Hyatt recently announced it’s new brand, the Unbound Collection. During the announcement, it was mentioned that a hotel in Hawaii would be included. This hotel will actually be the redeveloped Coco Palms hotel on Kauai. And recently, the Hyatt Unbound Coco Palms construction project has begun, sort of.
According to local news outlets, the project has been stalled for quite some time now, and only recently secured the funds to begin demolition work. The property owner, Coco Palms Hui, still hopes to re-open the resort in 2018, though with demolition work yet to begin, I think this timeline is rather optimistic. Still, it’ll be nice to see this resort reopened and reimagined for a new generation of travelers and honeymooners.
The only rendering of the reinvented resort I can find is the one above. It looks like they’re trying to retain the original character of the resort, while updating it for current tastes/preferences. If all goes as planned, it should be a nice property and one in which I’d love to stay at someday, though I’ve never stayed at the original.
The original resort was opened in 1953, as tiny 24 room property. It eventually expanded into a large 400 room resort and received much acclaim. It was the premier resort on Kauai for a time. But what really solidified the Coco Palm Resort’s notoriety was it’s appearance in Elvis Presley’s 1961 Blue Hawaii. The resort did play host to many other celebrities and dignitaries, but it was Blue Hawaii that propelled it to the legendary status it continues to hold till this day. However, when Hurricane Iniki hit Kauai head-on in 1992, the resort was severely damaged and abandoned. It has laid empty ever since, and even caught on fire recently. At any rate, I think it’ll be interesting to see the new resort in all it’s glory. Hyatt, for its part, seems to believe in its concept, having assigned it to their new Unbound Collection.