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Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
Koloa, Hawaii, United States · Grand Hyatt · High Luxury
WATG designed this 1990 Poipu resort as a revival of 1930s Hawaiian architecture, keeping every building below the tallest coconut tree and aligning the open-air lobby straight to Keoneloa Bay. Hurricane Iniki struck two years later, yet the Hyatt reopened within six months; Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s neighboring course soon became the home of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
- 602 rooms
- Opened 1990
- Neighborhood: Poipu
- Architect: Wimberly Allison Tong and Goo; WATG
About Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
- WATG designed the resort to revive 1930s Hawaiian regional architecture, with no building exceeding the height of the tallest coconut tree on the fifty-acre Poipu site.
- Hurricane Iniki made direct landfall on Kauai in September 1992, one of the island's most powerful storms, yet the Hyatt reopened within six months while other south shore resorts stayed shuttered for years.
- The eighteen-hole Robert Trent Jones Jr. course at Poipu Bay hosted the PGA Grand Slam of Golf starting in 1994, two years after the hotel opened.
- Hyatt renamed the property the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa in 2005 after a multi-million-dollar mid-2000s renovation upgraded it to the brand's top tier.
- The 45,000-square-foot spa and open-air lobby align to an unbroken ocean axis all the way to Keoneloa Bay, a sightline preserved through every subsequent renovation.
History
The fifty acres of oceanfront land at Poipu on Kauai's sunny south shore were part of a sugar plantation before the modern resort era transformed this corner of the Garden Isle. Sugar shaped the economy of the entire district for more than a century, and the red volcanic soil and consistent trade winds that made cane cultivation possible here also turned out to be the making of one of Hawaii's most distinguished resort sites. Planning and construction of the resort took shape during the mid-to-late 1980s, a period of dramatic investment across Hawaii's luxury hospitality market. Hyatt engaged architecture firm Wimberly Allison Tong and Goo — now known as WATG — to design what was intended as a flagship statement piece, not just another beachfront hotel.
The directive was explicit: the buildings should feel authentically Hawaiian rather than generically tropical. WATG responded with a design that revived the language of 1930s Hawaiian regional architecture: low-rise structures dispersed across the hillside, stucco and green tile, double-pitched hipped roofs, open-air lobbies aligned to catch the trade winds, and an atrium that framed an unbroken ocean axis all the way to Keoneloa Bay. No building exceeded the height of the tallest coconut tree on the property. Botanical bronzework, kapa-pattern masonry grilles, carved wood details, and shell-like sconces ensured that the ornament was of the island, not imported from some anonymous luxury catalog.
The hotel opened in 1990 as the Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort and Spa, with 602 guest rooms, a 45,000-square-foot spa, five restaurants, and an eighteen-hole Robert Trent Jones Jr. championship golf course at Poipu Bay — a course that would host the PGA Grand Slam of Golf starting in 1994. Two years after opening, Hurricane Iniki made direct landfall on Kauai in September 1992, one of the most powerful storms in the island's recorded history. Where other south shore resorts suffered catastrophic damage and were shuttered for years, the Hyatt — set back from the waterfront by environmental regulations that required coastal setbacks — escaped the worst of the storm surge. Damage to the grounds was significant, but the hotel reopened within six months, becoming part of the island's broader recovery story.
A multi-million-dollar property-wide renovation in the mid-2000s accompanied an upgrade in brand positioning: in 2005, Hyatt elevated the property to the Grand Hyatt tier, renaming it the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa. A further $45 million renovation in 2010 refreshed 338 guest rooms, and meeting facilities were updated again in 2018. Throughout these evolutions the original architectural philosophy held — the ocean axis, the plantation-style corridors, the earth-toned rooms with carved wood headboards, the sense that every detail was placed with a specific island in mind.
Restaurants and bars
- Seaview Terrace — Restaurant · American
- Grand Club — Bar · Lounge bar
- Ilima Terrace Restaurant — Bar · Bar
- Tidepools — Restaurant · Seafood
- Hale Nalu — Bar · Bar
- Stevenson's Library — Bar · Lounge bar
- Captain's Bar — Bar · Bar
- Grand Hyatt Kauai Luau — Restaurant · Buffet
- Stevenson's Sushi & Spirits — Restaurant · Sushi
- Honolulu Coffee at Grand Hyatt Kauai — Café · Cafe
Amenities
- Spa
- Pool
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Kids' club
- Tennis
- Beach
- Water sports
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
- Forbes Travel Guide Recommended (2026)
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More hotels in Koloa
- Koloa Landing Resort — Autograph Collection · High Luxury
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