Halekulani (hotel) facts for kids

The Halekulani is a famous luxury hotel right on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. It first opened its doors in 1917. The hotel has 453 rooms spread across five buildings on about 5 acres of land.

The name "Halekulani" comes from the Hawaiian language. It means "House Befitting Heaven," which sounds pretty amazing!

You can find three restaurants at the hotel: House Without a Key, Orchids, and La Mer. It also has a special spa called SpaHalekulani and a lounge called Lewers Lounge.

Halekulani is part of two important groups for luxury hotels: The Leading Hotels of the World and Imperial Hotel, Ltd.. These groups help promote the best hotels around the world.

The hotel has won many awards over the years. For example, it received a "World's Best 2005" award from Travel & Leisure magazine. It also got Four Stars from Mobil Travel Guide and a Four Diamonds rating from AAA.

Today, the Halekulani is owned and run by a Japanese company called Mitsui Fudosan. They also own the Waikiki Parc, a smaller hotel located just across the street.

The Story of Halekulani

The story of Halekulani began in 1883. A businessman named Robert Lewers built a two-story house on the spot where the hotel's main building stands today.

In 1907, Lewers rented his property to a journalist named Edward Irwin. Irwin turned the house into a small hotel called the Hau Tree.

Then, in 1917, Juliet and Clifford Kimball bought the property. They officially named it Halekulani. Over the years, the Kimballs made the resort bigger. They bought more land nearby and added extra buildings.

After the Kimballs passed away, their family sold the hotel in 1962. The Norton Clapp family bought it for $4.2 million. In 1978, the Clapps decided to replace the old buildings with a new, modern luxury hotel.

On January 15, 1981, the hotel was bought by Mitsui Fudosan USA. They created the Halekulani Corporation to manage it. The current hotel, with its 453 rooms, opened in 1984.

The first Halekulani was a simple place. It had small bungalows and offered affordable rooms and basic food. Later, it grew into a more traditional hotel with many buildings. It became famous for its two restaurants: the House Without a Key, which was in a novel by Earl Derr Biggers, and the Coral Tree Lanai, known for its lovely service by the sea.

What Makes Halekulani Special?

The Halekulani has some unique and beautiful features:

• Orchid Pool: The bottom of the swimming pool is covered with 1.2 million glass mosaic tiles from South Africa. These tiles create a special design in the shape of a Cattleya orchid.
• Old Kiawe Tree: There's a century-old Kiawe tree in the outdoor area of the House Without a Key restaurant. It's a very old and impressive tree.
• Mahiole Sculptures: You can see two stone sculptures called Mahiole. These were created in 1983 by Charles W. Watson. A mahiole is a traditional Hawaiian feathered helmet.