June 16, 2024
SilverWest has announced it is developing a 210-room hotel in Lihue to be affiliated with the Hilton’s Curio Collection brand. The hotel, designed by Hart Howerton and Architects Hawaii, will include a three-meal restaurant, a pool, 2,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and 25,000 square feet of outdoor event venues, a fitness center and the pro shop for the 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Ocean Course at Hokuala, according to a press release by SilverWest Hotels.
Though the exact location of the new resort is not clear in reports, the development appears to be on the property of the former Westin Kauai (Google Maps) which now sits derelict and abandoned (except for a golf pro shop) above The Royal Sonesta Kauai at Kalapaki Beach. An artist rendering (below) appears to show the Westin Kauai’s main building renovated as part of the new development. Though the main building is largely in a state of disrepair, the front of the building facing the lagoon currently hosts the pro shop for the Hokuala golf course.
While the redevelopment of the property would be good news for the eyesore that it is now, the new hotel will surely raise new questions about new developments on Kauai considering the island’s critical labor shortage. The labor shortage is fueled in some part by the island’s rising costs that are forcing Native Hawaiians off the island to cheaper areas on the Mainland. The labor shortage is felt across Kauai, from the long lines for car rentals at the airport to restaurants across the island forced to curtail hours, and even days, due to lack of workers. Many on the island will say affordable housing needs to be built before new developments that will require hundreds of additional workers.
Current conditions at the former Westin Kauai.
Opened in 1987 and put out of business by Hurricane Iniki in 1992, The Westin Kauai enjoyed a short but sweet life. The resort featured horse-drawn carriages and extensive waterways (lagoons) replete with mahogany boats. Some of the current property has been redeveloped as the Timbers Resort, but the main building still stands. The property’s abandoned and overgrown tennis courts are an especially surreal site.
