| HONOLULU (Sept.16, 1998) - ASTON Hotels & Resorts today
announced the scheduled re - opening of the 10-acre oceanfront Keauhou
Beach Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii for March 1, 1999. The 314-room
property, owned by Southwest Value Partners, is undergoing an extensive
$15 million renovation to all public areas and guest rooms. The project
also includes the preservation of numerous sacred Hawaiian sites on the
property including a replica of King David Kalakaua's private vacation
cottage, his cleansing pond and several heiau [places of worship].
Fletcher Pacific Construction of Honolulu is the general contractor
for the project. Honolulu-based Group 70 International Inc. has been selected
as project architects. Group 70 has designed numerous hotel and resort
properties throughout Hawaii including The Lodge at Koele on Lana'i.
All food and beverage operations at the resort will be overseen by acclaimed
local chef Sam Choy. Three restaurants, including a signature Sam Choy
Restaurant, will operate daily on the property. In addition, Choy will
oversee convention food and beverage and room service for the resort. Karen
Sakamoto of KNIS Designs Inc., in Honolulu, is designing the food areas
to feature expanded views of the natural beauty both around and within
the restaurants.
 "The
Keauhou Beach Resort is located in the historic area known as Kahalu'u,
a favorite vacation place of Hawaiian Royalty." said David Dolgen, managing
director of Southwest Value Partners. "Sam Choy is the perfect bridge between
that which was and what will be again. With Sam Choy's wonderful food menus
and the exciting renovations, guests at the Keauhou Beach Resort can once
again relax, play and eat like royalty."
Highlights of the food and beverage operations will include an exhibition
kitchen in the main dining room. A lounge with a lanai at the edge of the
ocean will open at 5 a.m. for early risers and will serve food throughout
the day to complement the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus of the main
dining room.
Chef Choy also plans several distinctive buffets for breakfast, lunch
and dinner. "The one that really excites me is "The Big Island Open Farmer's
Market Buffet," says Choy. "I love to use and showcase the products of
the Big Island farmers and ranchers. I want to get them right here in the
restaurant sharing their wonderful food with our guests. We plan to incorporate
every local-grown product we can into the resort's menus.
"I am proud to be associated with a place of such historical and cultural
significance," said Fred Mayo, general manager of Keauhou Beach Resort.
"The 'spirit' is alive here.. and the commitment to the restoration of
this property honors the 'aiina [land] as well as its sacred sites. Traditional
dance, live music, local artistry and authentic Hawaiian sports will all
be part of our daily activity. Bringing the quality of Sam Choy is a clear
indication of the kind of experience that our guests will enjoy overall."
Amenities at the property will include three restaurants, room service,
complimentary Hawaiian culture program, Hawaiiana shop, gift and sundry
shops, fitness center, six tennis courts, outdoor pool, children's pool,
indoor and outdoor massage therapy areas, special rates for the Keauhou
Resort golf courses, activities desk, free parking and more.
Room categories will include garden view, partial ocean view, ocean
view, deluxe ocean view and deluxe oceanfront. Each of the resort's 314
rooms will feature private lanais, a majority with Pacific Ocean views.
All rooms will feature one king-size bed or two double-size beds, separate
dressing and bath areas, remote control 25-inch televisions, sitting areas
and desks. Five oceanfront one-bedroom suites, situated in the resort wing
built out over the Pacific Ocean, will be available and will include refrigerators.
The new food & beverage venues are part of Let's Eat Hawai'i, a
partnership between Sam Choy and KBL Food Services Inc. KBL Food Services
is headed by James H. Q. Lee who, along with his family, has been in the
restaurant business on O'ahu for many years as the owners of the popular
Hee Hing Restaurant on Kapahulu Avenue in Honolulu. Other Let's Eat Hawai'i
ventures are the upscale Sam Choy's Diamond Head Restaurant, Sam Choy's
Breakfast, Lunch and Crab, Sam Choy's Kahului and the soon to be opened
"Firecracker," an Asian-style bistro, which will be in Kahului on Maui.
Sam Choy also has his name on two other restaurants, Sam Choy's Hawai'i
at the Bali Hal in San Diego and Sam Choy's Tokyo.
Southwest Value Partners is headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ and has
real estate investments in the southwestern and western United States and
Canada. The company also owns the ASTON Maui Islander in Lahaina, Maui.
About Sam Choy
| Sam Choy was born in 1952 in the town of Laie on the North Shore of
Oahu. After graduating from Kahuku High School, he attended Colombian Basin
Junior College in Washington state on a football scholarship, then returned
to Hawaii and enrolled in cooking school at Kaipiolani Community College.
He worked first on Oahu at the Hyatt Kuilima Resort, which later became
the Turtle Bay Hilton and Country Club, and at the Waldorf Astoria in New
York City, then as executive chef at the Kona Hilton (now the royal Kona
resort) on the big island. His locally famous Kona restaurant opened in
1991, while Sam Choy's Diamond Head opened in June 1995 in Honolulu. Sam,
who donates much of his time and talent to various charities, has appeared
on several televised cooking shows and has been the recipient of numerous
culinary awards. He and his wife, Carol, who helps out in the restaurant,
have two sons, Sam, 15, and Christopher, 10. |
Based in Honolulu, ASTON Hotels & Resorts operates 30 condominium
resorts and hotels on the four major Hawaiian islands. The company is the
number one operator of suites and resort condominiums and hotels in Hawaii
and is a ResortQuest InternationalsM company, the leading provider of condominium
and vacation home rentals in premier resort locations worldwide. For more
information, visit ASTON's web site at http://www.aston-hotels.com or call
(800) 92-ASTON [(800) 922-7866] from the U.S. Mainland and Canada for reservations.
From Hawaii, call (800)321-2558. ASTON's TDD telephone number is (800)441-2344. |