Sheraton Waikiki Resort
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SHERATON WAIKIKI RESORT OPENS NEW RESORT ACTIVITY AREA CALLED "HELUMOA PLAYGROUND"May 18, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Scott Kawasaki Director of Public Relations Starwood Hotels & Resorts Waikiki Phone: 808-931-8909 scott.kawasaki@starwoodhotels.com WAIKIKI BEACH, HONOLULU, HAWAII - A new, first-of-its-kind "superpool" is now open on Waikiki Beach, as the Sheraton Waikiki Resort announces the opening of an expansive resort activity area called the Helumoa Playground. As one development in a series of property enhancements from a $200 million master plan, the 12,500 square-foot area sits between the Sheraton and the The Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection Resort. At a price tag of $8 million, the Playground was designed from the ground up by famed local architects Rob Iopa and Wayne Goo of WCIT Architecture. Breaking ground on June 14 and constructed on what was once a grassy, outdoor function area between the Sheraton and The Royal, the Playground, which will be run by the Sheraton, will offer a family-friendly area for guests of both properties. This newest addition to the Sheraton will at long last bring to Waikiki a new dimension that Starwood Hotels & Resorts' neighbor island properties have long enjoyed - a resort "superpool". The Playground features two fresh water swimming pools, a 15-foot high by 70-foot long water slide, a staging area for outdoor functions, two large whirlpools with sweeping views of Waikiki Beach, an interactive fountain area for kids, fun and creative food and beverage, 10 cabanas, chaise water sunning benches, and a pool hut where guests may borrow towels and purchase pool goods including sun products, inflatable floatation devices and toys. The Playground also offers the perfect spot for family activities such as lei making, water slide races, hula lessons, story telling and star-gazing. The two pools took 48-hours to fill with 165,483 gallons of fresh water, which will be treated by a state-of-the-art salt chlorination treatment system - a process that is gentler on the environment than traditional powder or liquid based chlorine pool systems. As a result, the treated water, which has been described as "soft and silky" will allow for a more comfortable swimming experience while minimizing potential drying and irritation to the skin. Giving the Playground its tranquil, Hawaiian sense of place is its verdant landscaping, created by Mike Motoda of Walters, Kimura, Motoda, Inc. The striking native Hawaiian plant palette will feature plumeria trees, dwarf lauae ferns, sea grape shrubs, Queen Emma spider lilies, coconut palms, shell ginger plants, native white hibiscus, and many other plants indigenous to the islands. Each day, from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., pool-goers have two delicious options for snacks and refreshments. Light, healthy fare will be available at RumFire's Diamond Head terrace area serving soups, salads and sandwiches - all created with a farm-to-table concept that the Sheraton has recently incorporated into its food and beverage outlets. In addition, pool-goers may opt to order from their lounge chair to enjoy hearty "local-style" plate lunches and refreshing shave ice cocktails to cool off from the warm Hawaiian sun. Sheraton's event and meeting attendees will enjoy the Playground's new outdoor function area where they may stage events, parties, luaus, incentive gatherings and private functions. Here, group attendees will have a chance to sample Sheraton Waikiki's new banquet cuisine that now follows a "farm to table" concept of serving only the freshest local ingredients found in Hawaii to produce a product that offers quality, sophistication and sustainability. The Playground sits on a historically-rich area called Helumoa, which was so named when a giant rooster named Ka'auhelemoa was said to have scratched the ground at the feet of King Kakuhiewa in the 16th century. Kakuhiewa, taking this to be a sign from the gods, planted 10,000 coconut trees in honor of this occurrence, and many of these trees' descendants still survive to this day in modern day Waikiki. Sheraton Waikiki General Manager Kelly Sanders said the hotel's new resort area is the only one of its kind for a Waikiki resort. "By transforming what was simply a grassy area into a "superpool" similar to those like our neighbor island properties, Sheraton Waikiki will offer a family-friendly resort environment unsurpassed by other Waikiki hotels," said Sanders. "Helumoa Playground is an important piece of our master plan to take the product and service in each area of our operations to a new level, reaffirming Sheraton Waikiki's position as the hub of activity, vibrancy and entertainment in Waikiki." The addition of the Helumoa Playground, which is open daily for guests from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., is part of Sheraton Waikiki's nearly $200 million hotel-wide upgrade plan to completely modernize its facilities and reaffirm the resort's place as the International Conference Center of the Pacific. Concepts for the resort's renewal plans will follow three key words: sophisticated, approachable and contemporary. These planned enhancements will bring a new level of comfort and sophistication to the world's most famous sand and surf destination - Waikiki Beach. Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts, LP owns the two Sheraton Hotels in Waikiki, The Royal Hawaiian and the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort as well as the Sheraton Maui in Kaanapali, Maui. Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts, LP is one of Hawaii's largest employers, with nearly 3,000 hotel associates in its workforce. The hotels are a part of the 12-hotel group of Starwood-managed properties in Hawaii. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 900 properties in more than 100 countries and 155,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, Westin®, Le Miridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched AloftSM, and Element SM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com. (Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities regulations. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and involve risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. These risks and uncertainties are presented in detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained or that results and events will not materially differ. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.) # # # |
