When Kawailoa Development and the Grand Hyatt Kauai began a journey to update its luxury resort offering, they sought an architectural and interior design partner that respected, embodied, and deeply understood the importance of maintaining the character of the hotel’s experience. Simultaneously, they required a trusted confidant and experts in implementing a continuous roll-out renovation program, helping them answer the question, “How can we fully update and elevate our offering over time without affecting those who seek to experience it in the interim?”

Since its onset, MG2 has been the go-to for every phase of guestroom renovation on the property. The team, consisting of several designers who worked on the original hotel and lived on Hawaii themselves, came armed with a personal understanding of the island experience. With each additional project, they continue to gain deeper insight into the resort’s brand and the area’s history, building on that established foundation of knowledge and expertise without adding time or cost to the program’s strict budget.

MG2 has designed and delivered numerous updates to the Grand Hyatt Kauai’s offering through a strategic, incremental approach while allowing the resort to maintain 80% occupancy throughout each project’s lifecycle.

The newly minted guest rooms and suites—completely redesigned from the ground up—were crafted to maintain the resort’s rich history while modernizing color palettes, refreshing interiors, elevating competition with neighboring properties. In addition, space layouts are optimized to better facilitate guests. By implementing a transitional and modern approach that utilizes lock-off and connectors, the resort can now rent out half or quarter suites to maximize occupancy.

“The freshness of the design wows our guests. Thoughtful Hawaiian elements throughout fortify the beauty of the host culture, and have been a key selling point. Demand has been at an all-time high for family and multi-generational travel. As a result, the suites have been consistently occupied, attributing to overall average rate growth.”

Katy Britzmann, Director of Sales & Marketing, Grand Hyatt Kauai

With a classic Hawaiiana aesthetic woven throughout each room and suite, designers leveraged a neutral interior palette that invites in and focalizes the stunning views and organic elements beyond to persist as the main event. Freshly painted white walls offered a blank canvas to enhance with subtle pops of color that furthered the goal of “bringing Hawaii inside.”

Furniture is low and contemporary so as not to hinder ocean views and complement natural elements that add both pattern and texture. Hyperlocal materials and flora—from monkeypod wood and coconut husk to orchids and ginger plants—were used to accent and enhance the biophilic feeling inside each room.

The Grand Hyatt Kauai’s handcrafted decor and personalized touches include locally commissioned monstera leaf-shaped coffee tables and traditional outrigger paddles, adding to the resort’s commitment to immersing guests in the local heritage and rich tradition.

With each hotel renovation project—including the upcoming Ocean Suites—MG2’s understanding of the Grand Hyatt Kauai becomes more profound and refined. As a result, our partnership continues to exceed expectations for all involved. In addition to offering a newly elevated guest experience, the resort has almost doubled its revenue per available room from the dynamic renovation of its suites, which have become more marketable and profitable than ever.