The JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina in Hawaii will be converted to a hotel-condominium project with retail and other commercial uses and a portion of the current hotel and the entire banquet pavilion will be demolished to make way for new residential towers, according to an assessment done by Honolulu-based Group 70 International.
Jeff Stone, master developer of the Ko Olina Resort in West Oahu, hired Group 70 to assess the Ihilani as part of due diligence for potential redevelopment. The hotel is set to close early next year to undergo an extensive renovation and then reopen under the Four Seasons brand.
The assessment of the hotel, which was built two decades ago and will lose the Marriott flag after its management agreement ends on Dec. 31, included the main hotel facility, parking and spa building and banquet pavilion.
Stone previously said that The Resort Group is repurchasing the Ihilani from Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors following the expiration of the JW Marriott contract.
Group 70 noted that the maximum additional square footage allowed by zoning for the new development is about 300,000 square feet, and that the building will need to comply with setback and height requirements as well as provide additional parking and loading docks.
Currently, development plans call for the new towers to connect with the existing hotel.
PBN first reported that Four Seasons, which currently manages four luxury hotels and resorts in Hawaii on three Neighbor Islands, may be expanding to the Ko Olina Resort. PBN also first reported about the Ihilani’s closure and redevelopment.
Currently, Ko Olina Resort is home to three hotel and time-share resorts — the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa, Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club and Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa. There are also several vacant parcels of land along the resort’s four oceanfront lagoons.