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Surf's Up

W says aloha to Honolulu, taking over management of a 1960s hotel freshly renovated by Peter Vincent & Associates and Philpotts & Associates.

Abby Bussel -- Interior Design, 3/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

"WE WERE LUCKY to get this property," says W Design Group's Theresa Fatino, referring to the very W-like renovation of the former Colony Surf Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, which was completed prior to W Hotels assuming a management role there. The "casually elegant" aesthetic of the renovation by Peter Vincent & Associates (architecture and interior architecture) and Philpotts & Associates (interior design and furnishings) required little alteration by Starwood's design group. "We added some signature W accessories," says Fatino, Vice-President of W Design and Brand Development, referring to the games, books, candles, and selected furniture in the lobby, as well as linens and towels in the guest rooms.

In contrast to W Design Group's light touch, the renovation of the hotel, which opened originally in 1967 and had since fallen into disrepair, was far more involved. Under the watch of Peter Vincent & Associates, the building systems, including life-safe equipment and air conditioning, were upgraded, exterior lead-based paint was abated, and spawled concrete repaired.

The design team remade the lobby, transforming an inward-looking space into one that embraces the island's lush landscape. Unable to raise the lobby's existing ceiling height (7 ft. 4 in.), the designers installed low-slung Balinese furniture and added reveals at the juncture of walls and columns and soffits at the perimeter-all to create a light and airy space. One formerly solid wall now opens to a small fountain and garden and ocean views beyond.

The 48 guest rooms, like the lobby, were completely overhauled: white, textured wall treatments replaced dark wallpaper; energy-efficient glass doors replaced glass lanai doors; and small bathrooms were "visually expanded" with polished marble walls. Colony Capital owns the hotel.