Since it opened more than 60 years ago, the Pagoda Hotel, known for its koi ponds, floating restaurant, pagoda-style lanterns and Japanese-inspired garden, has long been a destination for local families.
Originally built for and still aiming to cater to kama‘āina guests, the hotel has recently unveiled a new, property-wide refresh.
"The Pagoda has been around in the community since 1964 and generations have passed through this hotel, so it's really important that we continue to honor that legacy while also respecting the cultures and traditions ahead with brining in the new, modern, fresh concepts," Aly Wee, asset manager for the Pagoda, representing the ownership group, told Aloha State Daily Wednesday during a preview of the recent revamp. "But again, [we] still want it to be a place where people can meet, where people can come together and where people can continue to create memories."
Now, according to a recent announcement, visitors to the 199-room, 12-story hotel on Rycroft Street in Honolulu's Ala Moana neighborhood, will find:
- New guest rooms with contemporary island-inspired interiors and upgraded furnishings.
- In-room artwork by kama‘āina artist Lauren Trangmar that's inspired by Byōbu, or traditional Japanese folding screens, and influenced by Shanshui, a classical Chinese landscape style.
- A restoration of the koi pond area, which includes structural improvements and a new walkway that connects the gardens to the pool deck and more than 200 decorative koi from Kodama Koi Farm.
- Revitalized corridors and updates to the exterior.
- An art wall in the lobby developed in collaboration with local photographer Zak Noyle that includes works by Margaret Rice, Nick Kuchar and Punky Aloha, along with archival imagery.
- A new retail and snack concept in the lobby.
Paris Baguette, a bakery and cafe that originated in South Korea, and a CU Hawai‘i convenience store are planned for the future, the announcement notes. Meanwhile, Rainbow Drive-In will takeover the Pagoda's iconic floating restaurant.
"We didn't start as hotel guys," Owner Robert Kurisu, son of local real estate investor Duane Kurisu, told ASD. "We started as [food and beverage] restaurant operators. We're real estate guys kind of at our core, but our history with the property started with the restaurant, so we know ... the significance of this property to local people. And people have a lot of memories of the restaurant and the koi pond growing up here."
Robert Kurisu's Rycroft Holdings LLC acquired the hotel in late 2021.
The hotel is focused on kama‘āina, including those from Neighbor Island communities.
"That's really why we did it, with ourselves and our friends and family in mind — what is a place that you will want to come to and what is a place you're comfortable in staying," he said. "When we took it over, it wasn't at that place yet. We took a lot of feedback and commentary from people about what they thought about the property, what their memories were."
Wee says she hopes people who come in now will have a different perception of the Pagoda.
"I think in recent years, Pagoda has become known as that budget hotel," she says. "But with this transformation, [we are] really hoping that they see the work that we put in, the love that we share for this hotel and the support that we have really for the community to better this area of town."
Highgate manages the Pagoda.
"We started this journey four years ago, reimagining what the possibility of the hotel could be," Kelly Sanders, group president of Highgate Hawai‘i, told ASD. "It's amazing to stand here today and see just the amazing transformation. We never wanted to be ultra high-end, but we wanted to be a place still for kama‘āina to come and stay. It's always been a hotel for locals and we wanted to elevate the property so that whether you're coming to go shopping or you need to go to Queen's hospital, you have a clean, safe, beautiful place to stay."
Envisioned by local entrepreneur Herbert T. Hayashi, the Pagoda opened in May 1964. According to the announcement, Hayashi aimed to create a "centrally located, uniquely Hawai‘i venue designed for kamaʻāina rather than visitors alone. At a time when Waikīkī’s beachfront hotels catered primarily to tourism, the Pagoda offered something different – a welcoming, residential-style retreat where local families, friends and communities could gather."
The property-wide updates were led by The Vanguard Theory and Albert C. Kobayashi Inc.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
