North Shore hotel takes form

The first hotel to be built on the North Shore in more than four decades is nearing completion with its opening set for June 15.

Courtyard Marriott Oahu North Shore, which is being constructed adjacent to the 42-acre Polynesian Cultural Center, will have 144 rooms in its first phase with an option to go up to 222 rooms if demand warrants, said David Betham, general manager of the 94,767-square-foot hotel.

Betham, a longtime Laie resident, said the Courtyard Marriott will complement Turtle Bay Resort, which opened in May 1972 and is the only other hotel on the North Shore.

"We’ve been in need for a hotel for quite some time," Betham said. "There’s a lot of different events that happen on this side of the island. Turtle Bay is a great property, but even they have capacity issues at times. Before, if they were to sell beyond their capacity, the only option they would have is for people to go into town. Now they have a second option and we have the same."

Betham said the Courtyard Marriott is expected to attract business travelers and visitors tied to the Polynesian Cultural Center, Brigham Young University-Hawaii, educational symposiums, the temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Schofield Barracks, as well as North Shore vacationers. Betham said he already has received an inquiry from a Japa­nese hula group coming to the PCC that wants to rent out the entire hotel for two days in September.

The three-story hotel will have a Bistro restaurant with a Starbucks, 1,200 square feet of meeting space, a fitness center, and a swimming pool with a 6-foot rock waterfall as well as a separate children’s pool and a hot tub.

About 100 construction workers have been employed on the project. Once open, the hotel will have about 50 employees, augmented by additional workers coming through a training program with BYU-Hawaii.

The North Shore has been without a second hotel since the 45-year-old, 49-room Laie Inn was demolished in 2009.

"There’s been a push for a more community-based hotel that not only accommodates leisure travel, but also provides accommodations for Hawaii residents and business driven by the local community," said Joe Toy, president and chief executive officer of Hospitality Advisors, a hotel, tourism and real estate consulting service.

"Hawaii residents may opt to go to the Marriott Courtyard because of its more moderate pricing," Toy said.

Turtle Bay is trying to reposition itself into the higher leisure market with recent renovations, but that has led to higher prices.

Courtyard Marriott’s rack room rate will range from $230 to $390 a night, but there will be discounted rates, including those for kama­aina, which typically see a 20 percent reduction, Betham said.

A Turtle Bay spokes­woman said the resort’s prices range from $299 a night for a standard room during the low season to $5,000 for a four-bed ocean villa in high season. Kama­aina rates are up to 20 percent off the best available rates.

Despite the lower-priced alternative for lodging, not everyone is supportive of a new hotel being built in the area.

Choon James, a member of the Ko‘o­lau­loa Sustainable Communities planning committee, said the Courtyard Marriott will detract from the area’s rural atmosphere.

"I don’t think anybody is opposed to a hotel — there was a 49-room hotel there before — but the fact that they have hoist a massive cut-and-paste hotel, it feels like you’re in Utah," said James, a real estate broker. "In Hawaii we have land-use planning guidelines and values, and the Ko‘o­lau­loa Sustainable Communities’ primary purpose is to protect the view planes and the rural charm of this low-density region."

Andrea Anixt, a 40-year resident of Kaa­awa and a member of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization’s citizen advisory committee, is concerned about additional traffic.

"It’s right on two-lane Kame­ha­meha Highway, where traffic is already extremely bad from Hale­iwa to Kaha­luu," she said. "There’s not really a need for a hotel because there’s over 1,000 vacation rentals in the area, plus you have two new hotels approved to be built at Turtle Bay starting in 2016."

The Courtyard Marriott, one of five in the state, broke ground in 2014 and cost $22 million to build, according to Larry Wintermantel, superintendent for Layton Construction Co., the general contractor.

A McDonald’s restaurant and Chevron gas station were demolished to make way for the hotel. A new McDonald’s will be built by Nani­loa Loop near the Courtyard Marriott.

Worthington Military Construction, one of about two dozen subcontractors, put up the framing, insulation and acoustic ceiling for the hotel in what was one of the company’s first big commercial jobs.

"It takes a lot of coordination with the general contractor to put a project like this together, and it went pretty smooth," Worthington superintendent Troy Ki­yabu said. "We’re trying to put out a real good product for the community."

Utah-based Laie Ventures LLC, a family-owned company that was formed to be the Laie Courtyard Marriott franchisee, is the owner and developer of the property, which is being leased from Hawaii Reserves Inc., the management and development arm of the Mormon church. Provo, Utah-based Lodging Dynamics Hospitality Group will manage the hotel.

Chris Wood, managing partner of Laie Ventures, said the proximity to BYU-Hawaii was a key factor in building the hotel.

"This is a special, unique thing for us because of that tie to BYU-Hawaii, the Polynesian Cultural Center and the area," he said. "The hotel provides the opportunity for training with some of the BYU students. Even though Laie and Utah are lots of miles apart, there’s a lot of people in Utah who are Polynesian, and you don’t have to go far here (in Utah) to run into people who have lived in Laie or have family in Laie."

Alfred Grace, president and CEO of the Polynesian Cultural Center, said he can’t wait for the Courtyard Marriott to open.

"We see it being very helpful in two ways," Grace said. "One is driving new business or new visitors to the Polynesian Cultural Center who are interested in staying on the North Shore. The other thing we see it doing is driving a significant increase in multiday packages. In other words, guests who stay here will return to the center two, three days in a row — not only for current activities, but we’re looking at adding a lot more activities."

On Friday, Grace oversaw the official opening at the PCC of the Huki­lau Marketplace, which features more than 40 stores, eateries and attractions. Among the new entities at the marketplace is an activities center that will rent stand-up paddleboards, scooters and so forth.

"We see an opportunity," Grace said. "The hotel is going to serve as a great base of business to introduce morning activities at the Polynesian Cultural Center — more in-depth, hands-on experiences like Polynesian cooking, weaving and carving that require a lot of personalized attention and one-on-one support from the artisans."

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