“House of the Warrior” renovation enhances clientele’s experience.

Our team renovated and refreshed 11 floors, including 396 standard and handicapped-accessible guest rooms, of a 25-plus-year-old facility with an updated look comparable to hotels nearby. Clientele is active and retired members of the United States Armed Forces and their families. The owner’s vision, that nothing be spared in meeting the needs of the guests, was the driving force behind the design and implementation of the project. Our team worked diligently to meet the owner’s expectations of deliver the project on time and within budget. The team leaders and all who participated on the project implemented, with fidelity, the core values of our company throughout its duration: to positively impact the economic vitality of the surrounding area and to create a point of pride in the community whereby those involved see the finished project and feel inspired to say, “I helped create that.”

The renovation celebrates Hawaiian design and tradition.

As workers, guests, and local residents saw the transformation, many commented on its beauty and were delighted by how the renovation communicated the Hawaiian culture and spirit of Aloha. Adherence to authentic Hawaiian design lifted the spirits of all involved in its implementation, including the Hale Koa clientele.

A traditional Hawaiian blessing was held upon project completion. The blessing, a Native Hawaiian Cultural Practice, calls on the gods and spirits for their assistance to clear the space of bad thoughts and evil spirits and to protect and nurture sustainability, growth and success. The blessing consists of an oli or chant to the higher power and ancestors, a prayer and the untying of the maile lei, a sort of Hawaiian ribbon cutting. The maile is a ceremonial plant that is a symbol of many traditional ideals and represents almost all of the native gods and goddesses, salt and water for cleansing and Ti leaves for protection.

The overall “newness” of the facility has been well received and will help maintain a positive comparison with surrounding properties and provide outstanding facilities for our service men and women.

Minimizing impact to resort operations was critical.

This project required significant planning and coordination with the owner. The renovations occurred while keeping half of the hotel in full operation while sharing a common core and elevator bank area. This was accomplished with the use of physical barricades and signage provided in multiple languages.

Early in the proposal process, Haskell signed a highly qualified local mechanical contractor as a design-assist partner. Leveraging the local firm’s knowledge of the property, the team was able to sequence floor shut-downs based on the vertical stacks of the plumbing and mechanical systems, cutting almost six months from the anticipated schedule.