Happenings

Hawaii’s Big Island

• Prince Resorts Hawaii (888.9.PRINCE; www.princeresortshawaii.com) is spending $150 million on repairs and renovations to the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and adjacent Mauna Kea Golf Course. The hotel, which has been closed following earthquake damage in late 2006, is scheduled to reopen in December. The room count at the hotel will be reduced from 310 to 258, with rooms in the main building being reconfigured into more spacious accommodations. The golf course, which closed in May 2007, will reopen in November.
  
  
• The 135,000-square-foot Queen’s MarketPlace and Cultural Gardens at Waikoloa Beach Resort (808.593.0610; www.queensmarketplace.net) opened last fall with an arts studio and museum, a pavilion, high-end restaurants, and a 4,000-seat amphitheater.
  
  
• The Hilton Waikoloa Village (808.886.1234; www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com) completed a three-year, $90 million renovation that included the refurbishment of all 1,240 guest rooms and upgraded technological features, including new sound and light systems and a T3 circuit for high-speed Internet connections in the meeting areas.

• Princeville Resort (808.826.6522; www.starwood.com) will close in September for major renovations and reopen in May 2009 as part of Starwood’s St. Regis Hotels and Resorts brand. The luxury property will have more of a Hawaiian feel, with the use of native hardwoods and stone throughout and tropical landscaping in the pool area.
  
  
• The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas (808.826.2404; www.starwoodhotels.com) opened on Kauai’s North Shore in April. Set on 16.5 acres above Anini Beach, the Hawaiian plantation-style resort offers luxury villas equipped with dining areas, full kitchens, flat-screen TVs, outdoor lanais, and other amenities.
  
  
• The Wailele Terrace, an event venue set in a tropical garden with waterfalls and koi ponds, opened at the Kauai Marriott Resort (808.246.5091; www.marriott.com). The 950-square-foot venue accommodates up to 60 people for a reception and up to 50 people for a seated banquet.

• A pavilion called Hale Halawai, which means “meeting house” in Hawaiian, was unveiled at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay (808.565.2000; www.fourseasons.com/lanai) last fall. Perched on a hill and part of the resort’s conference center, the facility offers 7,300 square feet of indoor space and 2,880 square feet of outdoor terrace space.

• The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua (808.669.6200l; www.kapalua.com) reopened earlier this year following a $160 million makeover that featured new Hawaiian design elements throughout the property. The project included the reconfiguration of some guest rooms to create 107 one- and two-bedroom, full-ownership residential suites, which are available to hotel guests. A new full-service spa with 15 treatment rooms will open this month.
  
  
• The Wailea Marriott Resort and Spa (808.879.1922; www.marriott.com) wrapped up a $60 million renovation that included the refurbishment of all 546 guest rooms and the conversion of one restaurant into a spa and fitness center. The hotel also has a remodeled entrance facing the ocean, a new full-service Mandara Spa and a new Mala Wailea restaurant.
  
  
• Royal Lahaina Resort (808.661.3611; www.hawaiianhotelsandresorts.com) completed a $30 million room renovation of 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 Kapalua Adventures Mountain Outpost and Kapalua Adventure Center (808.665.4386; www.kapaluaadventures.com) are new amenities offered at the Kapalua Resort The Mountain Outpost, located in the mountains above Kapalua, offers eight dual-track ziplines, two suspension bridges, a ropes course, and a four-station climbing tower. The Adventure Center offers a sports shop, a cafe, a mulitmedia entertainment and information center, and four concierges to assist with arranging outdoor activities.
  
  
• The Hyatt Regency Maui (808.661.1234; www.maui.hyatt.com) has a new operating relationship with Sailing Maui Inc., owners of two catamarans, including a 65-foot sailing yacht available for private excursions, including snorkel and scuba sails, sunset cruises, whale-watching excursions, and dinner cruises. The other vessel offers daily snorkel and sunset sailings.

• 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 over 30 restaurants and retailers. Future components will include the Trump International Hotel & Tower, scheduled to open in 2009.
  
  
• Waikiki’s Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center (808.922.0588; www.royalhawaiianshoppingcenter.com) is wrapping up a $115 million renovatin that includes 310,000 square feet of new shops and restaurants. A nightclub/showroom is scheduled to open this summer, presenting Waikiki Nei, a show featuring Cirque du Solei-style acrobatics and high-tech video, sound and lighting effects.
  
  
• The Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort (808.922.3111; www.starwood.com/hawaii) will open the 16,000-square-foot Moana Lani Spa in August. The spa will feature eight massage therapy rooms, two couples suites with oceanfront lanais and whirlpool tubs, separate men’s and women’s relaxation lounges, and a 24-hour fitness center.
  
  
• The Royal Hawaiian Hotel (808.922.7311; www.starwood.com/hawaii) is closing June 1 for a major restoration and will reopen late this year. The makeover will include new suites, a “Tower within the Tower” concept and new guest amenities.
  
  
• The Sheraton Waikiki (808.922.4422; www.starwood.com/hawaii) recently completed a $55 million renovation and plans are under way to upgrade the public areas. The hotel will debut the new Abhasa Spa, featuring 12 treatment rooms, in October.
  
  
• The Kahala Hotel and Resort (808.739.8888; www.kahalaresort.com) recently unveiled the first phase of a guest room renovation. The rooms, which have a contemporary tropical feel, feature new wood floors, furnishings, 40-inch flat-screen TVs, cordless phones, and other amenities.
  
  
• As part of a $21 million renovation, the Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber (808.922.4646; www.ohanahotels.com) redesigned its 495 guest rooms to feature decor inspired by the Waikiki Beach of the 1950s and ‘60s. A new resturarant, Jimmy Buffet’s at the Beachcomber, is scheduled to open by the end of the year.
  
  
• In honor of its 10th anniversary this year, the Hawaii Convention Center (808.943.3500; www.hawaiiconvention.com) is offering $175,000 worth of incentives to groups with 2,500 delegates or more who book for the years 2011, 2014 or 2016. The incentives can be customized in various ways, including offsetting the facility rental fee or to fund pre-event promotions and international attendance-building programs