Trump hotel in Hawaii will be rebranded

20.11.2023 - 15:38 / travelweekly.com / Donald Trump

The Trump International Hotel Waikiki is shedding its Trump affiliation. The hotel will reflag as the Wakea Waikiki Beach and join Hilton's LXR Hotels & Resorts portfolio this February.

Located near Waikiki Beach on Oahu, the 462-room Trump International Hotel Waikiki opened in 2009.

Hotel owner Irongate and Trump Hotels jointly released a statement saying that the pair had "come to a mutual agreement for a significant buyout of the hotel management and license agreements."

"We are incredibly proud of our performance at Trump Waikiki since the opening of the iconic tower in November 2009," said Eric Trump, executive vice president of Trump Hotels parent company Trump Organization. He added that since its opening, the property has "achieved some of the highest ADRs in Waikiki year after year."

Concurrent with the reflagging, management of the Wakea Waikiki Beach will be taken over by LXR Hotels & Resorts. The hotel will be LXR's first Hawaii property.

Amidst this repositioning, the hotel is preparing to undergo a comprehensive redesign, starting in early 2025. A phased renovation will extend over several months, comprising upgrades to the hotel's lobbies, pool areas, spa, fitness center, corridors, landscaping and interiors.

Culinary offerings will also receive an update, with the Wai'olu restaurant and In-Yo Café to be reconceptualized. A ground-floor destination restaurant, developed in partnership with a yet-to-be-announced restauranteur and chef, will be added to the mix.

The name change at the Trump Waikiki comes with the Trump Organization under scrutiny, with former President Donald Trump and his namesake company embroiled in a civil fraud lawsuit in New York.

The lawsuit is the latest challenge for the embattled Trump Hotels franchise, which has faced an uphill battle since Trump was elected in 2016. The brand's numbers have dwindled, with the losses of properties in Panama City, Toronto, Vancouver, Manhattan and Washington, D.C. shrinking its footprint from 14 hotels in 2015 to just eight following the rebrand of the Waikiki hotel.