The Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki and Golf Club has embarked on a $55.4 million redevelopment that marks its first major overhaul since opening about 25 years ago.
The property will be rebranded the Prince Waikiki following renovations, which are slated for completion by spring 2017. The property’s dated glass and brass finishes will be replaced with organic materials and neutral hues that allow vistas like the ocean, the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, the Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon and Ala Moana Beach Park to stand out.
Hawaii-based Group 70, the project’s lead architect, and Los Angeles-based Creative Resource Associates Design, the interior designer, worked to bring a Hawaiian sense of place to the property, which had a decidedly Japanese style when it opened in 1990 as part of a portfolio owned by Japan-based Seibu Holdings Inc.
“In working with our design team and identifying our Hawaiian heritage, we decided to focus on key elements that would really elevate our sense of place and bring our story to life throughout the resort,” Donn Takahashi, president of Prince Resorts Hawaii, said in a press release.
All 563 guest rooms and suites will be upgraded. Renovations also will include new dining choices, a club floor lounge and an infinity pool with cabanas and full food and beverage service. A fitness center will offer ocean views. The hotel’s signature buffet is slated for improvements. The property also will debut a new bar with views of the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor. Additional meeting space will include a ballroom with views of the ocean and a 3,000-square-foot covered outdoor space. A more modern lobby will offer a guest service area with tablets that provide guests with access to the internet, and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.
New partnerships will coincide with the renovation. The new lobby will sport a Honolulu Coffee, and Katsu Midori Sushi Tokyo also will open its first overseas location there. Watabe Wedding Corp. will develop its first high-rise wedding chapel on the 33rd floor in time to welcome spring 2017 wedding parties.
Local artists have worked to connect the hotel to its landscape. Artist Rickie Wolfe hand-painted a naio flower, which was screened on the wallpaper in all guest rooms. Local artist Kaili Chun designed a hanging cooper sculpture made of 850 floating cooper fish, reminiscent of the hinana that once thrived in the nearby Pi’inaio stream. More than 400 of the hotel and golf course’s staff members and their families, along with hotel guests, were invited to pound the pieces, giving each a unique pattern.
Brian Soma, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, said the investment reflects Seibu’s commitment.
“The renovation should be enduring,” Soma said. “They want this property to remain in this portfolio — thus the protection by a strong investment, not a moderate or mild investment.”
A recent wire story from the Nikkei Asian Review said brisk real estate sales appear to have put Seibu on track to turn its Hawaii operations profitable for the first time in a decade. According to the article, Seibu’s Hawaii businesses, which include the Hawaii Prince, the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and the Hapuna Beach Resort, are expected to generate $10.6 million ($1.1 billion yen) in profit for the year ending March 2017, up from the last fiscal year’s 800 million yen loss.
Darla Won, Hawaii Prince’s director of marketing, said the Waikiki property has been running at 90 percent occupancy for the last several years.
“Through and following the renovation, we anticipate occupancy remaining strong,” she said. “The hotel is confident that the new product and service offerings will support growth in occupancy rates.”
It’s likely to generate higher room rates, too. Soma said the hotel’s average daily rate starts in the low $200s. After renovations, prices should rise to the high $200s and low $300s, he said.
Keith Vieira, principal of KV and Associates Hospitality Consulting LLC, said renovations across Waikiki have strengthened the Hawaii Prince’s positioning.
“With other off-beach properties like the Hilton Garden Inn on Kuhio now tracking in the low $200s per night, the opportunity to move to a higher price point is there for the Hawaii Prince once they renovate,” Vieira said. “I definitely think they’ll see a return.”
Seibu’s investment spreads Waikiki renovations to the farthest corners of the destination, Vieira said.
“Their neighbor, The Modern Honolulu, did a great job. This will give the entrance to Waikiki even greater appeal,” he said.