Ilikai hotel resurrects '60s feel
By Katherine Nichols
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Renaissance Ilikai Waikiki Hotel officially completed its $27 million, 15-month propertywide restoration and renovation yesterday, resurrecting the 1960s feel of the landmark made famous in the opening of "Hawai'i Five-0."
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
Translated in Hawaiian as "surface of the sea," the Ilikai opened in 1964 after five years of construction at the same cost as the recently completed renovation — $27 million.
The Ilikai's original staircases were rebuilt as part of the hotel's recently completed renovation. At the top of the new staircases are waterfalls, which surround a new Wyland sculpture titled "Three in the Sea."
"It's a good addition to the revitalization effort in Waikiki," said Rick Egged, president of the Waikiki Improvement Association. "It definitely brings the Ilikai back to the quality level that we all associate with that name."
Alvin Wong, director of hotel sales, said occupancy in the first quarter has remained steady at between 70 percent and 75 percent. Wong credits the hotel's "balanced market mix" with its quick recovery in the wake of the downturn in tourism after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The most significant changes at the Marriott property are found at the entrance, where the original staircases were rebuilt. Waterfalls surrounding a new Wyland sculpture titled "Three in the Sea" at the top of the staircase complete the refurbished entrance to a more open-air lobby.
Another alteration that Ilikai regulars will notice is in Canoes, the only restaurant managed by the hotel. Floor-to-ceiling windows, dramatic colors and an enhanced menu incorporating regionally influenced cuisine are part of the hotel's effort to serve guests while drawing a larger kama'aina crowd, said Akira Moreno, Ilikai's director of food and beverage.
Because the structure of the hotel was sound, much of the investment went into appearance. The 783-room hotel offers 23 meeting rooms over 25,000 square feet. The Pacific Ballroom is the third largest in Waikiki, and can be divided into as many as eight separate meeting rooms.
The roof deck of the ballroom was converted from a tennis court into an area suitable for large events. All of the rooms in the 26-story Ilikai Tower and most of the rooms in the 16-story Yacht Harbor tower have been upgraded as well.
