Address 5000 Kahala Avenue Country USA Opened January 1964 | Town or city Honolulu, Hawaii Groundbreaking 1960 | |
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Former names Kahala Hilton (1964-1993)
Kahala Mandarin (1993-2006) | ||
Kahala Hotel is a luxury resort hotel on O'ahu, Hawai'i. It was founded in 1964 and was the most expensive hotel in the world at the time. The original name of the hotel was the Kahala Hilton, in 1993 the hotel took the name Kahala Mandarin, and the facility took its current name in 2006. Since the hotel opened, every sitting President of the United States has stayed at or visited the hotel at some point during their election campaigns or presidencies. The hotel is managed by Resorttrust Inc.
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Early history
The hotel’s location was a subject of some controversy during its development due to its location in a residential area. The mayor of Honolulu vetoed the city council after it granted permission to Hilton Hotels to build on their desired property. The mayor instead wanted to offer locations at Punalu’u and Makaha, as both were in more remote locations and not currently inhabited residential neighborhoods at that time. The city council, however, overruled the mayor’s veto with a 7-0 vote, and allowed the spot zoning of the Kahala Hilton in its preferred location on August 30, 1960.
The original construction planned for no convention or banquet facilities. The average cost per room of the hotel’s construction was $33,000, which was about three times the average of other hotels in the Hawaiian Islands at the time. At the time, the Kahala Hilton was the most expensive hotel in the world, costing $11 million to build. The final building was ten stories tall, designed by the architectural firm Killingsworth, Brady & Smith.
The Princeton Architectural Press wrote of the hotel that, “the simple direct building sends forth a poised sixties modern statement to the world. A distinctive concrete trellis, a motif earlier employed by Killingsworth in various residential projects, breaks up and softens the modern façade … Superimposing a near gossamer grid of prestressed-concrete beams over the primary elevations, the trellis ascends above the flat roofline to present an airy pergola.” The original hotel had 288 guest rooms spread across two wings. The hotel was located beside the Diamond Head outside of the urban center of Oahu.
The hotel was opened in January 1964. Early in its history the hotel earned the nickname “Kahollywood” for the Hollywood film stars that would ensconce themselves in the hotel away from the paparazzi. The first executive chef for the resort was Max Wilhelm.
Facilities
In 1967 Danny Kaleikini developed a Hawaiian-style revue for the hotel that ran for 28 years, through 1995 on the Hala Terrace of the hotel. Following renovations over time, the hotel currently has 338 guest rooms, restaurants and banquet facilities. The Kahala’s grounds include a manmade lagoon. There is also a jetty in the ocean where snorkeling takes place. On January 22, 2014 Governor Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii issued a proclamation recognizing the 50th anniversary of the hotel’s founding.
Guests
Every President of the United States since Lyndon B. Johnson has stayed at or visited the hotel during their presidencies, in addition to world leaders Queen Elizabeth II, Emperor Hirohito, Prince Rainier, Princess Grace, Indira Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
Management
In the 1980s, The Kahala was the only hotel operated by Hilton International, versus Hilton Hotels Corp, allowed to use the name “Hilton” (with others using the name “Vista” in its place). The hotel was later owned by Kahala Hotel Investors LLC. In 1993 the management of the hotel had been taken over by Mandarin Oriental Group and renamed the Kahala Mandarin. On March 1, 2006 the hotel was renamed The Kahala Hotel and Resort, and the management of the hotel was transferred to Landmark Hotels Inc. A $50 million renovation took place following the transfer, and was finalized in 2009. In late 2014 the resort was purchased by Japan-based Resorttrust Inc.
Recognition
In 1989 Conde Nast Traveler ranked The Kahala as the tenth best hotel and resort in the world, and the best in Hawaii.
Controversies
In 2010 the hotel lost a court case regarding its service fees, and a Hawaiian state judge ordered the hotel to pay $800,000 to settle the class-action lawsuit. The decision was reversed on appeal in 2011.