It was into this ethos of reaching for the stars, and with an unbridled spirit of enthusiasm, that local developer Charles Pietsch—whose family had deep roots in Hawai‘i, having built much of the Wai‘alaeKahala community—and his friend the hotelier Conrad Hilton began plans for a grand hotel. It was to be just far enough from Waikïkï to establish an air of exclusivity and privacy, yet close enough that their future guests could venture there for shopping and entertainment if they so chose. The hotel they conceived and built—then called The Kahala Hilton—opened in 1964. Within a few short years the resort became a retreat for Hollywood stars. As early as 1966, NBC booked The Kahala for its annual meeting of affiliates and brought with them a host of luminaries, including Andy Williams. In 1966, President Lyndon Baines Johnson stayed at The Kahala while in Honolulu for a conference on the Vietnam War, and soon thereafter many other heads of state also made the new hotel their stopover of choice in Hawai‘i. The rest, as they say, is history. The Kahala has thrived for five decades now, and this book celebrates those 50 years with articles documenting the resort’s rich history, distinctive architecture, musical traditions and award-winning cuisine. There is so much to tell. Guests over the years have included royalty, rock bands, heads of state and Oscar winners. Television shows—notably the bar scenes from Magnum P.I. with Tom Selleck—were shot on property. And though the celebrities and dignitaries add to the resort’s lore, its long-standing success lies more in the fact that guests truly do fall in love with the property and the memorable experiences they have here. Generations of families from around the world make The Kahala their annual getaway; songs and poems of tribute have been written honoring the hotel; and the resort is proud to be where Honolulu residents celebrate important anniversaries, birthdays and graduations. It is a property conceived and built at the dawn of the Space Age, its modernist architecture reflecting the reach-for-the-sky optimism of the era. For guests, for Hawai‘i, the optimistic spirit of The Kahala remains as true today as it did on the day it opened, January 22, 1964. It is an allure that will continue to attract discerning travelers for generations to come. 17
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