Hawaii

Hawaiian trust sells land under famed Waikiki hotel

Published

5 months ago

November 16, 2025

Hawaiian trust sells land under famed Waikiki hotel

It was one of the last remaining pieces of beachfront land in Waikiki that was still owned by a Hawaiian trust. Now, though, the land under the iconic Royal Hawaiian Hotel, also known as the “Pink Palace of the Pacific,” has been sold.

Landowner Kamehameha Schools announced earlier this month that it had sold the 10.3-acre parcel for $510 million to Daisho Co. Ltd., a Japan-based real estate company. It’s the second major property sale the trust has sold this year. In September, it sold nearly 500 acres under the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on Hawaii Island to billionaire Michael Dell for an estimated $400 million.

Daisho’s portfolio holds $1.5 billion in assets with properties located in Singapore, Japan and Australia. The company “acquires and develops select properties for long-term retention,” according to its website. The Royal Hawaiian Hotel will continue to be operated under its long-term land lease, according to Kamehameha Schools’ announcement, by Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts, which has a long history in Waikiki; the company also owns the Moana Surfrider and the Sheraton Waikiki.

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Kamehameha Schools is a private trust founded by the will of Hawaiian Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop in 1884 to improve the education of Native Hawaiians. It is the largest private landowner in the state, with around 364,000 acres in its portfolio, and its endowment has an estimated $4.7 billion in Hawaii real estate, according to a 2024 annual report.

“We are always emotional when we sell land because all aina [land] is special. We only sell after much deep and agonizing consideration,” Crystal Rose, chair of the Board of Trustees of Kamehameha Schools, said in a Nov. 7 news release. “Our kuleana [responsibility] is to steward a dynamic portfolio that best serves our trust. At the same time, we know that our lands carry historical significance, especially this one, which our founder and generations of alii [royals] before her had nurtured.”

The Royal Hawaiian Hotel opened in 1927. At the time, Kamehameha Schools wanted a hotel built on the property, and Matson Navigation Co. invested $4 million in building the luxurious resort for its Matson passengers, the hotel explains on its website. Its Moorish style of architecture with a pink stucco finish became an iconic symbol for tourism in Waikiki.

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The land under the iconic Royal Hawaiian Hotelon the island of Oahu, Hawaii, is now owned by a Japan-based real estate company.
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Andrew Woodley/Universal Images Group via Getty Images/Education Images/Universal Image

Kamehameha Schools still owns land under the neighboring Royal Hawaiian Center, including Helumoa, the historically and culturally significant royal coconut grove. It’s the last piece of land the trust owns in Waikiki, and in the Nov. 7 announcement, the trust explicitly said that it is not considering selling the Helumoa land at this time.

The nonprofit Queen Emma Land Co. is the last of the Native Hawaiian-serving organizations to own beachfront property in Waikiki, according to public records. It is the fee owner of the land under the Outrigger Waikiki.

Why Kamehameha Schools decided to sell the land under the Royal Hawaiian Hotel is still unknown, but its CEO Jack Wong said in a statement included in the Nov. 7 announcement that “it is best to sell the fee simple at this time.” SFGATE reached out to Kamehameha Schools for further comment but was told it’s not making additional statements at this time.

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Generally, the trust generates income from land leases to put toward its mission of educating Native Hawaiians. “Today, competition is global and intense,” Wong said in a statement in October about the launch of the trust’s 2030 strategic plan.

“To endure, we must excel at financial management. Yet financial strength alone is not enough,” he continued. “True success comes when stewardship and strategy work together, when we malama aina [care for the land] to educate keiki [children], care for ecosystems, create homes and jobs, grow food, restore culture and strengthen identity.”

Aside from selling land, in recent years Kamehameha Schools has purchased approximately 11,000 acres, including a 656-acre ranch on Hawaii Island and a 3,885-acre parcel above Lahaina on Maui.

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Editor’s note: SFGATE recognizes the importance of diacritical marks in the Hawaiian language. We are unable to use them due to the limitations of our publishing platform.

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Hawaii

Meet Miss Aloha Hula 2026: Faith Kealohapauole Paredes

Published

8 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Meet Miss Aloha Hula 2026: Faith Kealohapauole Paredes

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Faith Kealohapau‘ole Paredes of Hālau Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi (Nā Kumu Haunani & ‘Iliahi Paredes) was crowned Miss Aloha Hula Thursday night at the Merrie Monarch Festival, topping a field of 13 competitors in the festival’s first night of competition.

The contest features performances in hula kahiko, hula ʻauana and oli, showcasing both technical precision and artistic interpretation.

