Current Press Kit

THE INVENTORY STORY ON HAWAI‘I’S BIG ISLAND

Hawai‘i Island (February 2009) – Hawai‘i’s Big Island lives up to its nickname this winter, as hotels unfurl big renovation projects, new properties welcome CMI guests, and a diverse range of resort offerings all add up to more than a half-billion dollars in improvements. Here’s a round-up, district-by-district:

KOHALA COAST

Following an extensive $150 million restoration, the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel opened its doors on Dec. 20, 2008 for a soft opening, following a two-year closure, much to the delight of new guests, and its loyal patrons who have enjoyed the landmark property since its opening in 1965. The iconic resort has been updated and refined, and luxurious new accommodations and amenities, plus a revitalized golf course with new clubhouse, have been unveiled. A lavish formal Grand Opening will be celebrated in March 2009. The updates also include a new spa, new culinary experiences, and 248 refurbished guest rooms. For the latest updates, please visit www.maunakeapreview.com. For reservations call (866) 977-4589.

In mid-December 2008, a new spa experience, grounded in island healing practices, was revealed at Four Seasons Resort Hualālai. Kūpuna (island elders) and wellness practitioners shared their wisdom to give the spa experience a genuine sense of place. The new $7 million spa offers the healing qualities of native plant and mineral resources in its signature treatments, and a new apothecary custom-blends products. Then, in early 2009, complimentary pre-treatment spa rituals in the new Waiea (Water of Life) Garden, new couples hale with private plunge pool, and new pre- and post-relaxation area will be added. Twenty additional suites are being added to the 243-room resort to accommodate the increasing demand for suites, as well as family travel. The Beach Tree pool’s wooden deck was recently expanded to provide more “on deck” seating at this signature pool, and one of three oceanfront restaurants – Beach Tree Bar & Grill – will re-open its doors in Spring 2009 with a whole new look and menu. www.fourseasons.com/hualalai

Throughout Hilton Waikoloa Village, improvement exists with each step. From renovating 1,240 guestrooms and meeting facilities, to rejuvenating restaurants and the Kohala Spa, the resort has invested more than $100 million in improvements since 2005. Guest room renovations include new carpeting, fresh paint, richly appointed furniture, new bathroom fixtures, 27-inch flat screen televisions and Serta Perfect Sleeper Hilton Serenity Beds. All ballrooms and meeting facilities were beautified, and updated with advanced lighting and sound systems, plus a new T3 capable circuit and network infrastructure. The lower lobby was expanded 3,000 square feet, and a new interior stairway provides easy access to the main lobby and porte cochere. The 25,000 square-foot Kohala Sports Club & Spa now features updated state-of-the-art free weight room and cardiovascular fitness equipment complete with individual flat screen televisions. Improvements have also been made to the Spa’s locker rooms and restrooms. The newly designed Dolphin Quest has been outfitted with new changing rooms, meeting space, photo center and more. Visitors can coo over two new baby dolphins born in 2008. And to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Dolphin Quest offers free dolphin shows on the 20th of every month. The resort’s contemporary Orchid Marketplace opened in April, and this provides convenient and family-friendly dining choices for take-out and dine-in service. Two new trams will arrive by the end of 2008, with one additional tram coming in 2009, to provide sleek and more efficient transportation for guests. Visit www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com or call (800) HILTONS.

The beachfront Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa has successfully completed a $50 million transformation. The new features are: 555 newly renovated guestrooms and suites, new guest arrival experience with porte cochere and lobby, Infinity Pool, Mandara Spa, 12,000-square-foot Naupaka Ballroom and outdoor pre-function space, expanded Hawai‘i Calls Restaurant and Lounge; 24-hour fitness workout room; nearby Queens’ Marketplace that’s newly built to complement Kings’ Shops. www.waikoloabeachmarriott.com

