Unspoiled views of the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding landscape dominate 1 Hotel Hanalei ’ s scenery .
All guest rooms were constructed to blend natural Hawaiian resources like woven willow with luxury furnishings .
1 Hotel Hanalei ’ s 252 rooms were designed for both long-term stays and shorter jaunts .
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Each guest room was constructed to have views of Hanalei Bay and the surrounding mountains .
More than 35 years ago , a topographic anomaly descended on the fertile cliffs of Kauai , the second-most western island in the Hawaiian atoll . Named the Princeville Sheraton , this white monolith of foreign origin was one of many resorts that sprang up in exotic locales , fervently resisting the rugged tropical wilderness around it for decades .
Over time , this oasis of luxury became a defiant example of outsider influence . Even
its vibrant white paint , once visible miles offshore contrasting with the lush greens , blues and volcanic blacks of the coastline , felt firmly out of place .
When the hotel — by then the St . Regis Princeville — was acquired by Starwood Capital in 2018 , the new owner acknowledged that something had to be done . They had a vision for a palatial resort that did not spoil the landscape around it but embraced it .
1 Hotel Hanalei Bay , which opened in the spring of 2023 , evokes just that : an environmental experiment on a grand scale , seamlessly blending indigenous elements and artistry with luxury and wellness intertwined . Thanks to a $ 300-milliondollar renovation , the resort is now opened up to the natural ecosystem , enabling it to grow with the landscape until , at last , one will be indistinguishable from the other .
“[ It ’ s ] unlike any property I ’ ve worked with prior ,” said the hotel ’ s general manager , Jon Gersonde . “ The property embodies the
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