Developed by English businessman Walter C. Peacock and his Moana Hotel Company, Ltd. at a cost of $150,000, the Moana Hotel pioneered the onset of visitors to Waikiki and the island of Oahu. An ode to Victorian elegance, the modern luxuries of the Moana boasted the Territory of Hawaii’s first electric-powered elevator; guestrooms had their own telephones and private baths – true innovations at the turn-of-the-century. Two wings were added in 1918 to create the famous “H” shape recognized today. The Surfrider Hotel was built in 1952 and the Surfrider Tower in 1969.
Under new owners Kyo-ya Company, Limited, a renovation in the 1980s was overseen by architects Virginia D. Murison and Chapman Desai Sakata. This $50 million restoration redesigned the property into one beachfront resort with three wings and a common lobby, prompting the hotels’ owners to rename the combined property as the Sheraton Moana Surfrider which re-opened March 1989. The restoration of the “First Lady” included upgrading and integration of the Ocean Lanai and the Surfrider tower into the overall architecture format and was recognized with numerous worldwide awards such as the President’s Award for Historic Preservation and accepted by Murison at the Whitehouse on behalf of the Moana Surfrider in 1992.
Nearly 20 years later, the Moana was re-branded as the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort, and became the first Westin property on the island of Oahu in 2007. In October 2008, the hotel announced its current title as the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa as the 17,000 square-foot Moana Lani Spa, debuted as Oahu’s first beachfront spa and the island’s only Heavenly Spa by Westin. In 2014, the Moana completed its nearly $20 million-dollar rejuvenation project adding a new Penthouse Floor in the Tower Wing, suites, and newly renovation Diamond Wing guest rooms.