The New Look of Oahu's Royal Hawaiian Hotel: Fugly or fabulous?

What does a $60-million renovation of an iconic Hawaiian hotel look like? Apparently, it looks like this.


Starwood Luxury Collection's Royal Hawaiian(on Oahu), a.k.a. the "Pink Palace of the Pacific," has just come off a pricey makeover -- and those dolla bills certainly weren't used to tone down the resort's signature girly-hued decor. Also (and this is pretty important): only the guestrooms in the historic wing have been renovated; the rooms in the tower haven't undergone any upgrades yet.


But: the new rooms have quite a bit going on, no? While the still-to-be-renovated rooms sport the look of, in the words of our reporter, "subdued rooms from generic midrange hotels like the Hawaii Prince Waikiki," the new decor in the historic wing looks…busy. Patterns on the walls, the chairs, the carpet -- it's all quite modern and fun and colorful, but it can't possibly be everyone's taste, right? Maybe not ideal for the bachelor party before an island wedding?


If you're into the whole zen, calming-white thing, we'd suggest checking out the Halekulani instead. If the photo of this room alone was too much for you, maybe you should just sit at your desk and flip through pretty pictures of beaches to chill you out.