Along the Kona Coast or Kaʻūpūlehu area of Hawaii Island (formerly known as the Big Island), Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has opened Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort, a reimagination of the original Kona Village Resort that first opened in the 1960s and closed in 2011.
Real estate investment company Kennedy Wilson took a "light-on-the-land" approach to reconstructing the 81-acre resort, prioritizing environmental responsibility and care for local culture. The renovation was inspired by Kaʻūpūlehu’s heritage, culture and natural surroundings.
“Debuting Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, is a satisfying new chapter for this treasured place that carries significance and meaning for the community and for our team,” Kennedy Wilson Chairman and CEO William McMorrow said in a statement. “We are grateful for the thousands of talented people who contributed to the reawakening of Kona Village along this special coastline and for the guidance of our many local stakeholders, including our Cultural Leadership Committee whose contributions furthered our efforts to care for this land through development. As we move from the construction phase into operations, we have every confidence that Rosewood will continue that focus while delivering a top-tier resort experience.”
Light on the Land
In a bid to maintain sustainability, several of the key buildings on property were designed according to LEED Gold Certification standards, and the resort is also pursuing TRUE and SITES certifications. If achieved, Kona Village will be the first resort in the world with all three distinctions. During construction, efforts in support of these accolades include Kennedy Wilson’s work with Re-Use Hawaiʻi, a non-profit organization that recycles and repurposes old building materials.
The team also relied on sustainably sourced timber and engineered wood, as well as low-emitting paints, coatings, adhesives and sealants. Expansive solar fields will allow the resort to be powered 100 percent by renewable energy, lessening the impact on the environment and community resources. Given the significance of water to Kaʻūpūlehu, the property operates its own reverse osmosis and wastewater treatment plants to have minimal effects on the destination’s supply.
“We are honored to join with Kennedy Wilson to serve as the caretakers of this land that holds such significance to so many,” said Radha Arora, president of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. “At Rosewood, we have always held a deep reverence for the legacy properties around the globe that we have been chosen to steward, and Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, is a true representation of inherent hospitality and the understanding that we are intimately intertwined with our natural surroundings, as well as those who came before.”
Spearheaded by Hawaii-raised architect Greg Warner of Walker Warner Architects and San Francisco-based interior design firm NicoleHollis, the property has been designed to highlight the history of Hawaii and the Kona Coast specifically. The architecture nods to the original Kona Village Resort, with changes made to certain legacy elements that are no longer considered sustainable—for example, the new thatched roofing is made from recycled materials rather than traditional native leaves. The duty of defending native plant and animal life was further supported by VITA Planning & Landscape Architecture, who championed the preservation of existing trees, plants and naturally existing lava features.