Aston To Make Waikiki Hotel “Hip”

HONOLULU— Aston Hotels & Resorts has won the management contract for the former Hawaiian Waikiki Beach Hotel. The 719-room property, which had gone into bankruptcy, reopened July 1 as the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel and is undergoing a $30 million renovation to all public and retail areas, restaurants and hotel rooms. The project is expected to be completed next spring. The property will stay open during the renovation and will open a $65 run-of-the-house rate through December 23, marking up to a 73% discount off 2001 rates. The resort is now the largest in the Aston portfolio, which is comprised of 33 condominium resorts and hotels on the four major Hawaii islands. “We are rejuvenating one of the few spots in Waikiki where you can still see Waikiki Beach from the street,” said Kelvin Bloom, evp/COO for Aston Hotels & Resorts Hawaii. Newly appointed GM Steve Townsend said that the design-build team, which includes Architects Hawaii, Phillpotts & Associates, Charles Pankow Builders Ltd. and Aston, has created “the most exciting design concept Waikiki has ever seen. The visual impact of the resort will be seen by all who enter Waikiki, because we’re the last property in the Waikiki skyline before viewing Diamond Head,” said Townsend. “Our goal is to unify the resort property with the beach and surrounding environment.” One feature of the property’s new design will include oversized tiki torches and water basins spouting fire. Other additions will include a new signature restaurant overlooking the Pacific, new retail shops, and oversized poolside lounging beds. All rooms will be designed to be “hip,” combining Hawaiian nostalgia with an urban style inspired by the “ocean blue water and sandy beaches of Waikiki.” Closets will have a retro look with beaded curtains patterned with hula dancers that will sway with the movement of the wind; each room will also include a tall bamboo lamp sculpture. Aston is a subsidiary of ResortQuest International, a provider of condominium and vacation home rentals worldwide.