The Embassy Suites -- Waikiki Beach Walk,
a down-to-the-concrete rebuild of the former Ohana Waikiki Village
and the Ohana Waikiki Tower, is up and running. The hotel sits at
the heart of the Waikiki Beach Walk, an eight-acre redevelopment
program created by Outrigger Enterprises for this central portion
of Waikiki, introducing brand-name accommodations, shops and
restaurants.
Although the
property is owned, staffed and managed by Outrigger, Embassy Suites
was selected to provide the property with a high-recognition brand
and reservations system, with Embassy Suites-mandated elements
incorporated into the hotel's design. The resort is the only
Embassy Suites property in Hawaii.
"We sought out
the company that best suited the product," said Outrigger
Enterprises CEO David Carey.
"We had a lot of
choices open to us, but we saw Embassy Suites as the pre-eminent
brand for what we had in mind, so we went with them."
The "best" at the
Embassy Suites -- Waikiki Beach Walk translates into spacious one-
and two-bedroom suites, with tropical decor, local artwork and
playful touches like hula-girl lamps.
The property
succeeds at providing a pleasant base in the heart of Waikiki. Only
one, temporary caveat: Agents should check that construction of the
nearby Trump International Tower, another component of the Waikiki
Beach Walk development, will not inconvenience guests.
With two towers,
named Hula and Aloha, the property offers many booking options,
with views of surrounding high rises, ocean and
mountains.
The property is
located across the street from the Fort DeRussy section of Waikiki
Beach and convenient to the shops and restaurants of Waikiki,
including the soon-to-be-completed remake of the Royal Hawaiian
Shopping Center.
The Waikiki Beach
Walk's shops, restaurants and promenades feed into those of this
reconfigured shopping complex along Kalakaua Avenue.
Attention to
comfort plays out in plush beds, high-count cotton sheets, nicely
appointed bathrooms and multiple flat-screen televisions -- two in
one-bedroom suites and three in two-bedroom suites.
Additional
in-room entertainment is provided in the form of Game Cube
video-game systems.
The Embassy
Suites also has free breakfast, in-room microwaves and
minirefrigerators.
Add an expanded
bed count -- four in a one-bedroom, six in a two-bedroom -- and a
booking comes with real value for families or groups of friends
traveling together.
Free local and
mainland calls, 30 minutes of free Internet time (all rooms are
hard-wired, while public areas are wireless) and a daily general
manager's pool deck reception round out value-added
perks.
"We're part of the new look of Waikiki," said Sun
Bee, the Embassy Suites' director of sales and
marketing.
"Part of that is
providing a travel option in Waikiki that appeals to a new
generation of travelers. That was specifically the reason we
included two-bedroom suites. They were designed to tap new
markets."
Lay of the land
On-site
facilities include a pool, hot tub and large lounge deck with a
poolside bar that offers a limited midday menu.
The adjacent
breakfast buffet area, with plenty of outdoor seating, leads to the
Aloha Tower, which faces central Waikiki. There are also 24-hour
fitness and business centers, with shops and restaurants --
including Roy's, Yard House and Ruth's Chris Steak House -- at
street level and on the large mezzanine that rises above Lewers
Street.
The Lewers Street
extension of the hotel is the Waikiki Beach Walk's most stylish
architectural element. The property is well integrated into the
setting, with the Waikiki Beach Walk converting narrow and shabby
Lewers into a wide, landscaped promenade.
Nightly rates for
the Embassy Suites start at $399 for a one-bedroom suite and $549
for a two-bedroom unit. Those prices
are being discounted on a space-available basis throughout 2007 at
$249 and $399, respectively. The daily
parking fee is $25.
Travel agent
rates start at $189 per day.
"As part of the
Hilton family we reach agents via hiltontravelagent.com," Bee said.
"We see our challenge as creating market awareness for a product
that is well-suited to today's travelers."
For more
information or to make reservations, call (800) EMBASSY. Or visit
www.embassysuiteswaikiki.com or Hiltontravelagent.com.
To contact reporter Allan Seiden, send e-mail to [email protected].