Luxury Hotels Atlas / The Maison / Halekulani
Halekulani hotels
Orchid pools and pale interiors carry a quiet Waikiki tradition to the shores of Okinawa.
Halekulani brings a quiet, attentive approach to Pacific hospitality, with its Waikiki flagship’s orchid-mosaic pool and oceanfront grounds at the heart of the story. The name means “House Befitting Heaven” in Hawaiian, and the small family of hotels carries that spirit to Halekulani Okinawa and the neighboring Halepuna Waikiki.
3 Halekulani hotels in 2 countries on the Luxury Hotels Atlas, each placed on the six LHA Tiers.
- Owned by Mitsui Fudosan
- Worldwide: 3 properties across 2 countries (USA and Japan); memberships in The Leading Hotels of the World and Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
- On the atlas: 2 Grand Luxury, 1 Core Luxury
History
The Kimball, Clapp, and Mitsui ownership chapters each carried Halekulani’s name forward through changes to the Waikiki hotel. The 1984 rebuilding retained the 1932 Dickey Roof and old kiawe tree as links to the earlier house. Okinawa and Halepuna followed in 2019, bringing the orchid motif and Champalimaud interiors to two new expressions of the tradition.
Timeline
- 1883 — Robert Lewers builds a two-story beachfront house on the site of today's Main Building at 2199 Kalia Road; local fishermen who beach their canoes there name the spot Halekulani, "House Befitting Heaven."
- 1907 — Lewers leases the property to Honolulu journalist Edward Irwin, who converts it to a small hotel called the Hau Tree.
- 1917 — Juliet and Clifford Kimball purchase the hotel, expand it to 21 rooms, and formally adopt the name Halekulani, establishing it as a stylish resort for vacationers. (Halekulani Legacy; Wikipedia))
- 1919 — American novelist Earl Derr Biggers stays near the hotel; befriends Clifford Kimball and Honolulu detective Chang Apana; the encounters inspire Biggers to create Charlie Chan and the debut novel The House Without a Key, published 1925, the title of which becomes the name of the hotel's most iconic outdoor venue.
- 1931–32 — The Kimballs commission celebrated Hawaii architect Charles W. Dickey to design a new plantation-mansion Main Building with its high-pitched hip "Dickey Roof", engineered to draw trade winds through the building. (Wikipedia); Mitsui PDF)
- 1962 — The Kimball heirs sell the property to the Norton Clapp family for $4.2 million. (Wikipedia))
- 1978 — The Clapp family announces plans to replace the aging 190-room hotel with a modern luxury property.
- January 15, 1981 — Mitsui Fudosan (USA), Inc. purchases Halekulani from the Clapp family and forms Halekulani Corporation as its Honolulu-based subsidiary; a $115 million rebuild begins immediately. (Wikipedia); Mitsui PDF)
- 1984 — "New Halekulani" grand opening March 1984, a 453-room luxury hotel on five oceanfront acres in five buildings, every room facing the ocean; La Mer French restaurant opens simultaneously. Immediately celebrated as a symbol of the Waikiki Renaissance.
- 1987 — Halekulani Corporation opens the Waikiki Parc Hotel directly across the street, with the motto "bringing customers closer."
- 1990 — La Mer receives its first AAA Five Diamond Restaurant Award, the beginning of a consecutive streak maintained through 2026, making it Hawaii's longest-running Five Diamond restaurant.
- 2003 — SpaHalekulani opens at the Waikiki flagship.
- October 1, 2018 — Waikiki Parc Hotel closes after 31 years to begin transformation into Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani.
- July 26, 2019 — Halekulani Okinawa opens in Onna Village, Mitsui Fudosan's first directly operated luxury resort in Japan under the Halekulani brand, carrying the orchid iconography to the East China Sea.
- October 25, 2019 — Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani opens as Waikiki's first luxury boutique hotel, with 284 rooms and the debut Halekulani Bakery & Restaurant.
- July 2025 — Halekulani Waikiki unveils The Bungalow and The Penthouse, two new Premier Suites starting at $5,000/night, expanding the suite collection to five Premier Suites.
The houses to know
- Halekulani Okinawa, Onna, Japan — The beach resort brings Halekulani’s orchid identity to the East China Sea.
- Halekulani, Honolulu, United States — The Waikiki hotel takes its Hawaiian name, House Befitting Heaven, from the fishermen who once rested beneath the shore’s hau trees.
- Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani, Honolulu, United States — Waikiki's first luxury boutique hotel, the House of Welcoming Waters, across the street from its legendary elder.
Newest openings
- No new Halekulani or Halepuna properties have opened in the last 12–24 months. The most recent openings in the portfolio remain Halekulani Okinawa (26 July 2019) and Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani (25 October 2019). In October 2019, Halekulani Corporation announced a five-year expansion plan under the Hotels & Resorts of Halekulani vehicle, but COO Peter Shaindlin stated that the corporation elected to focus resources on reinvesting in the existing properties rather than external management agreements; no additional location has been publicly confirmed as of mid-2026.
Opening next
- No confirmed new Halekulani or Halepuna properties publicly announced as of mid-2026. Expansion intent was articulated in 2019 (Boutique Hotel News; LODGING Magazine) but no third Halekulani or second Halepuna location has been named. Status: pipeline unannounced / unverified.
Every Halekulani hotel on the atlas
United States
- Halekulani — Honolulu · Grand Luxury
- Halepuna Waikiki by Halekulani — Honolulu · Core Luxury
Japan
- Halekulani Okinawa — Onna · Grand Luxury
Open The Maison in the atlas for Halekulani's full dossier, with prices and maps.