Opening 1965, 1996, 2008 | Floor count 8 | |
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Location Kohala, Big Island, Hawaii Closed 1994, 2006 (for renovations) Owner Seibu Holdings Inc. , Cerberus Capital Management Management Prince Resorts Hawaii, a division of Prince Hotels | ||
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel is a hotel property on the Kohala Coast of the island of Hawaii. It sits at Kaunaʻoa Bay. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) awarded the hotel an Honor Award in 1967 citing its "restrained detailing and fine spatial sequences." In 2007, the hotel received honors again from the AIA as it made the top 150 of its "America's Favorite Architecture" list.
History
The development of the hotel was financed by Laurance S. Rockefeller and it was designed by Edward Charles Bassett for the firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. It opened in 1965. Original plans were to use architect John Carl Warnecke and build a series of small cottages, but those plans were abandoned. Instead firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill was hired to use a modern style.
The open-air design allowed natural ventilation from the trade winds, although rooms had air conditioning available. The hotel finally opened in July 1965, one of the most expensive at the time. Hotels with similar designs would be built along the Kohala coast over the next decades. Ranch owner Richard Smart negotiated a long term lease of the land. The hotel was named Mauna Kea Beach Hotel for the mountain Mauna Kea which is visible above the bay when not obscured by clouds.
Mauna Kea was originally operated by Laurance S. Rockefeller company RockResorts prior the hotel to being sold to United Airlines in 1980. From then the hotel was managed by Westin Hotels. The hotel was purchased in 1989 by Yoshiaki Tsutsumi of Seibu Railway and has since been managed by one of his companies, Prince Hotels.
The hotel closed due to structural damage caused by the 2006 Hawaii earthquake. After a $150 million renovation, the hotel reopened in December, 2008.
The golf course is featured as part of the course lineup in the Links golf game for PC.