811; www.waikikiprincekuhiohotel.com). The 601-room hotel also received a $65 million renovation that included the installation of such in-room amenities as Hilton signature bedding and plasma-screen televisions.

  • The Sheraton Moana Surfrider will be rebranded the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort (808.922.3111; www.starwood.com/hawaii) June 1. The property will complete a guest room renovation and open a new spa early next year.

  • The Kahala Hotel and Resort (808.739.8888; www.kahalaresort.com), which changed ownership last year, plans to finish a $20 million renovation of all guest rooms and public spaces in December.

  • In December, the Pacific Aviation Museum (808.441.1000; www.pacificaviationmuseum.org) opened on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor on the 65th anniversary of the bombing of the harbor. The museum, which is housed in a World War II-era hangar, features restored aircraft, interactive displays and a theater. Special events for up to 600 people can be accommodated inside the museum, while outdoor areas accommodate up to 10,000.

  • The Waikiki Beach Walk (www.waikikibeachwalk.com), a $535 million retail, entertainment and hotel development in central Waikiki, is continuing to take shape, most recently with the opening of the Hilton Embassy Suites and more than 30 restaurants and retailers. Future components will include the Trump International Hotel and Tower, scheduled to open in 2009.

  • Waikiki’s Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center (808.922.0588; www.royalhawaiianshoppingcenter.com) will unveil a major renovation this summer that includes 310,000 square feet of new shops and restaurants and a new nightclub/showroom.

Maui
  • The Wailea Marriott Resort and Spa (808.879.1922; www.marriott.com), currently in the final stage of a $60 million renovation, wrapped up a $19 million guest room upgrade and the conversion of one restaurant into a spa and fitness center. Exterior work on the hotel will be completed by November.

  • The Royal Lahaina Resort (808.661.3611; www.hawaiianhotelsandresorts.com) just finished a $30 million room renovation in its 330-room Lahaina Kai Tower, during which each floor was stripped down to its frame and rebuilt. Improvements include state-of-the-art technology and in-room entertainment features such as iPod ports. The renovation is the first phase of a $330 million development at the resort that will eventually include the addition of 125 villas, a free-standing spa and new restaurants.

  • The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua (808.669.6200l; www.kapalua.com) is embarking on a $95 million renovation in July that will include the reconfiguration of some guest rooms to create 107 one- and two-bedroom, full-ownership residential suites, which will be available to hotel guests. Scheduled for completion by the end of the year, the renovation will also include an expanded spa, enhancements to food and beverage outlets and the refurbishment of all 363 guest rooms.

Lanai
  • The Four Seasons Resort Lanai, The Lodge at Koele (808.565.4000; www.fourseasons.com/lanai) completed a renovation of all 102 guest rooms and public areas.

  • A pavilion called Hale Halawai, which means “meeting house” in Hawaiian, will be unveiled at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay(808.565.2000; www.fourseasons.com/lanai) in September. Perched on a hill and part of the resort’s conference center, the facility will offer 7,308 square feet of indoor space and 2,880 square feet of outdoor terrace space.

Big Island
  • The Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort and Spa (808.886.6789; www.waikoloamarriott.com) finished a $30 million renovation that included the addition of a 12,000-square-foot ballroom and infinity-edge swimming pool. All 545 guest rooms were redesigned and received new soft goods.

  • The 325-room Naniloa Volcanoes Resort (808.969.3333; www.naniloaresort.com) in Hilo opened the Oceanfront Polynesian Room for special events of up to 308 people.

  • Kona Village Resort (808.325.5555; www.konavillage.com) was acquired in a joint venture by Rockpoint Group and affiliates of MSD Capital Group, the same investment firms that own the adjacent Hualalai Resort, which includes the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. Plans to refurbish Kona Village, known for its distinctive thatched-roof bungalows, are under consideration.

  • The 135,000-square-foot Queens’ MarketPlace and Cultural Gardens at Waikoloa Beach Resort (808.593.0610; www.queensmarketplace.net) is scheduled to open this fall with an arts studio and museum, a coronation pavilion, high-end restaurants, and a 4,000-seat outdoor amphitheater.

Kauai
  • The Hilton Kauai Beach Resort (808.245.1955; www.kauaibeachresort.hilton.com) recently wrapped up an $18 million renovation that included the refurbishment of its 350 guest rooms, public spaces and 13,715 square feet of meeting space.

  • Anara Spa at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa (808.742.1234; www.grandhyattkauai.com) recently renovated and expanded its facilities, making it the largest spa on Kauai. A second phase, set for completion this winter, will include four private thatched-roof huts for massages in a tropical garden setting.

  • The Sheraton Kauai Resort (808.742.1661; www.starwood.com/hawaii) now features a new tropical look for its 394 guest rooms and suites, as well as new in-room amenities, including signature Sheraton Sweet Sleeper beds.

  • The 311-room ResortQuest Kauai Beach at Makaiwa (866.774.2924; www.resortquesthawaii.com), which completed a property-wide renovation last year, added a new oceanfront reception area where guests can enjoy live Hawaiian music and crafts demonstrations before proceeding to the resort’s nightly luau.