Late last year, the first hotel in the second city of Kapolei opened. The Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Oahu/Kapolei opened at the new Ka Makana Ali’i Shopping Center. But now, more West Oahu hotels are coming.
West Oahu Hotels
For the longest time, hotels on Oahu were concentrated in Waikiki in the East, and Ko Olina in West Oahu. There were, of course, others, including:
- The Kahala Hotel & Resort in East Oahu
- Hawaiian Princess at Makaha in West Oahu
- Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s North Shore
Then in October of 2016, the Hampton Inn & Suites Oahu/Kapolei opened at Ka Makana Ali’i. It was, and still is, Oahu’s first and only Hampton Inn & Suites on the island.
The 175-unit hotel is also the first hotel in Oahu’s second city of Kapolei. How much need there is for hotels in the Kapolei area, is questionable in my opinion. But, the demand must be there, as two more properties are well on their way.
Upcoming West Oahu Hotels
In addition to the Hampton Inn & Suites Kapolei, two more hotels will open in the near future in the Kapolei region. The first one will be yet another Hilton property: the Embassy Suites Kapolei.
This 180-room Embassy Suites will be located in Ilima at Leihano senior-living campus. That’s not to say, however, that the property will be surrounded by retirement homes. The Pacific Business News reports that First Hawaiian Bank and local furniture retailer, C.S. Wo & Sons, plan on opening locations in the area too. The Embassy Suites Kapolei will reportedly feature a restaurant, bar, meeting facilities, and a pool, and is scheduled to open sometime in 2018.
The third new hotel coming to Kapolei will also be located near Ilima at Leihano. Unlike the other two hotels, however, this third project will be a Marriott brand. A Residence Inn by Marriott to be precise. The property, like the Embassy Suites, will have 180 rooms, but that’s all we know about it so far.
Final Thoughts: More West Oahu Hotels
With rates not too different from those found in Waikiki, I don’t quite understand the need for hotels in Kapolei. The Second City is not a tourist destination at all. They are cheaper than any of the properties in the nearby Ko Olina Resort, but you go to Ko Olina to enjoy the resort itself. But, as I’ve said earlier, there must be demand for these projects to be moving forward. I’m guessing that most guests of these properties will be those visiting family in the area from out of state. Those looking to stay outside of Waikiki and wanting to explore the island will likely be potential guests too, but we’ll have to wait and see how things ultimately play out.
At the end of the day, more options are more options. Additional hotel properties are always a good thing, especially as we’ve seen a decline of available hotel rooms in Hawaii, as more and more are converted to timeshare units. Even better? These three properties come from two of the largest lodging companies in the world: Marriott & Hilton. So hopefully, this will mean members of these respective programs greater points earning and redemption opportunities on Oahu.