The Moana marked the change from one brand of hotel to another with the release of 106 butterflies — one for each year that the classic landmark hotel has welcomed visitors to Waikiki Beach.

Hotel executives said the shift in name from the Sheraton Moana Surfrider to the Westin brand will combine some of the luxury niceties of the Westin brand while preserving the vintage charm of Waikiki's oldest hotel.

Such a change in brand is becoming more common among hotel chains aiming to offer a menu of hotels that cater to different tastes. In working with a venerable hotel like the Moana, officials focused on preservation and renovation, rather than an overall transformation, said Keith Vieira, senior vice president and director of operations for Starwood in Hawai'i and French Polynesia.

"We could take the history of the hotel, the success of the hotel and take it up a notch," Vieira said.

Vieira said the hotel was careful in its approach. "The reason it's not called the Westin Moana is because it's the Moana — a Westin resort." They are adding Westin amenities, including a new fitness center, a kids club, and overall renovations to rooms at a total cost yet to be released.

But at the end of the day, "we want it to remain the Moana first and foremost," he said.

The change is part of the chain's overall master plan in Waikiki, diversifying for different travelers. He said Westin travelers tend to be a little younger, more affluent and the health-conscious approach shows up in a variety of ways.

There's no smoking on the property and the scent of white tea hangs in the lobby. Vieira said the approach is of renewal. "When you come on a vacation, you should go home feeling better than when you got here."

The Starwood hotels include the Sheraton Maui, as well as the four O'ahu properties: the Moana, the Sheraton Waikiki, the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, but Vieira said this will be O'ahu's first Westin. Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts owns the Hawai'i Starwood hotels.

Vieira said Sheraton's image is more of a "warm, comforting family" atmosphere. He was among those given a tiny colorful box containing a monarch butterfly that was released after the Hawaiian blessing.

Brian Lynx, the hotel's director of sales and marketing, said the target Westin traveler is about 40 years old, often female and comes from a household with $185,000 annual income, and looking for the extra comfort of the "Heavenly Bed." The cushy trademarked bed is so popular that Lynx said Nordstrom started selling them to folks who wanted to take home some celestial slumber — for more than $1,200 for just the mattress to more than $3,000 with all 10 layers of linen.

The Moana hotel, which officially opened on March 11, 1901, welcomed as the first guests a group of 114 Shriners hosted by the Aloha Temple Shriners. Those travelers paid $1.50 a night for their rooms. A check on the Internet yesterday showed rooms starting at $265 a night.

Vieira said other changes are in store, including a renovated waterfront restaurant that will seat 290 people.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.