Celebrate with the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel! For those who have a special place in their hearts for this iconic hotel, I wanted to share this latest press release…. Pack your bags and get ready to celebrate!
From the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel press release.
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, the first resort built on the raw and stunning Kohala Coast in 1965, will mark its 50th anniversary in July 2015. Paying tribute to the hotel’s legendary Rockefeller pedigree and timeless charm, the yearlong celebration is appropriately themed, “What was, is.”
Starting in August 2014, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel is introducing a special logo to be featured in commemorative items and all marketing collateral. The logo features the iconic orange-colored blossom, a symbolic representation of the architects’ first vivid sights of the hotel site—plumeria scattered along the sands of Kaunaoa Bay and spectacular orange sunsets. Known for highlighting its stunning natural surroundings, the hotel has always perpetuated a distinct sense of place, both in design and service.
“Mauna Kea Beach Hotel continues to be a landmark of luxury that, over the past 50 years, has created treasured memories for generations of guests,” said Donn Takahashi, president of Prince Resorts Hawaii. “We’re excited to celebrate the hotel’s rich heritage with our valued employees, guests and the community, and look forward to unveiling an exciting line-up of exclusive promotions and events.”
Anniversary festivities tee off in December 2014 with the 41st annual Mauna Kea Pro-Am and will continue throughout 2015 with a generous “50 Acts of Aloha” giving campaign, special promotions—including a $50,000 Golden Anniversary package—themed displays, unique dining experiences, and more. A highlight of the yearlong celebration will include a grand celebration scheduled for July 24, 2015, 50 years to the day of the hotel’s opening.
Such a hallmark milestone provides an opportunity to reflect upon the storied opening of The Mauna Kea, a hotel regarded as ahead of its time in its modernist eco-conscious design.
From his first swim in Kaunaoa Bay with the towering summit of Mauna Kea looming in the distance, venture capitalist Laurance S. Rockefeller sought to build a great hotel that reflected the spirit of the Kohala Coast. With thoughtful sensitivity for the dramatic natural surroundings, Rockefeller hired the best people for the job including architects Skidmore Owings Merrill and Robert Trent Jones, Sr., the golf course architect who pioneered a technique of creating a soil base from lava rock that became a staple of Hawaii Island golf courses. Golf’s Big Three, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, christened the Mauna Kea Golf Course in a legendary match in December 1964, which was then televised nationwide on March 6, 1965.
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel opened a few months later on July 24, 1965 with 154 guest rooms. The most expensive hotel built at the time, Esquire magazine immediately named it one of the “Three greatest hotels in the world.” The Mauna Kea was also the first resort on the Kohala Coast and is credited for paving the way for tourism on Hawaii Island.
Today, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel offers 252 newly refreshed guest rooms and suites. In addition to the 18-hole championship golf course, the hotel also boasts an 11-court seaside tennis club, 2,500 square foot fitness center, boutique shops and a business center. Exciting dining options showcase Executive Chef Hans Lentz’s emphasis on farm to table with a Hawaii twist and international flair, while Hawaiian culture experiences and warm gracious service inspire the resort’s timeless tradition of aloha.
Mimi Towle has been the editor of Marin Magazine for over a decade. She lived with her family in Sycamore Park and Strawberry and thoroughly enjoyed raising two daughters in the mayhem of Marin’s youth sports; soccer, swim, volleyball, ballet, hip hop, gymnastics and many many hours spent at Miwok Stables. Her community involvements include volunteering at her daughter’s schools, coaching soccer and volleyball (glorified snack mom), being on the board of both Richardson Bay Audubon Center. Currently residing on a floating home in Sausalito, she enjoys all water activity, including learning how to steer a 6-person canoe for the Tamalpais Outrigger Canoe Club. Born and raised in Hawaii, her fondness for the islands has on occasion made its way into the pages of the magazine.