Post #265015 by dibroc on Tue, Nov 7, 2006 8:36 AM

from Otto 11.6.06

Some of you may have heard that the Red Lion Hanalei Hotel in San Diego is remodelingThe good news is that they are not changing management so we have the same friendly, helpful staff that serviced the event this year and they are excited to do it again next year Here are all the details I know. As you know the Hanalei is the site for Tiki Oasis 7 which is happening Aug 16 - 19, 2007It has been a historic Tiki site containing artifacts from Stephen Crane's Luau restaurant which have been housed in the Hanalei atrium since the early 80sIt is also the site of a formerly stellar example of Tiki restaurant design executed by Oceanic Arts. The restaurant is called The Islands. It was drastically remodeled inside and outside around 1996 so it was far from untouched. It is with much sadness that I inform you (direct from the highest source at the Hanalei) that much of The Islands is currently getting remodeled from now til April 1, 2007 and the hotel will be renamed The Islands, the good:the GM said, "Its going to be more TROPICAL than TIKI."The indoor foliage is staying, some bamboo elements are staying. The glass floats are most likely staying. The large boat stays. The Monkeypod tables are being refinished to the tune of $38,000 - that's a big investment in tables! auxiliary rooms are being opened up to be part of the entire restaurant to increase seating. The outdoor deck is being expanded to accommodate seating. The menus for the sushi bar, The Islands, and the bar will remain untouched. The bar will serve drinks in Tiki mugs! The Islands, the bad and the ugly:The entire waterway from lobby and into the restaurant is going away. (They are keeping the Tiki railings) The rock wall waterfall is going bye bye and windows overlooking the pool and deck are saying "hello". The Dragon Room is gone. The artifacts on the walls in the lobby, side rooms and The Islands are removed and most likely will be on exhibit for us to view during Oasis 7. I have not worked out these details so don't ask me questions about this. More travertine flooring will be added around the sushi bar to update it and make it blend with the lobby. The entire hotel will receive a paint job inside and out (most likely a shade of beige) The Hotel name:I do not know what exactly the new name will be but it will not have the word Hanalei in it. This was mandated in order to raise the status of the property. The rest of the hotel:the railings from The Islands will be moved into the atrium so in effect they are adding decor to that area. They have spent $20,000 on additional landscaping so the hotel will still look like a tropical jungle everywhere you go.They added new palapas to existing outdoor palapa areas so there will be fresh new thatching.The rooms will be remodeled and the standard room rate is increasing BUT this will not effect our event as I have contracted those rooms already. So essentially you will be getting the rooms for cheaper than the standard rate! Here are the details from a hotel/business perspective:The GM at the Hanalei was told that the renovations had to take place. The property was audited by the parent company and evaluated and one recommendation was to consolidate the restaurants into one larger full-service one with increased seating. The Lobby space is to be altered to be more useable - a small conference room will be carved out of it. All rooms are getting better mattresses and interior upgrades. The room and conference room upgrades will bump the property into a higher class offering in order to allow it to stay competitive with immediate neighbors (and to set it further apart from the Motel 6 offerings nearby). Hanalei is a business conference oriented Hotel, not a book-by-the-night model. Ironically, the reason I have hosted Tiki Oasis at this historic site and the previous site is to draw attention to them so they retain their Tiki decor.I am committed to continue to work with the Hanalei despite the remodel of The Islands. They still have the atrium full of Tikis, waterfalls, lush tropical plants, tropical landscaping around the entire hotel, the bar serves tropical drinks in Tiki mugs, and although The Islands is gutted it still retains some decor elements, the name, and some Polynesian food offerings.The proximity of the Hanalei to the Bali Hai allows us to support that historic site too. ++++++++++++++ Otto von Stroheimtikioasis.comtikinews.com