OAHU, HI—It’s not every resort that can lay claim to having a working farm and a bird sanctuary on site, along with a surfer bar, a pro golf course and a spruced-up version of the Magnum, P.I. helicopter coming and going from an adjacent landing lot, but these—and about a dozen more features and activities—are part of the destination universe carved out here by Turtle Bay Resort, situated on 840 acres.
Long known for its status as the only major hotel on Oahu’s North Shore, the 410-room Turtle Bay recently has been reinvigorated via a $45-million renovation curated by Vancouver, BC-based owner/operator/developer Replay Resorts, which takes on projects for investors, in this case, Turtle Bay Holdings, LLC.
Replay is led by Chairman Joe Houssian, founder and former president, CEO and chairman of Intrawest Corp. Replay asset manages and operates Turtle Bay with oversight from CEO Michael Coyle, another Intrawest expat. Benchmark Hospitality, which previously managed the property, now fulfills a marketing role.
The renovation upgraded the guestrooms of the tri-prong main building, borrowing from traditional and modern decor found in Hawaiian homes. Guest bathrooms were remodeled with walk-in showers, new tile, vanities and shutters that, when open, allow views to the ocean.
The property also expanded its F&B offerings, adding North Shore Kula Grille, which has a farm-to-table focus, and sea-to-table Pa’akai, overseen by Executive Chef Conrad Aquino.
Also added was the 11,000-sq.-ft. Nalu Kinetic Spa and wellness center that features an outdoor massage experience in a seaside cabana facing the ocean, where surfers can be seen riding large waves. The hotel also converted meeting space to add to its fitness center, creating a state-of-the art facility that looks out over the lush landscape with panoramic views of the water.
The resort has embraced the surfer crowd. It partnered with Surfer magazine and added Surfer, The Bar off the hotel’s lobby. The venue, open to guests and locals alike, hosts musicians, performers and a “Talk Story” series where noted surfers can tell their tales. The hotel also revamped its Hang Ten Bar & Grill. Now known as The Point (a reference to its location as the start of seven miles of beaches), the outdoor space was reconfigured to incorporate a stage, expanded seating, a new bar and equipment, with proximity to the hotel’s pool and the beach.
In the lobby, Turtle Bay has taken up the trend in social interaction. While adding new flooring and wallcovering, lighting and furniture, the hotel has reconfigured the lobby lounge to be a more convivial space for eating, using technology and “hanging out.”
A highlight of the lobby space is the Guidepost Experience Center, an interactive, staffed desk that gives guests access to find, book and review activities, including those outside the hotel, using iPads and large touch screens.
“We see this place [Turtle Bay] as a base camp,” said Coyle. “This is where you start. Then you go for a beach walk [it has five miles worth]or a hike, or you go watch the surfers or go into the water; you basically do things. This is why we say, ‘We’re travelers, not tourists.’ We want [guests]to have an authentic, deep connection with the community to help them see the ways of the place through the eyes of a local. So, we’ve pulled together and accredited from the community the best guides we could find to be able to put [guests]in moments and give you access to the inaccessible.”
This includes helicopter tours that feature landing on top of a mountain with a re-creation of the chopper from the aforementioned 1980s television show; off-road Segway tours deep into the resort; a visit to the resort’s farm; and horseback riding along 12 miles of oceanfront trails. Other activities include surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, fishing, tennis, yoga and electric bike and moped rentals. Turtle Bay has two championship golf courses, The Palmer and The Fazio, named after golf legends Arnold Palmer and George Fazio.
A complimentary GoPro (guests need their own SD card or they can be purchased at the resort) is provided for activities. A Turtle Bay app also is available.
“We believe that the Guidepost is a total separation from a typical concierge in hotels, and we do that because we want to give people a greater experience than just making a reservation for them,” said Danna Holck, Turtle Bay’s VP and general manager.
Coyle noted when Replay Resorts came in almost five years ago, it set out to evolve the property’s brand story and utilized “pillars” to convey its message and how guests would experience the resort. These included embracing the North Shore environment and community, being inclusive instead of exclusive; recognizing the attraction of the seaside and surf culture; utilizing enlightenment and inspiration to bring guests an authentic experience within the community, for example through local music and food; ensuring the resort would be a place to host memorable events, including weddings, anniversaries and honeymoons; and encouraging guests to “go do something.”
Holck herself grew up 35 miles from Turtle Bay. “One of our missions is to teach our guests to see this world through the eyes of a local,” she said, noting 87% of the resort’s staff is from the North Shore.
The resort includes 57 luxury condominium ocean villas that offer studio, three- and four-bedroom units with a private pool. There also are 368 condominium units that were built in the 1970s. (The hotel originally opened in 1972 as the Kuilima Resort Hotel and Country Club, built by casino developer Del Webb.) In addition there are 42 beach cottages, which will undergo renovations in the spring. Designer Group 70 will be creating a more functional layout, adding sleeping space and refreshing the FF&E, lighting and kitchenettes.
While the cosmetic aspects of the guest-facing renovations have drawn attention, it is perhaps Turtle Bay’s and Replay Resorts’ plans surrounding sustainability and development that have sparked greater interest.
For example, the resort has established a green roof across each of its three building prongs at the main hotel. It recently added 1,500 solar panels across 30,000 sq. ft. of the roofing, which now provides 8% of the resort’s total average electricity demand. Lower rooftops have been renovated to show a bold design created by rocks, which helps reduce heat.
As might be expected for a resort of Turtle Bay’s size that incorporates a wealth of land, development efforts have been the subject of numerous community and governmental meetings and controversies for years.
According to Turtle Bay Resort CEO Drew Stotesbury (who also serves as the owner’s rep and asset manager for the property), in 1986, the complex was granted a unilateral agreement providing zoning rights for five hotel parcels that could incorporate 2,500 hotel units and five development parcels with 1,000 residential units. However, under their watch, Replay and Turtle Bay decided to revise an original master plan, instead coming back with a blueprint for 1,375 units. The state wanted to preserve additional land and, this past April in a public/private partnership with the state and a local land trust, a conservation easement set aside 665 acres of the 840 acres that Turtle Bay encompasses, and Replay Resorts has further reduced the density of units to 725, a little more than 50% of its original revision. Plans now call for two hotels near the existing main hotel structure and one residential site.
“People sometimes get a little worried about the scale of development at Turtle Bay,” said Stotesbury, but noted proposed units (725) would actually be fewer than the existing amount (877). He pointed out that the acreage of Turtle Bay actually is larger than Waikiki, which has “at least 40,000 units.”
“We’re proud of the plan we’ve created. We’re proud of what we’ve built and what we might build, but we’re just as proud of what we’re not going to build,” Stotesbury concluded.