Oahu recently received its first Autograph Collection hotel with last month’s opening of The Laylow on Waikiki’s revitalized Kuhio Avenue. The 251-room property—which underwent an extensive $60 million renovation before its unveiling—features a modern design and handpicked accessories that reflect Hawaii’s melting pot of cultures and the post-war architecture movement that shaped modern Honolulu.
Upon arrival to The Laylow, guests are welcomed into an open lobby replete with simple, elegant mid-century furnishings and a terracotta breezeblock wall sculpted in graphic patterns reminiscent of Hawaiian tapa (cloth). Furniture includes refurbished antiques and custom pieces inspired by mid-century modern classics, created with reclaimed woods, and there are vintage-style accents throughout the hotel. A hotel greeter will be on hand to offer guests chilled pineapple bites, oshibori (hot towel), and chilled towels.
Each guestroom and suite is adorned with custom-created monstera leaf wallpaper inspired by vintage barkcloth patterns. Warm earth tones, textural neutrals, pops of burnt orange and cobalt hues comprise the color scheme, while surf nostalgia photography books, art tomes and an authentic ukulele line the shelves. The Hawaiian theme continues into The Laylow’s signature restaurant, Hideout, led by executive chef Bryan Byard, which serves up reimagined Pacific Rim classics made with local ingredients. Think breakfast, lunch and dinner menus that include a Kauai prawn and crab cake eggs benedict with mango hollandaise and coconut porter short ribs. Hideout extends to an open-air terrace with two fire pits overlooking Kuhio Avenue, where guests can enjoy entertainment by island musicians as well as artisan cocktails or craft beer from Hawaii breweries. Just steps away from Hideout, lush bamboo and tropical foliage border the pool encased in a deck of ipe, a Brazilian hardwood. Rates start at $229 per night. For more information, call (866) 913-6852 or visit laylowwaikiki.com.
