History
Discover Hilton Hawaiian Village® Waikiki Beach Resort, which has been featured in TV shows including Wheel of Fortune and Hawaii Five-0.
Hilton Hawaiian Village® Waikiki Beach Resort was constructed in the years following World War II, in which the United States was defined by the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War. In 1954, Southern California housing developer Fritz Burns, and American industrialist Henry John Kaiser, purchased the Niumalu Hotel, which originally opened in 1928. Burns and Kaiser began construction in 1955 on guest cottages, the Tapa Room, gardens, and three swimming pools for Kaiser's Hawaiian Village. The Ocean Tower (now known as Ali'i Tower) was completed in 1957. In what was among many firsts for the Hawaiian Village, Kaiser erected the first public geodesic dome showroom in Honolulu. The showroom opened on February 17, 1957 during a 2.5-hour gala broadcast by NBC to an estimated 20 million people. Over the next three years, two more towers were added, the Village Tower (now known as Tapa Tower) and the Diamond Head Tower. Kaiser also developed the 5-acre man-made lagoon fronting the Hawaiian Village.
On January 19, 1961, legendary hotelier Conrad Hilton agreed to buy most of Kaiser’s Hawaiian Village for $21.5 million in one of the biggest hotel transactions of the time. The purchase included close to 18 acres of property, plus another three acres of adjacent property. The land was originally fish ponds and the birthplace of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, Hawaii’s Olympic Gold Medalist and its most iconic waterman. Today, the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa consists of 22 acres of oceanfront paradise, continuing its growth and enhancements.
The Hilton Hawaiian Village has been the site of many milestones throughout Hawaii's history and popular culture. The world-renowned Blue Hawaii cocktail was invented at Hilton Hawaiian Village in 1957 by legendary Hilton bartender Harry Yee. In 1968, Hilton Hawaiian Village's famed Rainbow Tower opened with the world's largest ceramic-tile mosaic, spanning 286 feet high by 26 feet wide on each end of the tower. More than 16,000 colorful tiles were used to complete the mosaic that has appeared in countless television shows and movies. Hilton Hawaiian Village has been featured in multiple television shows, including Hawaiian Eye, Wheel of Fortune, Baywatch Hawaii, Magnum P.I., and Hawaii Five-0.
Film, TV, and Media Connections
Hilton Hawaiian Village has been featured in multiple television shows, including: Hawaiian Eye, Wheel of Fortune, Baywatch Hawaii, Magnum P.I., and Hawaii Five-0
Famous Historic Events
In what was among many firsts for the Hawaiian Village, Kaiser erected the first public geodesic dome showroom in Honolulu. The showroom opened on February 17, 1957 during a 2.5-hour gala broadcast by NBC to an estimated 20 million people. In 1968, Hilton Hawaiian Village's famed Rainbow Tower opened with the world's largest ceramic-tile mosaic, spanning 286 feet high by 26 feet wide on each end of the tower. More than 16,000 colorful tiles were used to complete the mosaic that has appeared in countless television shows and movies. The world-renowned Blue Hawaii cocktail was invented at Hilton Hawaiian Village in 1957 by legendary Hilton bartender Harry Yee.
The Architecture
In 1954, Southern California housing developer Fritz Burns, and American industrialist Henry John Kaiser, purchased the Niumalu Hotel, which originally opened in 1928. Burns and Kaiser began construction in 1955 on guest cottages, the Tapa Room, gardens, and three swimming pools for Kaiser's Hawaiian Village. The Ocean Tower (now known as Ali'i Tower) was completed in 1957. In what was among many firsts for the Hawaiian Village, Kaiser erected the first public geodesic dome showroom in Honolulu. The showroom opened on February 17, 1957 during a 2.5-hour gala broadcast by NBC to an estimated 20 million people. Over the next three years, two more towers were added, the Village Tower (now known as Tapa Tower) and the Diamond Head Tower. Kaiser also developed the 5-acre man-made lagoon fronting the Hawaiian Village.