Eco-friendly renovations enhance hotels
While it’s hard to top the singular location of the storied Volcano House, other Hawaii hotels in distinctive settings have recently undergone even greater transformations. With new ways to protect the islands’ environment and showcase Polynesian culture — two main draws for visitors — it’s a fair bet they’ll stay in business.
Maui
The Aloha State’s newest lodging, opened last Sunday, embraces all three trends. Representing an almost total rebuilding of the long-shuttered Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort — the only hotel among Mokapu Beach’s lowrise condos — the new Andaz Maui at Wailea also expects to be the first resort in Hawaii to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
At press time, the 15-acre, 297-room resort was just waiting to hear which level of LEED certification its sustainable design and operations will merit, according to a spokesperson. Among the new facilities: seven residential -style villas, four cascading infinity pools lined with private cabanas, a 15,000-square-foot spa with an adults-only pool and apothecary, and Morimoto Maui, “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto’s 10th restaurant worldwide and second in the islands, after Waikiki.
All of the dining outlets at Andaz Maui, including a second restaurant, two poolside cafes and a marketplace, feature locally grown ingredients. The first resort in Hyatt’s upscale Andaz brand, and the first Andaz of any kind in the islands, the Wailea site will also offer neighborhood-inspired cultur-
al events in a program known as Andaz Salon.
Oahu
On Oahu, the only resort on the rural North Shore has been introducing renovations in waves since 2011, and this year’s set isn’t over yet. In the spring, the 840acre Turtle Bay Resort opened the oceanfront Nalu Kinetic Spa, featuring a wave-therapy massage table; the farm-totable North Shore Kula Grille and “sea-to-table” Paakai restaurants; and two stores, the surf- and music-themed North Shore WaterShed and Oakley at Turtle Bay, specializing in eyewear and surf wear. Many of the resort’s 397 rooms have also been remodeled, with new bathrooms and lighter, contemporary decor with subtle island motifs; the rest are expected to be completed by early next year.
Yet the most impressive change under way may be Turtle Bay’s green roof project, the brainchild of the hotel’s new, cross-department environmental committee, Hui Malama. Working on one roof at a time, during weekday hours to minimize disruption, the resort is creating a 59,000-square-foot native plant and rock garden on all lower roofs, which will double their life span, reduce energy use and look a little nicer, too. It’s also expected to be finished by early 2014.
Not far from Turtle Bay (from visitors’ perspective), the Polynesian Cultural Center is also looking a little greener, with the addition of a taro patch and traditional fish pond to its renovated Hawaiian Village. The center’s remodeled Imax theater, which now resembles a dormant volcano, has a new movie, too: “Hawaiian Journey,” emphasizing the connection of the Hawaiian people to their environment and ancestors.
Meanwhile, on the prime South Shore location of Kalakaua and Kapahulu avenues, Park Shore Waikiki recently wrapped up $10.7 million in enhancements to its 221 rooms, rooftop pool deck and public areas. It’s operated by Aqua Hospitality, which is instituting eco-friendly procedures at many of its Waikiki properties, such as green room keys that turn off lights and air conditioning when guests are away.
It’s easy to go green when visiting Honolulu’s Bishop Museum: Take the No. 2 bus from Waikiki and walk about three minutes. The museum will host a “grand unveiling” of its remodeled and renamed Pacific Hall on Sept. 21, with live music, dance, arts and crafts demonstrations, films and lectures. New exhibits in the 119-yearold gallery, formerly Polynesian Hall, will focus on the cultural connections between the peoples of the “blue continent,” including artifacts from Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, the Marquesas, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand and Vanuatu, among other island nations.
Kauai
On the Garden Island of Kauai, environmental and cultural concerns have slowed some proposed hotel transformations.
EBay founder Pierre Omidyar is facing opposition for his plans to build a resort and ridge-top homes in Hanalei, on a 63-acre site that includes the overgrown ruins of the former beachfront Club Med and Hanalei Plantation Hotel.
New environmental protections for a gem on the island’s south side, however, seem to have unanimous approval. Lawai Kai includes a beach popular with nesting green sea turtles and resting Hawaiian monk seals, a beachfront hill traditionally used as a lookout and other archaeological sites, and Allerton Garden, part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden.
In June, the area became a “special subzone” of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, preserving its natural beauty for residents and visitors.