Kalia Tower to reopen amid lawsuits

By Andrew Gomes
Advertiser Staff Writer

On Monday, 381 rooms on 15 floors of the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Kalia Tower will reopen. The rest will reopen in December. All 453 rooms have been closed since July 2002 because of a mold problem. Advertiser library photo

The Beverly Hills, Calif.-based company earlier this month filed a second lawsuit against designers and builders of the 25-story tower, alleging that construction defects occurred not only in guest rooms but in commercial spaces too.

In April, Hilton sued 18 companies and individuals who helped develop Kalia Tower, blaming them for harmful mold growth that shut down the hotel's 453 guest rooms in July 2002, about a year after the $95 million building opened. At least eight more defendants were added to the suit by subsequent cross claims.

The second suit, which involves limited mold damages, alleges that work by six companies resulted in air handling and insulation problems on the third and fourth floor commercial areas, including spaces for Mandara Spa, a fitness center and a wellness center.

Hilton last week clarified that mold growth was confined to a space formerly occupied by the wellness center, which moved.

Peter Schall, senior vice president and managing director of Hilton Hawaiian Village, said in a statement that air quality remained normal in all public areas of Kalia, including the spa, fitness center, conference centers and lobby — which stayed open during the guest-room shutdown.

Hilton said it is costing $55 million to repair Kalia Tower, including replacement of furniture and room decorations. Some of the changes will be unveiled Friday during a media tour, before 381 rooms on 15 floors are reopened Monday. The remaining 72 rooms on six floors are scheduled to reopen in December after conversion to time-share units.

Meanwhile, the construction defect litigation is expected to drag on possibly for two or three years, according to experts who say the case is one of the biggest and most complex mold-liability actions in the country.

Hilton is asking to appoint retired Circuit Judge Patrick Yim as a discovery master, coordinating schedules and settling disputes over the production of documents and witness testimony in the initial suit.

Defendants have yet to respond to the second suit. No trial date has been set in either case.

Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8065.