Judges scored competitors on a range of elements, including kaʻi; interpretation and expression; posture and precision; hand gestures; foot and body movement; hoʻi; authenticity of costume and adornments; grooming; and overall performance.

The 21-year-old from Maui received 1,161 points.

“It’s surreal,” she said. “I’m just so honored and blessed to be able to show and share my lineage and share the hula from my hello with all of Hawaii and all of the world.”

Paredes also won the Hawaiian Language Award.

“Hula will forever live,” she said. “It is through us speaking out in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. It is through us (to) not be ashamed of who we are and to hula on. Dance with your heart out.”

Paredes is a Kamehameha Schools graduate and attends Dartmouth College. She won the title of Miss Keiki Hula in 2015.

The rest of the finalists were as follows:

1st runner up: Keoe Momilani Michiko Hoe (1,156)

2nd runner up: Lahela Hoʻokela Medina Maio (1,134 points)

3rd runner up: Leimana Kaleinamanu Purdy (1,115 points)

4th runner up: Jelacia Naomi Waiauokalaniākea Peralta (1,098 points)

The festival continues Friday night with group hula kahiko.

View our Merrie Monarch Festival online hub here.

Samantha Makanani Aguon Newman

Nā Kumu Hula Karl Veto Baker & Michael Lanakila Casupang

Haily Kamakahukilani Nawahine Nascimento

Nā Kumu Hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunu‘u “Sonny” Ching & Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera

Kēhaulani Kaleikaumakamaeʻiʻomakamae Rubonal

Kumu Hula Keolalaulani Dalire

Mālie Kapuaonaonaikamauʻuuaolalokoikealohaokalaniākea Moe

Kumu Hula Kapua Dalire-Moe

Lilia Kaleialohaokealohalani Ka’ōnohi’ula Keohokapuakeakua Iokepa-Guerrero

Kumu Hula Niuliʻi Heine

Jovian Kauanoeokalaulani Range-Semisi

Nā Kumu Hula Kunewa Mook & Kau‘ionālani Kamana‘o

Keoe Momilani Michiko Hoe

Kumu Hula Robert Ke‘ano Ka‘upu IV

Lahela Hoʻokela Medina Maio

Nā Kumu Hula Tracie & Keawe Lopes

Faith Lynn Kealohapauʻole Paredes

Nā Kumu Hula Haunani & ‘Iliahi Paredes

Jelacia Naomi Waiauokalaniākea Peralta

Kumu Breeze Ann Kalehuaonālani Vidinha Pavao

Hiʻileilanikauakapukapuokeānuenue Puchalski

Kumu Hula Keli‘iho‘omalu Puchalski

Leimana Kaleinamanu Purdy

Kumu Hula Nāpua Silva

Līlianani Maya Rae Pi

Kumu Hula Kenneth Dean Alohapumehanaokalā Victor

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Hawaii

Hawaii lawmakers push for continued tax relief for most families

Published

20 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Hawaii lawmakers push for continued tax relief for most families

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Hawaii State Legislature is entering the final weeks of the 2025 session with at least one point of agreement: income taxes will continue to decline for most families.

Both the House and Senate rejected the governor’s plan to cancel some tax relief, despite earlier uncertainty about the state’s financial situation.

“So what the Senate’s position is, is we want to make sure that the promises that were made are kept, especially with those families that make $350,000 a year or less,” said Senate Ways and Means chair Donovan Dela Cruz.

House Finance chair Rep. Chris Todd agreed the priority is ensuring ongoing tax relief.

Energy tax credits targeted to offset revenue loss

Continuing to reduce taxes means nearly $2 billion has to come from somewhere else. The Senate Ways and Means Committee voted to eliminate state energy tax credits for things like solar power and electric cars in 2029.

The credits could be saved if the economy improves.

“So this becomes a shared approach. Government cuts, business tax credits, get sunset, and then we’re still charging some of the higher end income brackets,” Dela Cruz said. “Their tax breaks are going to get repealed.”

House proposes tax increase on high earners

The House moved along a redesigned tax package that makes tax credits for spending on child care and food more generous and raises income taxes on families with incomes over $350,000.

“It would provide some ongoing tax relief to low to middle income families, but in return, we would request a 1% tax increase on very high income families,” Todd said.

The financial picture is clearer now, even with flood disaster costs, because of the federal disaster declaration.

“Now the state’s eligible to get reimbursed for a lot of these funds. We’re not sure what it’s going to look like, but that’s going to be positive for us,” Dela Cruz said.

Todd said the state is sitting on a solid reserve, a luxury not many states have right now.

All the proposals from the House and the Senate are now going into conference committee, where the final details will be worked out over the next month.

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