I know what you’re thinking, Ritz-Carlton already has a property on Oahu! Yes, it does. Sort of. The Ritz-Carlton Residences Waikiki is, well, a residences property, which is a condo-hotel, meaning it can be a hotel or a place people live. That’s why I say a Ritz-Carlton hotel is coming to Oahu, which will be our first true Ritz-Carlton.
Yup, when you stay at the Ritz-Carlton Residences Waikiki, you’re staying in a unit someone owns. Sometimes, the room you’re staying in is used solely as an investment, meaning it’s perpetually in the hotel pool. Other times, it may be one that the owner uses only part of the year, and the other part they put it into the hotel pool. Finally, some of the units in the building could have permanent live-in owners. That’s why it’s a Ritz-Carlton Residences rather than the standard Ritz-Carlton, and why I say a Ritz-Carlton hotel is coming to Oahu. But this isn’t a new hotel – it’s a rebrand.
A Ritz-Carlton Hotel is Coming to Oahu
The hotel that’s being rebranded isn’t actually affiliated with any big hospitality brand today. This “fabled” property was once known as the Kuilima Hyatt before becoming a Hilton, which it remained until 2001. Can you guess what property I’m talking about?
If you guess the Turtle Bay Resort, you’d be correct. It’s a property that, admittedly, has had a bit of a rocky history. Originally designed and built to be Oahu’s first casino, gambling was outlawed before the property could open. Then it became a Hyatt, until Hilton assumed management in 1983, when the hotel became known as the Turtle Bay Hilton.
In the early 2000s, talks were underway for Starwood to purchase the hotel and its surrounding land to further develop. However, community opposition killed that effort, the sale fell through, and the property remained independent. Little changed in the intervening years until 2017 when The Blackstone Group acquired the hotel, though even then things continued on as they had for years. Then COVID hit.
With Hawaii’s tourist economy completely shuttered, The Blackstone Group took the opportunity to completely re-imagine the tired old Turtle Bay Resort. The hotel reopened to guests back in July 2021, though room renovations hadn’t finished then and continued on for a while after. Today, the resort is now in its fully re-imagined state, which is at least partly why this change is probably occurring now.
You see, The Blackstone Group is now selling Turtle Bay Resort. Specifically, it’s going to Host Hotels & Resorts for $680 million – more than double the $330 million Blackstone paid for it seven years ago, and still a nice chunk of change when you include the roughly $70 million they spent on the renovations. Host Hotels & Resorts is, of course, the former real estate division of Marriott International, and is responsible for the fact that a Ritz-Carlton hotel is coming to Oahu.
The sale of the 450-room resort is scheduled to close in early July, at which point, Marriott will take over management of the property and it will be rebranded as a Ritz-Carlton.
Pricing
A Ritz-Carlton hotel is coming to Oahu is a good thing, as it adds another award stay opportunity, especially one outside of Waikiki. However, with it will probably come even higher prices than we’re seeing today. Looking at the availability through May 2025, a standard entry-level room at Turtle Bay starts at $707/night, and that’s before a $50/night resort fee and $40/night parking fee – WTF?! That parking fee is pure extortion! As are the menu prices in their restaurants. But I digress. That means, today, a single night at Turtle Bay Resort will cost your roughly $800 BEFORE Hawaii’s 14% transient accommodations tax kicks in.
It’s worth mentioning that pricing was $449 back in 2021, while the last time I stayed here in 2016 I paid $274/night with a $41/night resort fee, all before tax.
To further put that rate into perspective, the Ritz-Carlton Residences Waikiki costs $635/night + $50/night valet parking, before taxes and fees. Yes, they’re both completely different experiences, but still.
Future Development
Though a Ritz-Carlton hotel is coming to Oahu, that isn’t necessarily the end of the story with Turtle Bay’s sale. The sale also include 59 acres of land entitled for development. Whether Host can actually push through any kind of development plan remains to be seen, but the company owns other high-end properties, including the Andaz Maui and Fairmont Kea Lani, among others. So, who knows? If they can get new plans approved, we could see an even high-end hotel appear next door to the current Turtle Bay Resort.
A Ritz-Carlton Hotel is Coming to Oahu, Final Thoughts
I have mixed feelings that a Ritz-Carlton hotel is coming to Oahu. I’d certainly be interested in checking it out, and doing so would be easier, as I’d be able to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points for the stay, but I imagine cash rates will only go higher, which means the hotel will likely be one of the most expensive for cash or points in Marriott’s portfolio. That, however, is a concern for the future. We’ll just have to wait and see to find out how pricing ultimately works out.
What I will say is that, as nice as the rooms are now, they don’t meet Ritz-Carlton’s standards, at least to me. So, it’ll be interesting if Host will update them again in the near future.