The Royal Hawaiian

Affectionately known as The Pink Palace of The Pacific, The Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection Resort, has a very special place in my heart. It is where I first experienced a staycation, a suite, and fell in love with hotels.

My cousin, Ren Hirose, began his hospitality and tourism industry job at the front desk of this hotel before rising to GM of various hotels throughout the United States. Even from back then, his generous heart treated my family (and even my friends) to a few stays when we were kids at this royal hotel. It was my first experience of a room so grande, a suite with shining chandeliers from high ceilings and birthday parties only imaginable in movies. I vaguely remember the details, but I remember being able to do multiple cartwheels in a row in the big space on the white open carpet and being able to run into the next bedroom and jump on a king bed so high and so large I wasn’t sure what to do after I jumped on it.

It’s a very sweet memory of the past and since then, I’ve walked the lobby halls, visited the ballrooms, and prayed while sitting in their rocking chairs that one day I’d be able to stay here again.

Not knowing how much time we have here on Earth, I said oh heck and booked myself one night in the middle of the holiday madness. Normally I wouldn’t do something like that. I would work like a crazy person, but to prevent myself from slipping into crazy again, I forced myself to pay for a room and experience this old memory once again.

I booked it with my friend, Marissa, of Travel Happier because she’s so easy to work with and I didn’t want to stress about researching. My requirements were three simple things. 1) Room must be in the historic wing. 2) Room needs to have a desk and chair for me to write on. 3) I would like the most affordable room available and in my budget under $300.

She happily booked for me my “no view” room for $249. Even if it had “no view,” I was ecstatic to have “no view” because the view of the room and the memory held in the walls of this hotel is what I would see in my heart.

And when I arrived, I pushed the same gold elevator buttons up (mind you there are only 5 floors), and I instantly remembered the elevator and the mail shoot. Memories came flooding back. As I ran my hand over the wooden carved doors in the historic wing, I knew walking in it would be different, but it would grande.

And it was! Ceilings so high I could jump on the bed again if I wanted and I would never be able to reach it. Long drapes covering windows with great natural light flooding in as the rest of the room was dark with just a few lamps on and no bright lights overhead. Dark rich wood furniture and a classic couch.

A new iconic pink wallpaper backdrop made a royal statement behind the bed frames of the beds and a few other new pieces I don’t remember. But it also had the same old-school style closet doors and handles that you creaked opened and turned on a light switch for a dimly lit closet to hang your clothes on and put on their pink and white robe. Ah yes, now I remember the robes and slippers…meeting them when I was a kid wondering why hotels have robes and slippers.

And then I saw the view. I HAD a view. And not just a view, but a perfect view of the ocean just center above the main hotel grounds. The Hotel Manager, Nicole, who I had become a chocolate friend with, who also knew my cousin, upgraded me to one of the best views in the hotel. A deluxe ocean view room valued at over $300 more than what I paid for. #togodbetheglory

And on this particular day, it was overcast. Non-stop rain, a storm approaching, but a cool and dimly lit hotel room with only the sound of the running air conditioner heard as the windows are tight shut and raindrops fall against the glass and on the roof just outside. The beach is completely empty. Not a single person. It’s a strange and almost lonely sight. But it’s a view! A view that God definitely gave to remind me that even when we feel alone, He is always with us. The words for this flow as I write this sitting on this new pink flowered chair and staring out at the rain and the empty Waikiki beach.

I am reminded that God can do anything. Just one day ago, I reread an old devotional journal dated 2014 where I came across a note that I prayed and wrote “Royal Hawaiian.” I think I wanted our chocolates to get into this hotel when I wrote that. And they did. Briefly as an in-room amenity. It was a short-lived opportunity, but now, I was staying in the hotel as briefly as the chocolates did. It reminded me that life is short, seasons change, but God is always good and how He knows the desires of our heart.

Funny how this room is so beautiful, old, timeless and rich with history built in 1927. More than anything, there’s something special about being in a building with generations of memories made here. Seeing the old photos and memorabilia throughout the hallways and the black and white photos of the girls in flapper dresses dancing in the ballrooms and pulling up in the round about valet in their classic cars, makes me smile. Makes me feel like a part of history.

This is where I fell in love with hotels. This is where I experienced the suite life for the first time. And this is where I continue to hold onto those treasured family memories made AND plan how to continue them for the generations to come. I want them to receive the same generosity I myself received.

Thank you to the Pink Palace of the Pacific and all of the people who made this moment possible.

*From this pink chair, I remember my history, my family, and honor the past as well as give glory to God for the future yet to come.