Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Renovation

The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani renovation project was set to begin in 2014… And never began.  But now, it looks like will commence in 2019.

Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Renovation Attempt I

At over 50 years old, the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani isn’t a modern hotel by any means.  And having not seen any major renovation work in a while, the hotel isn’t in the best shape.  But given the footprint in which designers would have to work, incremental upgrades will not be able to make much of a difference at this property.  That’s why the property’s owners, Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts devised a $500 million redevelopment project back in 2014.  But the project never got off the ground thanks to a management shake-up at Kyo-ya and a desire to revisit the design.

Renovation Attempt II

Now, three years after the initial renovation attempt, Kyo-ya appears to be ready to re-visit the Princess Kaiulani redevelopment project.  However, this project won’t begin until September 2019.  And when the project does commence, it won’t make use of the existing facilities.  Instead, Kyo-ya intends to demolish the entire 1,100-room hotel and build an entirely new one.

The project seeks to not only build modern, desirable facilities for guests but will also improve the area immediately surrounding the property.  For example, Kyo-ya will be relocating the property’s porte-cochere and will build a new parking structure with multiple outlets.  Pedestrian traffic will also benefit, as Kyo-ya plans to increase both street setbacks and open public spaces.

Unfortunately, renderings of the re-imagined property are not available.  The Pacific Business News reports that the current redevelopment project will be handled by G70.  However, the only renderings available thus far are from FCS Architects and are likely no longer current.

Why Not Now?

Since Kyo-ya recently appointed a new firm to handle the project, I’m guessing much of the original planning and design work is being redone.  However, Kyo-ya states that they’d like to finish two other projects before beginning the Princes Kaiulani one, too.  First up is a $25 million renovation for the Sheraton Maui.  This project will see a refresh of all guestrooms and public spaces and is expected to finish in June 2018.  And the second project is a much larger one, which is the renovation of all guestrooms and some public spaces at the Sheraton Waikiki.  That project is slated for completion in 2019.

Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Renovation Final Thoughts

The Princess Kaiulani’s renovation project has been a long time coming.  I’ve never stayed at the property before, but have parked there and walked through.  And I can tell you that while it doesn’t look terrible, the property just feels old, tired, and constrained.  Which, it is; it’s an old building, much like the rest of Waikiki.  Other reviews I’ve read reflect this too, especially with the property’s diminutive rooms.  Of course, there’s only so much you can do to correct these issues with the existing structure, I mean look at some of the quirks at the Hyatt Centric Waikiki caused by simply gutting an existing building.

So I’m glad to see Kyo-Ya finally pull the trigger on a complete redevelopment of the site.  They can now design and construct a new, modern hotel without compromise.  Yes, it will be a very costly endeavor for Kyo-Ya, but it’s one that I think will pay off for them in the end.  The downside to this all, of course, is that room rates at the new Princess K will be much higher than they are today.  This property is currently the cheapest in Starwood’s Waikiki collection, but that likely won’t be the case upon completion of this project.