The Royal Hawaiian Hotel is a beachfront luxury hotel located in Waikiki in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. One of the first hotels established in Waikiki, the Royal Hawaiian is considered one of the most luxurious and famous hotels in Hawaiian tourism, and in its 90-year history has been host to numerous celebrities and world dignitaries. The bright pink hue of its concrete stucco façade with its Spanish/Moorish styled architecture and prominent location on the wide sandy beach have earned it the alliterative nickname of “The Pink Palace of the Pacific”. The Royal Hawaiian Hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
As soon as The Royal Hawaiian opened, a non-stop flood of tourists from the mainland United States poured through its doors. It served as the Pacific home to the world’s most influential statesmen and early Hollywood stars. Its first official registered guest was Princess Abigail Kawananakoa. Duke Kahanamoku, the legendary Olympic swimmer and popularizer of the sport of surfing, frequented the Royal Hawaiian Hotel restaurants and private beachfront. The hotel became a stomping ground for Kahanamoku’s group, dubbed the “Waikiki Beach Boys”.
Prior to the 2008-2009 renovation, a framed replica of a Guest Registration Card bearing the signature of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt was displayed in the hotel. The card was dated during the “Great Depression“. FDR also stayed at the hotel during World War II for military conferences, tours of nearby Pearl Harbor naval base, and to meet with his Supreme Allied Commander in the Pacific Theater, General Douglas MacArthur in July 1944. During that time the hotel was in service as a military R&R center.
[caption id="attachment_25484" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Jean-Baptiste Colbert by Robert Nateuil[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Jean-Baptiste Colbert was a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665...
