RELEASE NUMBER: 43 | 26
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HONOLULU — OUTRIGGER Hospitality Group today announced that the newly reimagined guestrooms at OUTRIGGER Waikīkī Beach Resort are complete and available to book, marking the first guest-facing milestone of the resort’s $100 million transformation. To celebrate the moment, the resort has launched: “Catch Waikīkī’s Next Wave,” a campaign inviting people to share what they love about Waikīkī Beach for the chance to win a return trip to this iconic shoreline.
The new rooms are the first chapter of a transformation that is reimagining OUTRIGGER’s original flagship as a design-led destination at the birthplace of modern surf culture. Guests booking today are among the first to experience the work firsthand, and to see a legacy property evolving in real time.
“Our hosts have been welcoming guests to this beach for nearly 60 years. What people tell us when they return is that it feels like coming home,” said Steve Miller, general manager of OUTRIGGER Waikīkī Beach Resort. “Our resort rooms are now all new, but that feeling isn’t. This campaign is a chance to hear those stories and share them; Waikīkī is beloved by so many people, and we want to celebrate that.”
Rooms Reimagined from the Sand Up: Designed by PowerStrip Studio in collaboration with WCIT Architecture and DTL – a Hawaiian Strategy Studio, the new guestrooms draw every material and motif from the land, water and living history of Waikīkī.
Woven-basket screens replace solid walls, filling rooms with natural light and drawing the eye straight to the ocean. A soft palette of sun-washed woods and pastels echoes the surf, sky and sunset light, while rugs carry the sand pattern left by a retreating wave. Each room is anchored by He keiki aloha nā mea kanu (“Beloved children are the plants”), a custom mural of Queen Emma’s lily garden by native Hawaiian artist Kamea Hadar — a reference to the aliʻi who once owned and tended this very ground. In the corridors, room numbers are paired with surf photography by Zak Noyle, and graphic rivulets inspired by ʻĀpuakēhau Stream trace a winding path the full length of the property.
“Every choice in these rooms begins with what was here first — the stream, the garden, the sand,” said Dayna Lee, principal at PowerStrip Studio. “ʻĀpuakēhau translates to ‘basket of dew,’ and you feel it in the woven basket wall as you enter, in the rivulets running the length of the corridor, in the pattern a wave leaves behind. We wanted guests to sense the geography of this place before they ever reach the water.”
Catch Waikīkī’s Next Wave: Launching across Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn, “Catch Waikīkī’s Next Wave” asks a simple question: What do you love about Waikīkī Beach?
Entrants share a photo or video and a short story online or by scanning QR codes on property, for the chance to win a grand prize that includes:
- A three-night stay in a Club Ocean View room at OUTRIGGER Waikīkī Beach Resort
- Round-trip airfare for two, provided by Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines
- Dinner for two at Duke’s Waikīkī
- A canoe surf session for two with Faith Surf School
Entries are open from September 15 through November 16, 2026, with the winner announced November 17*.
Throughout the campaign, the resort will release a weekly video series featuring its own hosts — the beach attendants, bartenders, room attendants and front-desk teams who have shaped the OUTRIGGER experience for decades — sharing their favorite moments on this stretch of sand. The campaign launch was filmed with pro surfers Kani Stewart and Tony Moniz, and is supported by longtime partners including Faith Surf School, Duke’s Waikīkī, Florence Marine X, Tori Richard and The Sunrise Shack.
What Hasn’t Changed: The resort remains open and fully operational throughout the transformation. Duke’s Waikīkī, Hula Grill and Blue Note Hawaiʻi continue to define the experience, from early mornings with the surf community to late nights shaped by live music, including Duke’s on Sunday with Henry Kapono. Beach access, oceanfront dining and the resort’s front-row seat to Waikīkī Beach remain uninterrupted.
Work continues on the resort’s public spaces, retail and the expanded Voyager 47 Club Lounge, with the full transformation to follow.
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. [Open to legal residents of the United States who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence — CONFIRM AGAINST FINAL RULES.] Entry period begins [12:01 a.m.] HST on September 15, 2026 and ends [11:59 p.m.] HST on November 16, 2026. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. For complete Official Rules and eligibility, visit outrigger.com/contests/owk/social-media-sweepstakes.
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