November 13th, 2006
Waikiki Beach Walk Coming Soon…
Waikiki Beach WalkTM is the largest development project in Waikiki’s history. Nearly eight acres along well traversed Lewers Street has been completely rebuilt - transformed into a colorful and spirited showcase; the gathering place for the new Waikiki.
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Energetic and inviting, eclectic and exciting, Waikiki Beach Walk is an impressive, new leisure destination to play and to stay. Benefiting from the island’s cooling trade winds and year-round excellent weather, an outdoor entertainment plaza, nearly fifty new retailers, sixteen dining establishments, and five hotels welcome visitors and island residents alike; redefining the Waikiki experience.
Waikiki holds a spiritual and social significance. It is wahi pana; a legendary and storied place. And Waikiki Beach Walk honors this with a meaningful design exploring the traditional connection between water, land and people; celebrating Hawaii’s seafaring and ocean heritage. Here you can discover an ideal expression of Hawaii today - a place where people come to experience warm hospitality, a rich confluence of cultures and nature’s precious gifts from land and sea.
The design theme incorporates the Hawaiian outrigger canoe and Hawaii’s intimate relationship with the ocean. Glass canopies that hover gracefully over the outdoor plaza take their inspiration from the movement of the sea, and supporting beams are reminiscent of the `iako (booms) and ama (float) of the outrigger canoe. The canopies are lighted to create a beautifully illuminated contrast to the night sky.
The recently announced Waikiki Beach Walk redevelopment project will greatly improve the pedestrian experience by creating more open spaces, widening sidewalks, adding tropical landscapes and water features, and moving building density away from the street. Plans also call for creating areas for musicians, artisans and others who practice Hawaiian cultural activities to showcase their crafts.
The project has two phases.
Phase One is centered on the Lewers/Kalia area and includes replacing three hotels - the Edgewater Lanais, the OHANA Coral Seas and the OHANA Edgewater - with a new, low-rise, mixed-use hotel and retail complex that promises to transform the Lewers Street area into a new must-visit destination in Waikiki.
Phase Two will focus on the block bordered by Saratoga Road, Beach Walk and Kalia Road. It will involve replacing three hotels - the OHANA Reef Lanais, the OHANA Royal Islander, and the Malihini Hotel - with a new, 350-foot-tall Outrigger hotel. Three other hotels will be upgraded.
In his remarks on July 9, 2001, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Outrigger Enterprises, David Carey, stated, "Outrigger will breathe new life into an important section of Waikiki, and we are doing it in a way that can restore the lure of Waikiki as a favorite gathering place for island residents, as well as visitors. Additionally, we are stressing the use of indigenous building materials, styles, and natural colors found in our local environment, all in an effort to create a wonderful, uniquely Hawaiian, people-friendly place in Waikiki. We will celebrate Hawaii here. As we have throughout our history, Outrigger will continue to promote Hawaiian arts and culture, and we want this to be the premier venue in Waikiki for authentic Hawaiian cultural events, artist demonstrations and performances."