Kalia Tower, rid of mold, opens Monday

By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer

Peter Schall, senior vice president and managing director of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa, gives one of the Kalia Tower's refurbished rooms a look-over. The building, shut down last year because of a major mold problem, will reopen next week. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

Kalia Tower will welcome guests on Monday for the first time since Hilton Hotels Corp. officials shut down 453 guest rooms in July 2002 — about a year after opening the $95 million building.

Yesterday, Peter Schall, the hotel's senior vice president and managing director, said every inch of wallpaper, carpet and furniture has been sent to landfills, and the tower now has equipment that dehumidifies, cools and filters the air to prevent mold from starting again.

Mold needs moisture but it won't get it in Kalia Tower, said David Odom, president of CH2M Hill, whose Denver-based environmental engineering, design and construction firm has been working on fixing the tower's air circulation problem.

"It won't have the moisture to develop," Odom said. "We have a very sophisticated monitoring system to make sure that doesn't happen."

But he and others who worked on Kalia Tower since the outbreak stopped short of guaranteeing that mold will never reappear.

"Mold is everywhere. ... Every building has its issues with moisture," said Bryan Ligman, director of technical operations for Air Quality Sciences. Hotels are no different than your home. ... I'm sure there will be some isolated mold issues that develop, as they do in my home. Diligence is required to monitor that and take care of it."

Mold was able to develop in Kalia Tower, Odom said, because only about 25 cubic feet per minute of poorly treated air flowed into the rooms. With the new equipment, dry, filtered air will flow at a rate of 75 to 95 cubic feet per minute into each room.

"What the guests are going to notice is that the rooms are more comfortable," Odom said.

Schall would not say how many guests will check in on Monday. But by Friday, thanks in part to the AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company conference at the Hawai'i Convention Center, every room in the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa will be sold out, Schall said.

Fagaesea Maloa makes his way through new humidity-control equipment at the top of the Kalia Tower in Waikiki. The hotel building's shutdown, mold elimination and other costs are estimated to have amounted to $55 million. All of the building's old wallpaper, carpet and furniture was thrown away during the shutdown, Schall said. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

Asked whether guests would be notified of the former mold problem, Schall said: "We have disclosed it when we closed the tower and now we are disclosing when we are opening it."

Hilton officials are working with wholesale companies and other booking agencies, Schall said, and "I think they know that we did the right thing and they seem very confident."

The Mandara Spa, fitness center, conference centers, lobby, Hawaiian Arts & Culture Center and two cafes remained open on the first four floors as workers removed the mold, furniture and wall and floor coverings from the remaining 20 stories.

Schall declined to break down all of the costs but he said the $55 million price tag includes lost revenue during the shutdown.

In April, Hilton sued 18 companies and individuals who helped develop Kalia Tower. At least eight more defendants were added to the suit by subsequent cross-claims. Earlier this month, Hilton filed another suit against designers and builders, alleging construction defects in Kalia Tower's commercial spaces.

On Monday, Hilton will reopen 315 guest rooms on 14 floors. Another 72 time-share units on the remaining six floors are expected to open in December after they're converted.

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8085.