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| Hawaii Island via Paradise Helicopters. // Photo by Joe Pike |
With the New Year brings exciting updates and developments for meetings, conventions and incentives in the Hawaiian Islands from hotel and meeting venue renovations to new and engaging activities and creative programs.
Travel Agent breaks down the highlights of the most recent meetings, conventions and incentives news to come out of Hawaii hotels.
The Aston Aloha Beach Hotel on Kauai is undergoing a major renovation as it prepares for a reopening under the Hilton Garden Inn brand in early 2016.
Improvements are being made to the 216 guest rooms, lobby, meeting space of roughly 5,000 square feet, exteriors, fitness center, indoor pool and 24-hour business center. Under the new partnership as Hilton Garden Inn Kauai/Wailua Bay, the beachfront property will offer guests its signature elements, like Hilton’s pressure-reducing “Garden Sleep System” bed, “hospitality center” featuring a mini refrigerator and Keurig single-cup coffee brewer in every guest room, and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access.
Once completed, the renovated property will be the only Hilton-brand on Kauai and the second Hilton Garden in Hawaii.
Visit www.astonalohabeachhotel.com
Blake Entertainment has secured exclusive rights to book events at Villa at Wailea Point, an oceanfront paradise in beautiful Lanikai, Oahu. This stunning property is perched literally at the water’s edge, with the famed Mokulua Islands and Lanikai’s azure waters in view from the entire compound. Perfect for up to 60 guests, the extremely private setting offers a luxurious, intimate seaside experience guests will never forget.
Visit www.blakeentertainment.com
The long awaited Four Seasons Resort Lanai reopens February 1. The resort is now accepting reservations from March 1 for travelers who wish to be among the first to experience the new resort.
The renovation features 217 redesigned guest rooms including 51 suites, newly refurbished lobbies and seating areas for contemplation. Perfect for small conferences or events for up to 500 people, the resort offers event space both indoors and out in a number of flexible settings.
Visit www.fourseasons.com/lanai
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa has refreshed the resort with new looks from the walk to guest rooms, beds, workout facilities and dining. Guest room hallways offer an elegant custom designed carpet. All guest rooms now offer new "GrandBeds." Anara Spa’s fitness center has been refreshed with rubber mat flooring and the latest in Precor cardio and weight training equipment. For dining, a $1.2 million renovation refreshed the poolside restaurant, added a sushi bar to Stevenson’s, modernized the buffet at Ilima Terrace and turned Poipu Bay Clubhouse into a quick take-out spot.
Visit www.grandhyattkauai.com
Located 37 floors above Waikiki, Altitude@37 is the Hilton Waikiki Beach’s (Oahu) most private meeting or event option on property. This room was designed for privacy and offers a more intimate setting for small meetings or events up to 30 people.
Ideal for dinner receptions or all-day business meetings, amenities at Altitude@37 include audio/visual equipment, Wi-Fi Internet access, and catering menu options. Seating configurations are flexible and guests will be able to enjoy the spectacular ocean views from any part of the room.
Visit www.hiltonwaikikibeach.com
Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa recently completed property updates, including the most recent revealing of the new Lahaina Ballroom. It offers nearly 5,000 square feet of function space divisible into up to four breakout rooms.
The debut of the recently-completed ballroom follows refreshments to the resort’s open-air Swan Court restaurant, Drums of the Pacific Luau and Sunset Terrace, Grotto Bar, 21 Ocean Suites, seven Deluxe Ocean Suites, three Premiere Suites, and the addition of four new pool areas available for guest use at the next-door Hyatt Residence Club, all part of a resort-wide transformation.
Visit www.maui.hyatt.com
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawaii Island recently completed a $4.5 million renovation project that involved the revitalization of the resort’s Copper Terrace, the iconic gathering place at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and the former Kaunaoa Bar & Grill, which has been transformed to become one of the most beautiful ballrooms on the Kohala Coast.
The new ballroom offers floor to ceiling windows framing stunning views of Kaunaoa Bay, offering nearly 4,000 square feet of indoor function space, expansive outdoor pre-function areas, as well as an adjacent boardroom.
Visit www.princeresortshawaii.com/Mauna-Kea-Beach-Hotel
Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa in Oahu has completed a $22 million transformation featuring innovative touches for the Millennial market. The highlights of the renovation include a newly named Nanea Lobby, porte cochere, front desk registration, new interior design and furniture, lighting fixtures, water features, main ballroom and meetings and special events room.
The crowning touch of the multi-million dollar transformation is the 60x20 feet carved wooden artwork made by artist Kaiwi Nui Yoon of Honolulu. The concept of the artwork called “Ka Maka Hinu,” or “The Bright Face,” is intended to reflect Hawaii’s last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani’s love for the people of her kingdom. “Ka Maka Hinu” is designed to interpret and encapsulate Hawaiian values and have an overarching concept of hope as well as to remind people of where they are in this unique place, and educate, and communicate values in order to leave feelings of hope for a bright future.
Visit www.marriottwaikiki.com
Scheduled to open in 2017, The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas is a 26-acre oceanfront resort. Ideally located on Kaanapali Beach in Maui, the resort will feature 390 luxurious villas and a variety of world-class resort amenities, including an expansive lagoon-style pool and beach bar. The new resort will also pursue the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for high-performance buildings.
Visit www.westin.com
Visit www.gohawaii.com and keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for all the latest Hawaii news.