The 28-acre Waikoloa Beach Resort’s Queens’ Marketplace and Waikoloa Bowl at Queens’ Gardens encompasses shopping, dining, culture, entertainment and fun – an investment of $150 million. The Waikoloa Bowl at Queens’ Gardens features an outdoor garden entertainment venue where entertainers dazzle audiences of 5,000+ with song and dance. The Queens’ Marketplace, nicknamed by local residents as “The Gathering Place of the Kohala Coast,” offers great shopping, dining and a daily schedule of Hawaiian cultural entertainment by local musicians and hula hālau, and visitors can participate in cultural lessons while they shop, all free and open to the public. The story of Hawai‘i’s melting pot will unfold in The Cultural Gardens when it opens and will tell the stories through a meandering trail of lush landscaping and treasures of the many ethnic groups that immigrated to Hawai‘i hundreds of years ago, www.waikoloabeachresort.com.

Put them all together, and Hawai‘i’s Big Island Just Got Bigger! Waikoloa Beach Resort now offers a fully integrated meeting destination for large groups, with full service accommodations, an abundance of meeting space, brand new shopping, dining and entertainment options, world-class golf and exciting ocean sports in one self-contained resort. Hilton Waikoloa Village and Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa offer more than 1,550 guest rooms between them, with another 400 more luxury rooms and suites available. The new family oriented Queens’ Marketplace shopping center, and its 5,000-seat outdoor Waikoloa Bowl concert venue, provide a variety of dining, shopping and entertainment choices, while the luxury-oriented Kings’ Shops appeals to the choosiest clientele. Large groups can select from more than 250,000 square feet of combined outdoor event space, and 85,000 square feet of combined indoor meeting and event space, plus weave 36 holes of golf, educational dolphin swims, Hawaiian spa treatments and more into the most unforgettable itineraries. To learn more, visit www.waikoloabeachresort.com/cmi or call Waikoloa Beach Resort’s integrated sales department at (808) 886-2055.

The Shops at Mauna Lani offers 75,000 square feet of retail space. Many of the center’s establishments are unique to the Big Island – including dining at Tommy Bahama’s Tropical Café and Ruth’s Chris Steak House, plus an array art galleries and fashion/lifestyle, jewelry and gift & specialties stores. Foodland Farms opened a new 10,000-square-foot, full-service supermarket offers residents and visitors a wide selection of island-grown, specialty and traditional favorites from Hawai‘i and around the world, and features a bakery, deli, meat, seafood, and produce departments, and coffee bar. Ongoing special events include weekly Thursday and Friday evening performances of Hawaiian mythology shows at 7:30 and 8:30 by an ensemble from the Big Island’s Merrie Monarch-winning hula troupe, Halau Na Lei o Holoku. www.shopsatmaunalani.com

HILO

The oceanfront Naniloa Volcanoes Resort on Hawai‘i Island’s lush eastern side, is investing more than $10 million on renovating the landmark Banyan Drive hotel. Already finished are improvements to many of its guest rooms, plus two group function venues. The first phase of the guest room renovation is complete, with 110 rooms decked out in casually elegant tropical décor, tiled floors, a spacious marble bathroom, vibrant original artwork by local artist Kristie Fujiyama Kosmidus, new furniture, refrigerator, 32-inch TV, free Internet access, microwave, coffee maker and hair dryer. Remaining room renovations are scheduled to be complete by the end of 2008. In addition, the newly renovated oceanfront Sandalwood Room and the Polynesian Room, with its tiki and canoe-inspired décor and unparalleled views of Reed’s Bay, offer groups a tropical setting for large functions seeking Hilo’s charming bayfront ambience. www.hottours.us

KEAUHOU & KAILUA-KONA

Keauhou Resort, located south of Kona International Airport and Kailua town, was lauded recently for its restoration of sacred places including the complete restoration of three significant heiau: Ke‘eku, Hapaiali‘i and Makolea. The restoration of these sacred places translates to a deeper visitor experience and, at the same time, connects Native Hawaiians to the cultural practices of their ancestors. Thought to be more than 600 years old, Hapaiali‘i is built on the ocean’s shoreline and completely surrounded by water at high tide. Hapaiali‘i was restored in just over a year, and currently, complete restoration work has begun on Ke‘eku and Makolea heiau. Keauhou is a 2,400-acre fully integrated destination community located five miles south of Kailua-Kona and includes Keauhou Beach Hotel, Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa, Keauhou Shopping Center, two golf courses, and resort condominiums and residences. www.keauhou-resort.com

