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By Brian Berusch
Photography courtesy of Hotels & Resorts of Halekulani
For the renovation of the Waikiki Parc Hotel, designer Jim Motonaga took inspiration from an unlikely source: an advertisement announcing the hotel's upcoming redo that was shown to him during one of the initial planning meetings. The image consisted of a single woman diving into a crystalline swimming pool, superimposed at the center of New York City's Times Square, with snow falling all around. "It had this refreshing sense of imagination," says Motonaga, principal designer at ADI Design Group in Honolulu. "It let the mind wander. It looked fun."
Charged with making the formerly nondescript hotel stand out from the larger resorts that surround it, Motonaga's "fun" redesign arrived in the form of a slew of high-tech finishings, placing the Parc as the lead contender in the race to revitalize Waikiki. While the improvement associations, neighboring hotels, shopping centers, and restaurants were conceptualizing what the new hub of Oahu tourism would look like, the 297-room Parc located just steps away from the beach lurched ahead, and became the area's first boutique hotel transformed from a hidden gem to an urban dwelling. "We recognize that Honolulu was becoming more progressive in arts and design, yet we didn’t feel it was reflected in technology here," says Peter Shaindlin, COO of Halekulani, the hotel's owner/manager. "We saw it as an opportunity to introduce hotel modernism to Waikiki."
Guestroom highlights include compact fluorescent lighting that swivels from antennae in the headboards, and modernist desks and fixtures with satin retro finishes. In the public spaces, particularly the foyer that leads to the ground floor lobby, it was all about the lighting design. Guests walk into a pulsating hallway of soft light that slowly rotates through the spectrum. Each color is subtly echoed in a sculpture, chaise lounge, carpet runner, or hung image elsewhere in the lobby. "We chose to take these colorful, close-up contemporary photo images that were slightly tweaked and surreal and use that as the theme of the public and private spaces,” Motonaga says.
And to not only reel in, but maintain the attention of, Gen X and Y guests, the Parc anchored its lobby with a Nobu outpost. Done by longtime Nobu-collaborator Rockwell Group as a sleek yet cozy chic Japanese restaurant, it's clad in swaths of rich crimson and sage walls, mahogany accents, and backlit onyx panels. It is not only ultra-modern, but highlights the East-meets-West spirit that quietly entwines Waikiki. "Thankfully, the Indonesian style is on its way out of Hawaii design," says Motonaga.
For more information, visit www.adihawaii.com or www.waikikiparc.com.
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HI Tech
May 20, 2008By Brian Berusch
Photography courtesy of Hotels & Resorts of Halekulani
For the renovation of the Waikiki Parc Hotel, designer Jim Motonaga took inspiration from an unlikely source: an advertisement announcing the hotel's upcoming redo that was shown to him during one of the initial planning meetings. The image consisted of a single woman diving into a crystalline swimming pool, superimposed at the center of New York City's Times Square, with snow falling all around. "It had this refreshing sense of imagination," says Motonaga, principal designer at ADI Design Group in Honolulu. "It let the mind wander. It looked fun."Charged with making the formerly nondescript hotel stand out from the larger resorts that surround it, Motonaga's "fun" redesign arrived in the form of a slew of high-tech finishings, placing the Parc as the lead contender in the race to revitalize Waikiki. While the improvement associations, neighboring hotels, shopping centers, and restaurants were conceptualizing what the new hub of Oahu tourism would look like, the 297-room Parc located just steps away from the beach lurched ahead, and became the area's first boutique hotel transformed from a hidden gem to an urban dwelling. "We recognize that Honolulu was becoming more progressive in arts and design, yet we didn’t feel it was reflected in technology here," says Peter Shaindlin, COO of Halekulani, the hotel's owner/manager. "We saw it as an opportunity to introduce hotel modernism to Waikiki." Guestroom highlights include compact fluorescent lighting that swivels from antennae in the headboards, and modernist desks and fixtures with satin retro finishes. In the public spaces, particularly the foyer that leads to the ground floor lobby, it was all about the lighting design. Guests walk into a pulsating hallway of soft light that slowly rotates through the spectrum. Each color is subtly echoed in a sculpture, chaise lounge, carpet runner, or hung image elsewhere in the lobby. "We chose to take these colorful, close-up contemporary photo images that were slightly tweaked and surreal and use that as the theme of the public and private spaces,” Motonaga says. And to not only reel in, but maintain the attention of, Gen X and Y guests, the Parc anchored its lobby with a Nobu outpost. Done by longtime Nobu-collaborator Rockwell Group as a sleek yet cozy chic Japanese restaurant, it's clad in swaths of rich crimson and sage walls, mahogany accents, and backlit onyx panels. It is not only ultra-modern, but highlights the East-meets-West spirit that quietly entwines Waikiki. "Thankfully, the Indonesian style is on its way out of Hawaii design," says Motonaga. For more information, visit www.adihawaii.com or www.waikikiparc.com.
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