Honolulu · Oʻahu: Waikīkī
The Royal Hawaiian
Matson Navigation Co.'s 'Pink Palace of the Pacific', opened in 1927; book a Historic room in the Historic Wing, not the 1969 Mailani Tower.
- Built
- 1927Built 1925-27 (opened February 1, 1927) as a six-story, 400-room hotel for Matson Navigation Co.; the 1969 Royal Beach Tower, now the Mailani Tower, is a separate building.
- Style
- Spanish-Moorish (Mission-style cupolas, pink stucco)
- Architect
- Warren & Wetmore
- Type
- Grand hotel
- Area
- Oʻahu: Waikīkī
- Credentials
- Historic Hotels of America member
The story
Matson Navigation Co., with Castle & Cooke, spent $4 million building the ‘Pink Palace of the Pacific’ in 18 months as a luxury resort for its steamship passengers; it opened with a black-tie gala on February 1, 1927. Warren & Wetmore designed the six-story, 400-room building in a Spanish-Moorish style. After December 7, 1941, the Navy leased the hotel as a rest and recreation center; it was restored and reopened in 1947. Matson sold the Royal, the Moana and its other Waikīkī hotels to Sheraton in 1959, and the Royal Beach Tower (now the Mailani Tower) was added in 1969. The hotel marks its centennial on February 1, 2027.
Good to know
- Address: 2259 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815
Things to do
Tours nearby
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Sources (3)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.