July 25–The Queen Kapiolani Hotel, a 312-room property across the street from Kapiolani Park, is starting a $30 million makeover.
The renovations, which are slated to begin this month and extend through the spring, are the first major changes since 2015, when DiamondHead Land purchased the hotel. DiamondHead Land is a joint venture of San Francisco-based real estate investment company ProspectHill Group and longtime Hawaii tourism executive Patrick Fitzgerald, who served on the board of the Hawaii Tourism Authority from 2010 to 2014.
The owners hired Kokua Hospitality to run the hotel, which sits on leasehold land at 150 Kapahulu Ave. Kokua Hospitality has planned the asset's repositioning, which will include a new restaurant and improvements for its public spaces, guest rooms, atrium, pool deck and lanai.
"The new Queen Kapi'olani Hotel will celebrate what makes the property so special to kamaaina and to visitors, while making long-overdue improvements," Fitzgerald said in a statement. "We're infusing new life — and new capital — to create jobs and revitalize this beloved hotel."
The hotel will remain open during the renovations, which are expected to create 100 construction jobs.
Hotel escalators will be replaced with sculptural luminaires by New Zealand artist David Trubridge, whose lighting fixtures will highlight Hawaii's cultural connection to the sea. The extended lanai will include a new Grab-N-Go retail space, which will serve coffee by day and beer and wine by night. A new restaurant, operated by international restaurant group Plan Do See, will be a highlight of the hotel's third-floor deck, which will include a pool and banquet rooms, which will seat 300.
New furnishings will be reminiscent of the midcentury modern era, paying homage to the period of the hotel's opening. G70 is the architect, and John Hardy Group will serve as construction manager. The lead designer is Philpotts Interiors.
"We will be thrilled to welcome guests to the new and improved Queen Kapi'olani Hotel," Jeff Perkins, the hotel's general manager, said in a statement. "This Waikiki landmark will be rejuvenated with new energy."
