The Kahala Hotel & Resort

The Kahala Hotel & Resort is a luxury hotel on the island of Oahu in the state of Hawaii. It first opened in 1964 as the Kahala Hilton. Developed as an exclusive retreat away from Waikiki, the resort became a popular destination for celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Elton John; foreign dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth II, the Reverend Desmond Tutu, and the Dalai Lama; and eight United States presidents. In the mid-1990s, it was renamed the Kahala Mandarin Oriental and was later known simply as The Kahala. The resort has had captive dolphins or porpoises in its private lagoon since its first year of operation.

History

Before the hotel was built, the residential neighborhood of Kahala, a 12-minute drive from Waikiki, was still relatively unknown to tourists. In 1959, the land next to the Waialae Country Club was leased from the Bishop Estate by developer Charles J. Pietsch Jr., who partnered with hotelier Conrad Hilton, and commissioned the architectural firm of Killingsworth, Brady and Smith of Long Beach, California. Architect Edward Killingsworth designed the main building as a modernist 10-story structure in the shape of two rectangles. Elevated on two-story-high concrete pillars set in a man-made salt-water lagoon, the building has been called "a work of art distinguished by its overall 'elegant informality'."

When the Kahala Hilton opened in January 1964, it had 302 rooms, including rooms within suites, built at a cost of $12 million. In the early months, the hotel openly provided "comps" (complimentarys, free of charge) to well-known personalities who helped to build its image.