St. Regis Princeville Resort To Open in
Hawaii
by Doug Porter
Nearing completion of a $40
million renovation, the former Princeville Hotel will open this
month under the ultra-luxury St. Regis brand. A soft opening is
scheduled for September 26th with the long awaited official
grand opening set for October 1st.
Soon to become Hawaii's
first and only St. Regis, this high-end luxury resort will
certainly stir things up in Princeville on the north shore of
Kauai which has been hit hard by the recent recession.
Over the past year many
restaurants and shops on the island have been forced to close,
adversely affected by the drop in tourist dollars. But Hawaii
is starting to notice an uptick in visitor arrivals. Just as
things are starting to turn around and visitors are coming back
to Hawaii, the new resort will open with 252 guest rooms and 51
suites, four restaurants, several boutiques and shops, and a
10,000-square foot Spa and fitness center.
Although it might seem like
a bold move to open in this economy, the timing of the
completion couldn’t be better. They had their plans and
financing already in place before the recession hit so they were
able to do their construction and get the place built while
tourism was down. Now they’ll open just as tourism on Hawaii is
on the upswing. Think what they’d been up against if they were
trying to open last year when things were really bad and getting
worse by the week.
To celebrate the opening,
the St. Regis is offering packaged specials which include free
rounds of golf and other outdoor adventures, or free package
deals at their spa and restaurant. But they are clearly
marketing to the higher end guest with room rates starting at
$465 dollars a night and going up to nearly $6,000 per night.
It remains to be seen if those rates will hold up. They’re
obviously going to be marketing to the rich and famous.
Those not willing to shell
out the big bucks for a vacation at the St. Regis have other
options. There are several other vacation rentals available on
Kauai.
After waiting for over a
year and putting up with the construction, owners of neighboring
condos and rental homes are excited that the
hotel is finally going to open. They’re expecting the St. Regis
to help promote the island of Kauai and boost tourism on the
island. They also expect that after seeing the rates that the
hotel is planning to charge, many guests will like what they can
get next door at
Hanalei Bay Resort and other condos in Princeville available
for a lot less money.
One condo owner at
Puu Poa said he is excited to see the construction finally
finished so that guests can stay in his condo and walk next door
to the hotel to eat. “We’re planning to be there for the Grand
Opening and we wish them well, but we won’t be spending the
night.”
Article and Photo:
Doug Porter
Kauai Vacation Rentals
