Iconic Property Commemorates A Quarter Century of Leadership and Gracious Hospitality
Honolulu, Hawaii May 14, 2009 — On May 8, in a private ceremony attended by Halekulani executives and staff, honored guests and local luminaries, Halekulani celebrated its 25th Anniversary as one of the world’s finest and most acclaimed independent luxury hotels. Halekulani’s living legacy dates back to 1917, when the hotel was nothing more than a few modest bungalows on Waikiki’s famed Gray’s Beach. Bestowed with the name Halekulani, which translates as “House Befitting Heaven,” the bungalows soon became a gathering place for locals and the world’s elite alike. In 1984, the humble bungalows were transformed into an open-air architectural masterpiece, and so began the modern legacy of Halekulani as a culturally indigenous and celebrated icon of Hawaiian culture and spirit, and that has established an unequaled standard in gracious hospitality, guest experiences and inspired personal service, not only for the state of Hawaii but throughout the world.
“Everyday, more than 800 Halekulani staff dedicate themselves not merely to exceeding guests’ expectations, but to transcending and redefining them,” said Peter Shaindlin, Chief Operating Officer of Halekulani Corporation. “For the last twenty-five years, our extraordinary staff has welcomed guests from all over the world into our house and into our hearts, creating enduring personal experiences and stories that have become folklore. It is for this reason that our guests continue to return to Halekulani, year after year, generation after generation, many of whom consider Halekulani to be their home-away-from-home.”
Over the last 25 years, Halekulani has been bestowed with more accolades, awards and honoraria than any other hotel in the world. Among these many honors, Halekulani was the first hotel in Hawaii to be awarded the prestigious AAA Five Diamond for Lodging, the only hotel in Hawaii to be ranked #3 amongst all other hotels by the Zagat U.S. Hotel Survey, and rated number one in the “Top 10 Hotels Around the World” by Gourmet magazine.
Halekulani has become renowned for its leadership, as well as for its groundbreaking innovations that have become standards in the luxury hospitality industry. In 1993, Patricia Tam was appointed general manager of Halekulani, becoming the first woman to hold such a position at a Five Diamond Hawaii hotel, and subsequently went on to be the first woman accorded the honor of “Independent Hotelier of the World” by HOTELS magazine, as well as the first Hawaiian to be listed among the 200 Most Powerful Women in Travel. In 1995, Halekulani pioneered the “For You, Everything” program, providing guests with unprecedented access to local arts and cultural institutions and experiences, including the Honolulu Academy of the Arts, The Bishop Museum, The Contemporary Museum, The Honolulu Symphony and Iolani Palace. Three years later, Halekulani expanded the program to include indigenous culinary offerings and promotions, ushering the state of Hawaii into the epicurean era and becoming the standard bearer for Hawaiian cuisine.
Subsequently, Halekulani created SpaHalekulani, the world’s first spa to feature and pay homage to the healing cultures indigenous to Hawaii, and which earned the coveted Mobil Four-Star rating, the highest bestowed upon any spa by the Mobil Travel Guide. In 2005, Halekulani became the first hotel to become completely trans-fat free, eliminating trans-fats from every food item on the property. Shortly thereafter, in 2006, Halekulani forged a partnership with world renowned Designer Vera Wang to create the first specialty lifestyle suite in the luxury hospitality industry. The stylish and chic suite has been acclaimed by industry leaders and media the world over, and was honored as the “best brand extension in the hotel category” by Brandweek. In 2009, Halekulani entered into a groundbreaking partnership with Steinway Lyngdorf, developer and manufacturer of the world’s finest high-performance audio systems, to create the first hotel suite home-theater in The Orchid Suite at Halekulani. The Orchid Suite at Halekulani is the crowning achievement and final facet of the Premier Suites at Halekulani, which also include the recently redesigned Royal Suite and the iconic Vera Wang Suite. Each of the three one-of-a-kind residential suites embodies a distinctive aesthetic and sensibility, and offers specialized amenities and experiences uniquely their own.
Said Gerald Glennon, General Manager of Halekulani: “For the past 25 years, Halekulani has not merely welcomed and taken the finest care of guests, it has become an integral part of their lifestyles, for our guests, our staff and our family are one and the same. Halekulani is a sanctuary for those who want the best and the finest, and will accept nothing less, as well as a personal residence for guests who stay with us for an extended period of time each and every year. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we rededicate ourselves to upholding and furthering the standards of excellence for which we have become both renowned and revered.”
In April 2009, Halekulani announced an alliance with Japan’s legendary Imperial Hotel. Both The Imperial and Halekulani share a legacy founded upon indigenous cultural traditions, and have established, and continue to maintain, the defining standards in gracious hospitality, superlative guest experiences and inspired personal service.
While Halekulani has continuously evolved over the last 25 years, some things remain unchanged, such as Halekulani’s intimate in-room guest registration and enchanting turndown amenities, as well as its famed Coconut Cake, Popovers and Pohai Berry Jam. Indeed, Halekulani’s greatest treasure is its caring, gracious and exceptional staff, of which more than 10 percent have been with the property for 25 years or more. The commitment and longstanding tenure of the management and staff over the last 25 years has enabled Halekulani to evolve from a hotel into an icon, and from an icon into a legacy, as well as what will enable Halekulani to perpetuate and enhance its iconic living legacy for many years to come.