While resort development has slowed in Hawaii, as it has in most destinations, that doesn’t mean that the hotel scene isn’t constantly evolving. Planners will find plenty of new and refreshed properties to choose from throughout the islands.
Oahu
On Oahu, the big news is the introduction of several new hotel brands to the island, including the first-ever Trump and Disney properties in the state of Hawaii.
Last fall saw the debut of Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk, a sleek condo-hotel tower casting an impressive profile on the Waikiki skyline. The 38-story property offers 464 hotel rooms and suites with gourmet kitchens, private lanais and expansive windows framing ocean and mountain views. Recreational amenities include a six-floor pool deck with an infinity pool.
Set to open in October, the Waikiki EDITION will represent another new hotel brand, this one resulting from a partnership between hip hotelier Ian Schrager and Marriott International. The hotel will be the first of several EDITION hotels that are also being planned for Istanbul, Mexico City, Bangkok and other cities.
The new property will offer 322 guest rooms and eight meeting rooms with a total of 18,000 square feet of space. Highlights of the hotel will include a contemporary Japanese fusion restaurant operated by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, a nightclub called Crazybox, an outdoor movie theater showing first-run movies and videos, a fitness program featuring surfing exercises called Surf and Bikini Boot Camp, and a private beach with a lagoon.
Coming next year to Ko Olina, a resort complex on the western side of the island, is Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa. Incorporating extensive water features and two 15-story towers, the resort will offer 350 hotel rooms and 480 timeshare villas, ranging in size from one to three bedrooms and offering full kitchens. Aulani will also offer 8,000 square feet of meeting space and a full-service spa.
Along with new properties, renovations and enhancements are also making their mark on the Oahu hotel scene.
At Ko Olina, the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa recently expanded and converted a pavilion into the 15,600-square-foot Hokulani Ballroom to better serve meetings and events. With retractable windows that open up onto a garden setting, the ballroom can be divided into five breakout spaces and accommodates up to 1,100 guests for banquets and up to 2,000 for theater-style presentations.
In Waikiki, the extensive renovations of the Sheraton Waikiki and adjacent Royal Hawaiian represent a major investment in keeping these two landmark properties up to date.
The 1,600-room Sheraton Waikiki recently wrapped up a nearly $200 million renovation, which included a new spa, extensive improvements to the hotel’s 45,000-square-foot convention center and new food and beverage operations featuring restaurant-quality banquet fare emphasizing local ingredients. The Sheraton renovation also included the addition of the Helumoa Playground, a resort activity area built around a lagoon-style swimming pool.
Last year, the Royal Hawaiian underwent its most extensive makeover since the legendary "Pink Palace of the Pacific" first opened its doors back in 1927. With its reopening, the hotel became part of Starwood’s Luxury Collection, a portfolio devoted to the company’s most iconic properties. Changes included opening up the lobby to the Royal Coconut Grove, a rare green space in the heart of Waikiki that is part of the hotel’s 66,000 square feet of outdoor event areas.
Halekulani, another luxury property, unveiled the Orchid Suite, a 2,365-square-foot venue separate from the main hotel building with panoramic views of Diamond Head and Waikiki. It includes a gourmet kitchen where chefs can provide interactive cooking experiences. The 455-room resort has also introduced Art in Motion, a fleet of luxury cars that includes a Masarati Grand Torino, a Lotus Elise and other premium vehicles available to guests.
The all-suite Aston Waikiki Sunset recently completed improvements to all of its units, including redesigned kitchens with granite countertops, new furniture and the addition of 32-inch LCD high-definition TVs. The hotel also renovated its sixth-floor hospitality lounge and resurfaced its pool and tennis court.
Still another major transformation recently occurred with the $110 million upgrade of the Outrigger Reef on the Beach, which included adding a new conference room and two boardrooms for smaller meetings and events. The hotel’s 436 guest rooms and suites were enlarged, and the lobby and porte cochere were redesigned to feature a historic canoe and other museum-quality Hawaiian artifacts.
