HONOLULU – March 11, 2025 – Waikiki’s first hotel, the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort and Spa, has commenced a stunning renewal and transformation, honoring its illustrious legacy as the First Lady of Waikiki. Inspired by the timeless romance of travel, the renovation will be completed in phases through 2025 and 2026, in celebration of the Moana’s 125th anniversary. The resort’s 791 guest rooms and suites will be renovated across three distinct wings, its elegant historic lobby will be refreshed, and a new oceanfront event space will debut.
“As Hawaii’s most iconic hotel, the Moana Surfrider’s renovation is a tribute to its celebrated past and bright future,” said Thomas Foti, Biplex General Manager, Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort and Spa, and Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. “As we embark on this transformation, our goal is to preserve the resort’s historic legacy, while enhancing the guest experience with modern comforts and thoughtful design. We look forward to unveiling an exquisite refresh that continues to inspire and welcome guests from around the world for generations to come.”
Guest Rooms & Suites Enhancements:
The Moana Surfrider’s guest room renovations will be revealed in phases from summer 2025 through spring 2026, and encompass all three wings of the hotel. Each wing’s design provides unique guest experiences and is intended to tell a story about the restorative properties of the resort’s natural environment and the significance of its location throughout history.
- Debuting in late summer 2025, the Tower Wing will offer guests an environment of modern beach luxury. Home to the resort’s most highly coveted and spacious accommodations with many ocean, beachfront, and Leahi (Diamond Head State Monument) views, the Tower Wing’s new guest rooms will provide an inviting residential experience with a custom seating and dining nook, an integrated refreshment center, a bespoke reading area alongside floor-to-ceiling lanai doors, and new balcony furnishings for indoor-outdoor living.
- Guest rooms in the Banyan Wing, the Moana Surfrider’s original wing built in 1901, will provide a redefined expression of The First Lady’s classic elegance and tradition, inspired by various limu (seaweed), which once grew with abundance along the shore and was used in different ways, including sustenance, nourishment and healing. Carefully selected furniture and artwork balance the Moana’s iconic architecture with modern, yet transitional touchpoints designed to create an ambiance of spacious living. A thoughtfully designed work area, fresh flooring, custom entertainment and refreshment center, and artwork evoking the graceful lines of limu, will complete the space. The Banyan Wing will be unveiled in early winter 2025.
- The Diamond Wing’s fresh, modern design provides a boutique guest experience and is inspired by Waikiki’s world-renowned surf culture, featuring beach loft-inspired interiors with vibrant colors, Hawaii-inspired details and whimsical artwork. Transformed oceanfront rooms in the Diamond Wing – which encompassed the original Surfrider Hotel until its 1952 incorporation into the Moana – will include the beloved balcony rocking chair duos. The refreshed Diamond Wing will be revealed in winter 2025.
- Corridor Spaces will be refreshed with a custom carpet pattern weaving in motifs highlighting kou lei, the movement of the ocean, and the Banyan Tree’s majestic aerial roots. This new visual tie the distinct wings together into the singular Moana Surfrider experience.
Heritage Space Enhancements:
- The Moana Surfrider’s historic lobby will debut late summer of 2025 with a lighter, more refreshed aesthetic while staying true to the space’s cherished elegance and colonial-style Victorian architecture. The remodeled front desk area will embody the grandeur of the Moana with elegantly detailed check-in pods, added diffused lighting to highlight architectural elements, a new floor-to-ceiling feature wall, and a custom light sculpture inspired by the iconic Banyan tree in the historic courtyard.
- The resort’s new oceanfront event space will open Fall 2025. Located on the ground floor of the Tower Wing, it will join the Moana’s collection of stunning ballrooms and event spaces. The new event space, currently available for booking, will have a capacity of 150 for a seated dinner and 200 for a reception.
Lisa-Maria Priester and Bev Tagami of Honolulu-based WCIT are leading the design, referencing a collective and extensive catalog of historic and cultural resources to inform the creative process and design concepts. From the power of the ocean’s natural healing properties to marine and plant life that provided sustenance, to the respite provided by the shade of kou trees that once grew along the beach, the design provides new stories for guests to experience and perpetuate. The base color palette is inspired by muliwai, the estuary environment created by the mixing of fresh and ocean water, and secondary accent colors in each wing play on their unique design inspirations. In a nod to biophilic design, the use of natural materials and colors, diffused and dappled light and organic shapes and forms, including elements of the resort’s historic Banyan tree will further emphasize the natural connection.
“In developing the design concepts for the Moana Surfrider’s refresh, it was important to our team to stay rooted in its history and legacy,” said Lisa-Maria Priester, principal and director of interior design at WCIT. “Inspired by the healing and restorative properties of Hamohamo and specifically Ulukou, the historic area of Waikiki where the Moana stands, we wove in design elements to promote a rejuvenating guest experience that specifically tie back to the natural elements that have made this area so desirable over the years. This allowed us to honor the hotel’s timeless elegance while creating new storytelling layers for future generations to experience, treasure and perpetuate.”
Thoughtfully curated works from Hawaii artists will imbue a sense of place. The renovation will introduce art from Kristen Reyno (Lola Pilar Hawaii), Christopher Edwards, Kristie Kosmides, Mālie (Holt-Mizuguchi) Barca, Jalene Kanani (NOHO Home), Tamara Brink, and Andrew Mau (Mau House).
All phases of the Moana Surfrider’s renovations are slated for completion ahead of the resort’s 125th anniversary on March 11, 2026, in time for celebrations of the momentous milestone. The resort, which is one of four properties in Marriott International’s Waikiki Collection, will remain open and welcome guests throughout the refresh project.
Opened in 1901 as The Moana, the oceanfront resort marked the dawn of the Hawaii’s Golden Age of Tourism. More than a century later, the Moana Surfrider continues to lead the way in hospitality in the Hawaiian Islands with elegance and grace. For more information about the Moana Surfrider or to book a room, please visit www.moanasurfrider.com.
