Luau Room, Lexington, KY (restaurant)

Name:Luau Room
Type:restaurant
Street:Hotel Lafayette
City:Lexington
State:KY
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:
Here's one for Swanky.

Just when you think you have seen them all! I found this postcard on a Kentucky digital image website from the Luau Room that was located in the Hotel Lafayette in Lexington, Kentucky. Another one of the Dobbs House Luau restaurants that has not been documented here.

Looks like many of the other Dobbs House Luau set ups.

The message on the back of the card.

300 Air-Conditioned Rooms with bath and T.V. Coffee Shop - Grill - Cocktail Lounge. Home of the famous DOBBS House LUAU featuring Polynesian and American Foods. Free Garage for Guests

An ad from the opening in January, 1960.

Of course, Mimi has a menu from this location on the Arkiva Tropika website.

The location was listed on this menu.

What about the Florida locations??

Cool find, I say.

DC

What, no discussion of a long-lost treasure from a historical builder of Tiki bars across the south?

An ad from the Dobb's House Luau at the Lafayette Hotel in Lexington.

DC

The Dobb's House Luau chain is indeed very interesting, following in the footsteps of the more famous Polynesian franchises of Don's, Vic's, Steve Crane's Kon Tikis and Marriott's Kona Kai's, perhaps comparable to Skipper Kent's "Polynesian Village" attempts in several cities.

This location is another example how, from the late 50s to the early 60s, it was THE thing for big hotels all over America to have a "Polynesian room". Especially these classic, early 20th Century "block" style hotels like the Lafayette seem wonderfully incongruous with the theme :). There are several examples of these type of Hotels "going Polynesian".