Two Mid-Level Hotel Projects Prove Affordable Travel Is Still Alive in Hawaii

Rendering of an arial view of Ka Makana Alii with Hampton Inn & Suites in the background. // Photo by DeBartolo Development.

With recent news that a Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts hotel will soon open on Oahu coupled with the recent luxury hotel openings of Montage Kapalua Bay on Maui and Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, one would think Hawaii is slowly chasing away budget travelers. 

But two new hotel developments prove the Aloha State hasn't neglected its mid-level business. If it's a modest room with subtle amenities and a great location that your clients are looking for without breaking the bank, they may be interested in these two projects. In fact, both of these hotels have free WiFi, something some five-star resorts in Hawaii don't even offer. 

DeBartolo Development and Hampton Hotels recently announced that the first Hampton Inn & Suites in Hawaii will be located at Ka Makana Alii, the 1.4 million-square-foot regional mall being built in West Oahu.

The 175-key hotel centrally located in Kapolei will offer travelers and neighbor island residents visiting friends and family in the area affordable access to West Oahu. Construction on the hotel is slated to begin summer 2015. Hampton Hotels' standard amenities include free breakfast, free WiFi in all of the rooms and in the lobby and free coffee and tea in the lobby.

Featuring more than 150 new shops and restaurants, a movie theater, and LEED-certified office space, Ka Makana Alii will be Hawaii’s newest mall and the first regional shopping center to be built in more than 30 years. The center’s expanding roster of signed tenants includes anchor department store Macy’s, as well as Forever 21, H&M, and three GAP, Inc. brands.

The signing of Hampton’s first location in Hawaii means the brand will offer more than 2,000 locations globally including across all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Grading and grubbing activities for Ka Makana Alii are slated to begin in December with a formal construction start date announced soon thereafter. The first phase of the center, which includes more than 750,000 square feet of retail, dining, entertainment and hotel space, is scheduled to open in 2016.

Oahu will be the site of a new Courtyard by Marriott

Construction will continue on the Courtyard by Marriott hotel on Oahu's North Shore despite the recent discovery of Hawaiian remains, referred to by locals as "iwi," according to a Pacific Business News report.

According to the report, last month, workers found some human bone fragments at the construction site at the former Laie Inn location.

The 144-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel, which started construction last summer, will have an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, laundry room and meeting room. The hotel remains on schedule for its opening this summer. 

The hotel will include Courtyard's standard amenities such as plush bedding, Paul Mitchell grooming essentials and free high-speed internet.

Visit www.marriott.com and www.hampton.com.