A third area hard-hit by the March 11, 2011 tsunami was the Hualalai Resort Area. Both Four Seasons Resort and the Kona Village Resort closed immediately following the tsunami.
The Four Seasons Hualalai reopened April 30th after around $15 million dollars worth of renovations. When employees returned to the resort March 11th, they found water, sand, and debris on the grounds and in some rooms. But there was no structural damage.
Management closed the resort and put their 500 employees plus around 250 outside contractors to work. They used the tsunami as an opportunity not only to fix the damage, but to revamp and upgrade parts of the hotel property. They repaired more than a dozen of their 243 guest rooms, redid the pool and the Beach Tree Restaurant, added furniture and cabanas, and revamped the landscaping. Resort general manager Pat Fitzgerald said they did around six months of work in only six weeks.
The Four Seasons’ neighbor to the north, Kona Village Resort, did not fare so well. Fitzgerald said damage was in the $20 to $25 million dollar range—maybe more. The 45-year-old Hawaiian-style resort had several of its 125 hales knocked from their foundations. Underground utility lines were destroyed. The grounds were littered with debris ranging from furniture to refrigerators to general ocean debris.
Fitzgerald says it will be another 60 to 90 days before insurance issues are resolved. But then, they want to rebuild Kona Village Resort. And they want to keep the old Hawaiian style ambiance. Fitzgerald says the county and state have been supportive every step of the way. Once construction starts, it will probably be a year before Kona Village Resort reopens.
Kona Village laid off all but 20 of its 250 employees. Hualalai Resort homeowners and the Hotel Association raised several hundred thousand dollars to provide those employees with help—until Kona Village Resort reopens.