The oceanfront Keauhou Beach Resort has refinished its guestrooms with new carpets, lighting, and furniture upgrades. Guests can enjoy fresh new interiors featuring hues that echo the sea, sky and flora surrounding the property. As part of the $6 million enhancement project, the 309-room property now offers complimentary wired high-speed Internet access in its new rooms, with wireless access available in the lobby and at the swimming pool. For more information, visit www.keauhoubeachresort-hawaii.com

King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, long hailed as the Ali‘i Drive landmark hotel, and headquarters for the Ford Ironman World Championship Triathlon and the Hawai‘i International Billfish Tournament, recently announced plans for a $25 million renovation of the 35-year-old oceanfront property adjacent to the Kailua Pier. Plans include a new pool area and partial open-air gallery, the addition of a lecture hall, and a museum for cultural artifacts. The number of rooms will decrease slightly from 460 to 456, but owners plan to add an additional 179 parking spaces by removing the tennis courts, brining the total number of parking spots to 622. No work will be done near the historic sites, including Ahuena Heiau nor Kamakahonu, King Kamehameha I’s last residence. The tentative completion schedule for renovation is the West Tower by end of May/mid-June 2009; East Tower by the end of 2009; and public areas by March 2010. www.konabeachhotel.com

NORTH KOHALA/WAIMEA

Hawai‘i Island’s newest luxury property is a boutique healing retreat, Ahu Pohaku Ho‘omaluhia (Sacred Stones). Ahu Pohaku is an eco-friendly retreat lodge and destination spa located on 60 oceanfront acres in North Kohala (the birthplace of King Kamehameha the Great). The architecture harkens back to turn-of-the-century Hawaiian royal palaces, with high ceilings, arched marble entryways and grand lanais. Highlights include spacious grounds and guest rooms, views of the cobalt Pacific through a grove of pine trees, a 1,200 square-foot yoga studio with a dazzling ocean view, a natural amphitheater for outdoor meetings and luau, and the undeniable presence of Hawaiian mana (divine power) throughout. Treatments, like lomilomi massage, draw from the guidance of Hawaiian ancestors, spirits of the ‘āina(land), and local kūpuna (elders). Each guest bathroom features a large bathtub which can be filled with fragrant Hawaiian blossoms. Ahu Pohaku produces its own electricity via solar cells, and grows much of its own food, flowers and herbs. Group rates available. Contact: info@hawaii-island-retreat.com, or call (808) 889-6336.

Castle Resorts & Hotels has five Big Island properties throughout Hilo, Waimea, Kona and Waikoloa. This year, it has invested thousands of dollars to upgrade and refresh its properties. Waimea Country Lodge received a $70,000 upgrade with resurfaced floors, walkways and stairways. Rooms feature new kitchenettes with marble counter tops, a four-burner stove top and oven, microwave and stainless steel refrigerator. Lobby upgrades for Kona Bali Kai include new furniture, mural and artwork and an activities desk. Kona Reef Hotel received new elevators, exterior paint, enhanced landscaping and new hall carpeting. Castle also acquired the contract to manage Halii Kai at Waikoloa resort, a brand new development of luxury villas. www.castleresorts.com

NOTE: BIVB recognizes the use of diacritical markings, i.e., glottal stop (‘), macron (ā), in place names of Hawai‘i, such as Kīlauea. However, BIVB respects the individual use of these markings for names of organizations and businesses.

Big Island Visitors Bureau Media Contact:
Jessica Ferracane, Irondog Communications, (808) 895-5740; jessica@irondogpr.com