Hilton Hawaiian Village got mixed reviews Wednesday at a hearing to seek two critical permits needed to construct its planned Ala Moana Boulevard Tower that will add approximately 515 rooms to what is already Waikiki’s largest resort property.

The tower, which is adjacent to the Grand Waikikian Tower and near the Kalia Tower, is planned for a half-acre parcel that includes the shuttered Kobe Japanese Steakhouse restaurant, a rental car business and other retail.

The new 36-floor tower would have a main porte-­cochere entry off Ala Moana Boulevard, an open lobby, 6,051 square feet of ground-floor retail, food and beverage offerings, pool, fitness center and walkways linking it to surrounding towers.

The city Department of Planning and Permitting, which accepted the applicant’s final supplemental environmental impact statement in July 2023, will consider the latest round of public comments and then typically has 45 days to issue a report and recommendation to the Honolulu City Council. The Council ultimately decides whether to grant Hilton Hawaiian Village LLC’s applications for a special management area, or SMA, use permit and major modification of a planned development resort, or PDR, permit.

If the SMA and PDR permits are awarded, HHV LLC will need to pursue a Waikiki special district, or WSD, permit, which triggers another public review and more DPP scrutiny— as such construction is not anticipated to begin until about mid-2026.

Jonathan Fuisz, Park Hotels &Resorts senior vice president of investments, said in a statement, “Our plans to revitalize the ‘Ewa gateway to Waikiki with a new hotel tower will add a new choice and additional capacity at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, where we have been hosting visitors and employing local residents for more than 65 years.”

“The new AMB Tower will not only help to redirect visitors back to hotels in the visitor area of Waikiki, but also provide new amenities and food and beverage offerings to entice guests to stay and relax on the property, and in and around Waikiki, reducing tourism’s impact on other areas of the island.”

Written support for the project has come from a range of tourism and business stakeholders, including: Rick Egged, president of the Waikiki Improvement Association; Paul Kosasa, president and CEO of ABC Stores; Brian Arkle, Alsco Honolulu general manager; Kevin Aoki, president and CEO of Aoki Group; Ron Williams, president and CEO of Atlantis Adventures LLC; Sherry Menor-McNamara, president and CEO, Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i; Randy Hiraki, president of Commercial Plumbing; Scott Maroney, president of Crazy Shirts; Larry De Rego, co-founder, Halau Hula ‘O Hokulani; Jerry Gibson, president of the Hawai‘i Hotel Alliance; Jean Claude R Drui, president Hawaiian Paradise Coffee; Mary Pratt, Lappert’s Hawaii; Cole Slater, CEO of Maui Divers Jewelry; and Jessica Lani Rich, Visitor Aloha Society president and CEO.

Critics at the public hearing mostly included nearby condominium owners who feared that the development would block their views. Some expressed concern that the project would add to the neighborhood’s density and increase traffic congestion. Others questioned if the project had sufficient parking.

Dana Mulcahy, resident of the nearby Wailana condominium, said “They’ve taken all the view. The traffic is unbelievable. If they add this hotel, the people who live here are not going to be able to get home.”

Egged praised Hilton’s plan for off-street loading, which he said will improve traffic. He also praised Hilton’s investment in the gateway of Waikiki.

“It’s well-known to planners but the general public kind of doesn’t think in these terms — the view that most people will see is the view from the street. Great care has been taken in sculpting this view of the street, landscaping and art.”

HHV LLC has proposed satisfying a community benefit requirement by coordinating with local art expert Kelly Sueda and Native Hawaiian artist Kaili Chun to plan a sculpture garden at the corner of Kalia Road and Ala Moana Boulevard. Additionally, it is planning to support local entrepreneurship by hosting a monthly cultural festival showcasing local performers and vendors.

Another project critic Ron Fotopoulos, a Wailana condominium resident, opined that Waikiki did not need more hotel rooms, as evidenced by sluggish timeshare sales and hotel vacancy rates.

However, according to analysis by CBRE for the project’s Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, “Unmet lodging demand on Oahu through 2032 is expected to total approximately 2,670 units, if all known proposed projects are built.”

CBRE also has calculated economic benefits for the project, which is estimated to generate more than $152 million in construction wages, and after construction create 493 full-time jobs.

CBRE expects the tower will generate $49.1 million in state taxes during the build-out, and another $22.5 million annually. Real property taxes paid to the county are expected to total $13.3 million during the entitlement and construction phase and $18.4 million annually.