Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, is a beachside resort hotel at the

Ko Olina Resort Ko Olina Resort is a master-planned vacation and residential community on the leeward coast of Oahu, west of Honolulu. Ko Olina has of coastal frontage and includes three natural and four man-made lagoons with white-sand beaches. The master-p ...

Kapolei, Hawaii Kapolei () is a planned community in Honolulu County, Hawaiʻi, United States, on the island of Oʻahu. It is colloquially known as the "second city" of Oʻahu, in relation to Honolulu. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau ...

on the island of

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

. Affiliated with the

Disney Vacation Club The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a vacation timeshare program owned and operated by Disney Vacation Development, Inc., a subsidiary of Disney Signature Experiences, a division of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a segment of The Walt Disn ...

, Aulani was the third Disney "stand-alone" hotel that is located in an area without any adjacent theme park. The others are

Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort is a Disney Vacation Club Resort and vacation rental A vacation rental is the renting out of a furnished apartment, house, or professionally managed resort-condominium complex on a temporary basis to tourists ...

and Disney's Vero Beach Resort. The word Aulani in Hawaiian can be loosely translated as "Orange" or "with deep messages". When the word is used as a name, it can mean "message from the chief". The 21 acre Aulani opened to guests on August 29, 2011, with 359 hotel rooms and 460 time-share villas. A November 2018 report stated that at that time, there were 351 rooms (in two 15-story towers), including 16 suites and 481 villas, most being "2-bedroom-equivalent". An October 2018 review specified that there were three restaurants with seating (Makahiki, Ulu Cafe and 'AMA'AMA, ) and some smaller outlets serving snacks such as the Off the Hook poolside lounge.

History

Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa by Anthony Quintano

Announced in October 2007, Disney unveiled the resort's name in January 2010. The project was estimated to cost $800 million and eventually generate about 1,000 jobs at the resort. The project was managed by Disney Vice-president Djuan Rivers and designed by

Joe Rohde Joseph Rohde is the ''Experience Architect'' for Virgin Galactic. Rohde was previously a veteran executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, the division of The Walt Disney Company that designs and builds Disney's theme parks and resort hotels. Rohde's ...

of Walt Disney Imagineering. The resort began

timeshare A timeshare (sometimes called vacation ownership) is a property with a divided form of ownership or use rights. These properties are typically resort condominium units, in which multiple parties hold rights to use the property, and each owne ...

sales on July 15, 2010, and began taking room reservations in August 2010. On August 12, 2011, Disney suspended Aulani timeshare sales indefinitely and fired three executives, including Disney Vacation Club president Jim Lewis, after senior management realized the annual dues had been set too low to cover maintenance costs. Timeshare sales were subsequently restarted although an October 2018 review was unable to exactly determine the total number of sales since 2010 due to gaps in published information. In March 2019, the resort was named "Best Hotels/Accommodations – Luxury Accommodations" in the 2019 aio Media Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Awards.

Theme

Walt Disney Imagineering Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc., commonly referred to as Imagineering, is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attra ...

collaborated with Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo and Architects Hawaii Ltd. and cultural experts to design and construct what will celebrate the customs and tradition of Hawaii. The company also created an advisory council of Hawaiian elders to ensure great authenticity to Hawaiian culture. A review in 2018 stated that "the modus operandi at Aulani is 'Big H, Little D,' as in: big emphasis on Hawaiian traditions and history, with just a little bit of Disney fairy dust sprinkled over the experience". Other reviews specified the Disney influence as including poolside visits by characters, Mickey-shaped foods, and character breakfasts and dinners. Characters that one could meet at the resort included (as of June 2017) Mickey Mouse,

Minnie Mouse Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasiona ...

, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck,

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Sun. It is the largest ...

Chip 'n' Dale Chip and Dale (also spelled Chip 'n' Dale) is a cartoon duo of anthropomorphic chipmunks created in 1943 by The Walt Disney Company. Concept The characters were first drawn by Bill Justice and introduced in the 1943 Pluto short '' Private ...

, Stitch from ''

Lilo & Stitch ''Lilo & Stitch'' is a 2002 American animated science fiction comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 42nd Disney animated feature film, it was written and directed by Chris Sande ...

'', and Moana from the eponymous 2016 film. On February 14, 2021, Angel (Experiment 624) from the ''Lilo & Stitch'' franchise began making appearances at the resort, although socially distanced from guests as with all other characters at the time due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii The COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii affected all aspects of life in the state, demolishing its economy, closing its schools and straining its healthcare system, even though it experienced far less spread than other US states. Throughout the pand ...

. When staff are hired, Hawaiian language skills are preferred for all jobs as part of the resort's plan to expose guest to the language of the land. In July 2019, ''Forbes'' published a review by Laura Manske that emphasized the company's extensive use of Hawaiian culture, including art and architecture and the program that exposes youngsters to the "culture, art and music of Hawaii through interactive play." In her review, Manske commented:

"There is both a dramatic and sublime sense of place here, as everything—from architecture to art, activities to aliments—at Aulani connects to a deeper meaning and embraces the people, places, past and present, art, music, dance and foods of Hawaii ... Aulani is not a theme park; it is a ... hideaway with just enough Disney-orchestrated animation and activity to add rhythm and variety to your vacation days.

Pu‘u Kilo & Water slides

Pu‘u Kilo is designed as a Volcano and consists of two slides: Volcanic Vertical - a Body water slide that leads into the Waikolohe Pool - and Tubestone Curl - a Tube water slide that ends up in the Waikolohe Stream.

References

External links

* {{Ko Olina 2011 establishments in Hawaii Buildings and structures in Honolulu County, Hawaii Disney Vacation Club Hotel buildings completed in 2011 Hotels established in 2011 Hotels in Hawaii Resorts in Hawaii Tourist attractions in Honolulu County, Hawaii