Kyo-ya Revising Plans for Redevelopment of Princess Kaiulani

Kyo-ya Kaiulani, LLC has revised its plans for the redevelopment of the Princess Kaiulani Hotel property that envisions a single, all-hotel tower with retail, restaurants and recreational amenities that would be a gathering place for visitors and residents and continue the revitalization of Waikiki as Hawaii’s premier resort area.

The new proposal is a change to a previous proposal which was approved in the 2010 PD-R*. At that time, the previous approved proposal would have retained the 48-year-old Ainahau Tower and added a new tower to replace two other towers currently on the property. The project would have resulted in two towers operated as a mix of hotel, hotel-condominium and residential units.

In 2015, Kyo-ya decided to revisit the proposed plans and develop a project plan that would better meet the needs of the community, Hawaii’s visitor industry and Kyo-ya’s corporate values and philosophy.

New Proposal for All-Hotel Project

The revised redevelopment plan is for an all-hotel project. Key elements of the new proposal include:

  • The demolition of all the existing hotel towers, the existing retail buildings, parking garage and other structures on the property.
  • The development of a new, 33-story hotel, consisting of 1,042 bays or approximately 1,009 hotel units. The hotel rooms will be larger with increased ocean views to meet the demands of today’s global traveler.
  • One tower is planned instead of the two towers approved in the 2010 PD-R.
  • A new six-level podium that will include retail, food and beverage, recreational amenities, meeting space, and back of house facilities.
  • A world-class amenity deck featuring an infinity edge pool and lazy river pool along with a gym and pool bar.
  • The development of a new parking structure with approximately 695 parking spaces. This is an increase over the current number of stalls, but a decrease compared to the 2010 PD-R.

Community Benefits

When developing the revised plan, Kyo-ya wanted to ensure that the project was a reflection of our commitment to the community and our employees. Project benefits include:

  • An improved pedestrian and guest experience with enhanced walkways on Kalakaua Avenue.
  • An increase of open space on the property including an expansive interior courtyard that opens up to Kaiulani Avenue and garden-like spaces that would become a gathering place for visitors and local residents to encourage interaction with the surrounding neighborhood.
  • A legacy library provided for cultural and educational interactions for visitors at ground level.
  • The new tower set back much further from the corner of Kalakaua Avenue and Kaiulani Avenue with greater distance.
  • Accommodations for buses and other large vehicles to load and unload on an interior portion of the lot that will help reduce the presence of large vehicles on Kaiulani Avenue.
  • Below-grade handling of trash, recycling, and delivery service vehicles that will reduce the early morning noise.
  • Thousands of jobs created during the construction phase.
  • More employment opportunities for Hawaii residents through an all-hotel development.  Upon completion, it is anticipated that the number of employees will increase from the current levels.
  • An increase of tax revenue for the State and City.
  • The contribution of $25,000 to the City for the purchase and installation of high-resolution cameras at the intersection of Kailuani Avenue and Kalakaua Avenue (same as the 2010 PD-R).
  • The contribution of $50,000 to the Waikiki Health Center to support the Youth Outreach Program (same as the 2010 PD-R).

Timetable

The project is tentatively targeted to begin construction as early as mid-2022 with an approximately three-year construction period.

* Planned Development-Resort (PD-R) is a special designation that was approved by the County in 2010 for the project. The purpose of the PD-R is to provide flexibility for things such as project density, height, transitional height setbacks, yards, open space and landscaping when such flexibility demonstrates contributions benefiting the community and Waikiki.