Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikīkī Beach Resort recently finished the renovation of its iconic Rainbow Tower.
The renovation began in December 2024.
According to a recent announcement from the resort, the Rainbow Tower has been "reimagined with refreshed guest rooms, locally inspired design and curated artwork that celebrates the Islands' rich culture."
“As we celebrate 65 years of aloha, it was important to invest in one of the resort’s most beloved landmarks," General Manager Kyle Anger said in a statement provided to Aloha State Daily. "The Rainbow Tower has welcomed generations of families to Waikīkī, and this renovation allows us to preserve its legacy while creating new memories for years to come.”
In the first quarter of 2026, hotel owner Park Hotels & Resorts Inc. completed the second and final phase of guest room renovations and room conversions — totaling about $85 million — at two towers of its flagship properties in Hawai‘i: the 822-room Rainbow Tower at Hilton Hawaiian Village and the 414-room Palace Tower at Hilton Waikoloa Village, according to a first-quarter earnings report from the company.
Hilton Hawaiian Village spans 22 oceanfront acres in Waikīkī and has 2,886 guest rooms and suites across five towers. The resort also features five swimming pools and more than 80 shops and services, and 18 restaurants and bars.
While Hilton Hawaiian Village may be celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, the property's history dates back even further.
According to Historic Hotels of America, SoCal housing developer Fritz Burns and American industrialist Henry John Kaiser bought the Niumalu Hotel, then about 26 years old, in 1954.
"Burns and Kaiser began construction in 1955 on guest cottages, the Tapa Room, gardens, and three swimming pools for Kaiser's Hawaiian Village," the HHA website notes. "The Ocean Tower (now known as Ali‘i Tower) was completed in 1957."
Kaiser also built the first public geodesic dome showroom in Honolulu, which opened in February 1957 during a 2.5-hour gala that was broadcast by NBC to about 20 million people, the site notes.
Two more towers were added over the next three years, according to the site, and Kaiser also developed the 5-acre man-made lagoon fronting the Hawaiian Village.
Hotelier Conrad Hilton agreed to buy most of Kaiser's Hawaiian Village for $21.5 million in January 1961. (According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis' inflation calculator, that's a little more than $237.78 million in today's dollars). The purchase included nearly 18 acres of property plus three more acres of an adjacent property, HHA says.
The Rainbow Tower opened in 1968. The ceramic tile mosaic spans 286 feet high and 26 feet wide on each end of the tower, the site notes.
Read more about its history here.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
