Historic Hotels of America adds 2 in isles to list

Historic Hotels of America has added more aging Hawaii properties to its list and recognized a local hotel owner and his company for preserving a part of hospitality’s past.

The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, which opened in 1965 on the Big Island, was inducted as a historic hotel this month and will be listed in the organization’s 2017 directory, which markets more than 295 historic hotels nationwide. Laurance S. Rockefeller, capitalist and conservationist, founded the midcentury modern hotel.

The Best Western Pioneer Inn in Lahaina was inducted last month and also will make the 2017 directory. Pioneer Inn, originally built in 1901, was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1962. Its history is rooted in Maui’s early whaling industry.

Hotels on the Historic Hotels of America list are historically important and at least 50 years old. They must have National Historic Landmark designation from the U.S. secretary of the interior or meet National Register of Historic Places eligibility. Historic Hotels of America was founded in 1989 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“Our guests don’t want a place to stay; they want a place to remember,” said Lawrence Horwitz, executive director, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide.

Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort; the Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort; the Moana Surfrider, a Westin Resort; and the Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo, a Doubletree by Hilton, already have the designation.

“Hawaii has made a great start in recognizing its historic hotels, but there’s a lot of opportunity ahead,” Horwitz said, adding that Waimea Plantation Cottages on Kauai and Travasa, Hana, Maui, also are being vetted.

The organization, which held its annual conference in Honolulu late last month, presented Takamasa Osano and Kyo-ya Hotels &Resorts LP with a lifetime achievement award for stewardship and $500 million in preservation-focused renovations of its historic hotels in Hawaii, including the Royal Hawaiian, Moana Surfrider and Sheraton Maui.

“We are honored to be recognized by the Historic Hotels of America for our stewardship, a role that we have taken very seriously for more than 50 years,” Osano said in a statement. “Kyo-ya Hotels &Resorts is committed to honoring the history of these cultural icons and will continue to refresh and maintain our legendary properties for future generations.”