Hawaii bureau chief Katherine Nichols got a firsthand look at
the renovated Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel on Oahu. Her report
follows:
utside, the Aston Waikiki Beach
Hotel boasts the biggest and brightest tiki torches on Oahu.
Inside, a 30-foot "volcano" erupts in one of the property's
restaurants.
Tiki torches and volcanoes are part of Aston's $30 million
renovation, which made its official debut Nov. 2.
An open-air front desk, decorated with tattoo art, looks out
onto Kuhio Beach, and, inside on ground level, hangs signage in the
shape of lime-green surfboards, each one sporting a letter that
together spell out the property's name.
These examples of the decor built into the hotel's redo
constitute what the property calls "hip Hawaiiana," a style
somewhere between garish and whimsical, depending on one's mood at
the time.
They also represent Aston's attempt to "reconnect the hotel to
the beach in a very bold and dramatic way," said Matt Gilbertson,
the project's principal architect. Prior to the renovation, the
layout of the hotel had no connection to the beach, he said.
And the over-the-top decor and lighting may be an attempt to
make the property a new focal point at the Diamond Head end of
Waikiki Beach.
Kelvin Bloom, president and chief operating officer of Aston
Hotels & Resorts Hawaii, said the objective was "to do
something different and something out of the box."
"It does represent a stylized approach, which we think is more
symbolic of Waikiki today," Bloom said. "It's a fun, vibrant, urban
vacation experience we're trying to impart."
Opening up the hotel on all levels was the primary goal, he
said, and the new beach motif reflects that.
The beach theme extends to the rooms (85% of rooms have an ocean
view), which are small but bright ("lava flow red" or "pineapple
yellow" turned up a notch).
Some rooms have beds with a partial canopy, abstractly
reminiscent of a beach chair. By far, the most amusing addition to
the rooms is the bamboo closet curtains with vintage hula dancers
on them.
Steve Townsend, general manager of the Aston Waikiki Beach, said
the hotel gets at least two requests per week from guests who want
to buy them ($195, including shipping.)
Rates begin at $140 and $360 for an oceanview room.
Travel agent commission is 10% plus a $25 bonus for every
booking of five consecutive nights or more during spring and fall
plus special bonus programs and 50% off rack rates.
Breakfast on the Beach, the property's signature amenity,
carries out the beach theme.
Guests receive cooler lunch boxes (with holders for coffee cups)
when they arrive and can fill them at the daily breakfast buffet
that specializes in fresh foods packaged for carrying.
The hotel also provides beach chairs for guests to use while
they enjoy a meal next to the ocean just across the street. An
outdoor staircase goes from the street to the new pool deck --
peppered with pune'e lounges and sun shades -- where breakfast is
served.
The staircase also provides another means of access from the
717-room hotel to the beach as well as to the nearby Honolulu Zoo,
Kapiolani Park, the Waikiki Aquarium and shopping.
Tiki's Grill and Bar, which is part of the pool deck and has an
indoor section, as well, is highlighted by a 30-foot dome that
during the day evokes images of a volcano and at night looks like a
volcano afire.
Townsend said the hotel expects great things from Tiki's, which
he describes as "kind of a contemporary Trader Vic's."
Tiki art fills the eatery. Dramatic carvings sit next to wild
pictures framed with leopard-print matting. Glass fishing balls
hang from the raised ceiling with fish nets that house faux
starfish and old floats.
The restaurant flows into the lanai/pool deck area -- an
enviable place to watch the sunset and order from the reasonably
priced menu.
Pleased with the changes at the Aston Waikiki Beach, the owners
of the recently acquired, Aston-managed Waikiki Parkside Hotel plan
to repeat the formula.
The name will be changed to Aston Hotel Kai, and the property
will "take on a water theme," said Bloom. He expects renovations
will be completed by mid-2003.
For additional information on the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel,
call (800) 922-7866 or visit www.astonwaikiki.com.