April 28–Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa has completed a $100 million renovation of the beachfront resort’s 1,230 rooms, including Japanese bidet-style toilets with cleansing jet streams in each room.
The investment by Blackstone Group LP, which bought the leasehold on the property for $450 million in 2013, is expected to complete the transformation of the nearly 40-year-old property.
When the Hyatt Regency Waikiki was built in 1976 for $100 million by celebrated developer Christopher Hemmeter, it launched the concept of the opulent mega-resort in Hawaii.
The new renovations will establish a more casual atmosphere that appeals to the resort’s thriving Asian market and a younger generation of visitors.
“We are extremely excited to have completed our guest room remodel and stepping into a new era for our property,” said Hyatt Regency Waikiki General Manager David Nadelman. “Our bathrooms are modern, and we have been able to utilize the size of our large rooms to include 55-inch televisions in each room.”
All of the rooms include Hyatt’s celebrated pillow-topped Grand Bed and Washlets, the toilets made by Japanese-based Toto Ltd. that typically offer everything from seat-warming and cleansing jet streams to deodorization and even air-drying. Room colors reflect the sea, and contemporary furniture will offer subtle Hawaii-style details. For example, the end of each room’s desk is shaped like a surfboard, and there are koa wood clocks on each wall. Rooms also include more storage area, hanging hooks and outlet pods.
These latest renovations came on the heels of a 2009 suite renovation, a $13 million third-floor renovation in 2011 — which included three restaurants, the Jacuzzi, Regency club and lounge areas — and the just-completed $2.5 million renovation of the Koa Ballroom.