Located just outside Waikiki in the posh Kahala neighborhood, the 338-room Kahala Resort recently wrapped up a $52 million renovation that included major upgrades to its 11,500 square feet of meeting space, including new LCD video walls in the Waialae and Maile ballrooms.
Kahala is now offering its recently renovated Kahala Spa as a venue. Up to 50 people can gather for receptions in its lounge and adjoining outdoor area, while also enjoying mini spa treatments in the 10 treatment rooms.
Kauai
The Kauai Marriott Resort just wrapped up a $50 million renovation that included a new contemporary design for all 352 guest rooms. The resort also redesigned its Kalapaki Beach Restaurant, giving it more outdoor seating, and added the Toro-Tei Sushi Bar. Also new is a children’s pool area with a water activity center.
The St. Regis Princeville Resort, formerly the Princeville Resort, reopened last fall after a year-long renovation that elevated the 252-room property to Starwood’s top-level St. Regis brand and gave it a more Hawaiian look and feel. The project included the addition of Halelea Spa, which offers 12 treatment rooms, a salon; a 24-hour fitness center; a new fine-dining restaurant called Kauai Grill and a redesigned pool area with cabanas.
Open last spring after a renovation is the Makai Golf Club at The St. Regis Princeville Resort. A former 27-hole golf course now features the 18-hole Makai Course and the nine-hole Woods Course. Renovations also included an upgrade of the adjacent tennis complex.
Aston Resorts’ Aloha Beach Hotel Kauai completed a renovation that included all 216 guest rooms and cottages. The property offers several indoor and outdoor meeting spaces, including the Plumeria Garden Court, which has a built-in stage and adjacent lawn accommodating up to 300 people.
Maui
The Makena Beach & Golf Resort, formerly the Maui Prince, is under new ownership and management. Benchmark Hospitality took over operation of the resort last fall, while Wells Fargo Bank purchased the property in May.
New at the 1,800-acre resort located south of Wailea is the Makena Kai Day Spa, the first Maui spa to be operated by Hawaiian Rainforest Spa, which specializes in therapies using indigenous botanical products. The resort also recently added Makena Vista, an outdoor event space situated 600 feet above sea level near the signature 14th hole at the Makena Golf Course. Offering sweeping views of the Pacific, Makena Vista accommodates up to 150 guests for a reception.
In Wailea, the Fairmont Kea Lani is making improvements this fall to the decks surrounding the adult and lagoon pools. The work is being completed in two phases, so one pool will be kept open at all times.
Designed for executive meetings, the Wailea Beach Marriott recently unveiled its new Alii Boardroom, which seats 11 people at a conference table with integrated data and voice jacks. The room features a 52-inch HD LCD TV, wired and wireless connectivity, stereo surround sound and other features.
The Napili Kai Resort recently completed a renovation of its oceanfront Puna II building, which offers 20 studio and one-bedroom units with kitchenettes. The project included exterior renovations as well as new furnishings and flat-screen televisions. The 163-room resort on Napili Bay offers function space for up to 250 guests.
Big Island
The Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort will debut the makeover of its 521 guest rooms this fall. Rooms at the 22-acre oceanfront resort are receiving new carpeting, 37-inch, flat-screen televisions and other new decor. The renovation also brings enhancements to the Keauhou Bay Coffee Company Cafe, including the installation of Link@Sheraton, a communications lounge featuring a communal table with computers as well as game tables and oversized chairs.
A recent $35 million renovation at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel gave the property a new lobby and infinity-edge pool with a lava rock whirlpool and the Billfish Bar. The hotel’s four meetings rooms were part of the renovation, and the 452 guest rooms received new Hawaiian-inspired decor as well as flat-screen televisions and wireless Internet access.
Meeting space at Hilo Hawaiian Hotel has been upgraded, including new carpeting and draperies for the 5,000-square-foot Mokuola Ballroom and 1,400-square-foot Mala Kena banquet room. The hotel also added a new outdoor space called Zen Garden.
