Clean, cosmopolitan looks replace traditional tropical furniture, prints
by Prabha Natarajan
Pacific Business News
Remodeled Waikiki hotel rooms are subtly shifting to a more minimalist, cosmopolitan look and abandoning koa, hibiscus prints and the tropical Tommy Bahama-style decor that have defined island accommodations.
Solid beige and ivory contrasted with coffee brown dominate the showpiece Vera Wang suite at the Halekulani that goes for $4,000 a night and looks more Manhattan than Waikiki.
Bright white sheets with a patterned duvet and a wall-mounted TV set are the bare essentials in one of the freshly remodeled standard rooms at the Sheraton Waikiki.
Along with Hawaii-specific decor like multicolored bedspreads, the Sheraton is getting rid of heavy tables and chairs, the bulky TV cabinet and other "clutter," aiming for a cleaner, sleeker look that also makes the rooms seem more spacious.
It's a trend that accelerates the matching of Hawaii hotel and resort decor to that of hotels on the Mainland.
Local properties that once thrived on their unique "Hawaiian" look are now conforming to corporate-dictated uniform design standards: beds with white sheets, paint instead of wallpaper, shadeless table lamps, no tropical-pattern upholstery, no scenic paintings, no dark wood.
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