What’s in a name? In Native Hawaiian culture, everything.

Irongate and its hotel management partner LXR Hotels &Resorts recently learned just how complicated naming and rebranding can be, especially when it involves removing former President Donald Trump’s surname from a hotel tower in Hawaii.

Trump’s surname came off the Trump International Hotel, Waikiki, and was replaced Wednesday by a new name Ka La‘i Waikiki Beach, which references the feeling of calm, serenity and tranquility that homeowners and guests feel through the aloha of the property’s ohana.

However, the new name represented a second name change for the 38-story tower in only a few short months. In November, owner Irongate and its hotel management partner LXR Hotels &Resorts, a globally growing luxury Hilton brand, announced their original rebranding choice, Wakea Waikiki Beach, which they said reflected the story in Hawaiian mythology of Wakea, the Sky Father, and Papahanau­moku, the Earth Mother, who created the Hawaiian islands, forming a timeless connection between the earth and the sky.

The name came from a process that included Native Hawaiian cultural advisers. However, not everyone in the community saw the choice the same way and it encountered community pushback.

Scott Ingwers, managing director of Ka La‘i Waikiki Beach, said the team decided to pivot immediately and sought the advice of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, which helped come up with a new selection.

“Ultimately, there are differing opinions regarding the application of Hawaiian names and there was concern about cultural appropriation. Although our intent was pono to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture, there were those in the Native Hawaiian community who did not support the earlier direction,” Ingwers said. “During the process, the decision was made to name the building for the feeling it evokes rather than naming the building for a being and we couldn’t be happier with how the journey concluded. Ka la‘i means peaceful calm and serene and captures the essence of the building perfectly.”

Kainoa Daines, HVCB senior director of destination education, and Kahoku Lindsey-Asing, HVCB destination education manger, said they offered assistance to Ingwers after the earlier Wakea name raised concerns, including at the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Daines said other businesses in Hawaii have used Wakea as part of their name. However, in those cases, it was because they were referring to their location on Wakea Street and not to an entity that people have prayed to in the past and still do today.

“I saw the announcement of Wakea and I was like, whoa, Wakea is such a heavy name for anything,” he said. “It was one of those gut feelings, the feeling of the na‘au — this isn’t going to fly.”

He said similar experiences also have happened at other hotels, including the Aqua Waikiki Wave, which is now The Laylow, Autograph Collection. Daines said it almost became the ‘Okina before they pivoted.

“Myself and several other Hawaiian cultural folks in the visitor industry called the hotel and said, ‘‘okina is probably not the best idea,’” he said. “They thought it meant to take a rest or a break, but it means to sever and cut — so the context was wrong.”

Daines said he recommends that businesses consult a broad range of sources when naming to ensure that they are taking a deep cultural dive that explores hidden meanings and how removing diacritical marks may change the name’s meaning.

Lindsey-Asing said he worked with Ingwers and the hotel team to develop the name Ka La‘i, which was one of several alternatives that he offered to replace Wakea.

“Traditionally, from what we know when it comes to naming and giving Hawaii or Hawaiian names, we think about the intention … and what we hope that place would be like,” he said. “In Ka La‘i, it’s a name that really encompasses the feeling that I felt when we visited with Scott (Ingwers) and we had our meeting with him and we had our tour around the hotel. We were listening to him about what he was hoping for with this new change and this transition.”

The new name and the transition was well received during a blessing Wednesday at the property, which drew more than 150 guests. They celebrated the the hotel’s latest rebranding, the switch to LXR Hotels &Resorts, and the tower’s upcoming $100 million renovation — its first major renovation since the property opened 14 years ago. Ingwers said all hourly and salaried workers have transitioned to the Ka La‘i Waikiki Beach, which opens with a staff of 300, including 32 of the employees who were at the hotel in 2009 when it opened as the Trump International Hotel, Waikiki.

He said an interior architectural and design renovation led by Bryan O’Sullivan (BOS Studio) is slated to begin in early 2025 and will include lobbies, pool areas, spa, fitness center, residence corridors, landscaping, and residence interiors. He said the property will remain open during the renovations, which will be phased to minimize disruptions.

Ingwers said Wai‘olu Ocean Cuisine and In-yo Cafe will be reconceptualized, and street-level space formerly occupied by BLT Steak Waikiki will be built out to accommodate an internationally acclaimed celebrity chef, who is entering the Hawaii market for the first time. He said a fourth food and beverage space, a lobby bar, also will be added to enliven the space.

Sarah Evans, Irongate’s managing director of sales and marketing opportunities, said, “We are confident once complete that this property will truly be the landmark property — the most luxurious, the most international, and also the most grounded in Hawaii and Waikiki of any property here.”