Autograph Collection Hotels has announced the grand opening of The Laylow following an extensive $60 million (£46.5 million) renovation. Bringing the brand’s values of vision, design and craft to the island of Oahu, The Laylow joins a distinguished portfolio of more than 100 independent hotels around the world.
Heartfelt Hawaiian Design with Nostalgic Sense of Place
Perched above the revitalised Kuhio Avenue in the heart of Waikiki, the 251-room hotel blends mid-century modernism with its Hawaiian roots, melding the island’s melting pot of cultures and the post-war architecture movement that shaped modern Honolulu.
The hotel’s creative design was led by Fritz Mesenbrink and Jeremy Pelley, co-founders of Official Mfg of Portland, Oregon who drew upon works by mid-century visionaries to inspire the aesthetic of guestrooms, suites and public spaces while Hawaiian furnishings from the period have been reinterpreted to give the hotel a hint of whimsy and its distinct sense of place.
“Hawaiian mid-century modernism is the heart that beats at the core of The Laylow,” explains Mesenbrink. “Architect Vladimir Ossipoff’s signature work, the Liljestrand House overlooking Honolulu, exemplified that design movement in Hawaii and was the jumping off point that inspired the interior design and furnishings as well as the exceptional character of The Laylow Hotel.”
Upon arrival to The Laylow, guests rise above Kuhio Avenue to the open lobby level replete with simple, elegant mid-century furnishings and a stunning terracotta breezeblock wall, sculpted in graphic patterns reminiscent of Hawaiian tapa and open to the trade winds, preserving the flow of air and energy throughout the space. Furniture includes refurbished antiques and custom pieces inspired by mid-century modern classics, created with reclaimed woods and vintage style accents throughout the hotel. A hotel greeter with a tray of chilled local pineapple bites and oshibori, chilled towels, offers instant refreshment to weary travelers.
Each well-appointed guestroom and suite boasts bold, custom-created monstera leaf wallpaper, inspired by vintage bark cloth patterns, perfectly capturing and refreshing the motif of the time period. Surf nostalgia photography books, art tomes and an authentic ukulele line the shelves. The colour palette blends warm earth tones and textural neutrals for a calming ambiance, while pops of burnt orange, cobalt hues of the ocean and tropical pinks add bursts of eccentric flair.
