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Laie Inn closes; replacement planned near BYU-H, PCC
By Steve Fidel
Mormon Times
Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009
LAIE, Hawaii -- The 45-year-old Laie Inn, adjacent to BYU-Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center, closed Sunday and will be demolished to make room for a new development.
An artist's concept of the hotel that will replace the Laie Inn, which is now closed. (Hawaii Reserves, Inc.)
Current plans call for a total redevelopment of the antiquated inn, according to Hawaii Reserves, Inc., the management arm of the LDS Church, which owns the inn.
A well-known story in Laie involves President Gordon B. Hinckley's stay at the inn in the early 1990s when he was a member of the church's First Presidency. "He actually caught a rat while he stayed there," said Steve Hoag, Hawaii Reserve's director of administration. "I think members of the First Presidency have not stayed at the Laie Inn in the last 10 or 15 years."
Locally, reaction to news the Laie Inn was closing was mostly along the lines of "It's a surprise it wasn't torn down sooner," Hoag said. "There are about 15 people who have lost their jobs," he said, "Although employees have known this was coming for years now, it's still tough."
"The building is 45 years old and is past its useful life. It's not worth the reinvestment to keep it going another year or so to get it back up to the quality level we'd like," Hoag said. The closure also coincides with the end of the inn's management company, Hospitality Associates.
In the meantime, the closest lodging is a seven-minute drive north at the Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku. Laie Inn's reservation system has been shut down and Hospitality Associates is working to relocate future guests.
Hawaii Reserves' Web site says plans to build a new hotel will "provide an affordable, convenient place to stay for those planning a multi-day visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center, and it will also fill a standing community need -- serving visiting families of Brigham Young University-Hawaii students and patrons of the nearby LDS Temple."
"Demolition of the Laie Inn is expected to begin in six to eight weeks; pending approval to build, we're hopeful that groundbreaking will take place in the next year or so," Hoag said.
Hawaii Reserves describes it as "Designed to showcase a 'Polynesian sense of place' with plans calling for grass-hut-type roofing for the reception building, and other Pacific Island architectural elements.
E-mail: sfidel@desnews.com
An artist's concept of the hotel that will replace the Laie Inn, which is now closed. (Hawaii Reserves, Inc.)
A well-known story in Laie involves President Gordon B. Hinckley's stay at the inn in the early 1990s when he was a member of the church's First Presidency. "He actually caught a rat while he stayed there," said Steve Hoag, Hawaii Reserve's director of administration. "I think members of the First Presidency have not stayed at the Laie Inn in the last 10 or 15 years."
Locally, reaction to news the Laie Inn was closing was mostly along the lines of "It's a surprise it wasn't torn down sooner," Hoag said. "There are about 15 people who have lost their jobs," he said, "Although employees have known this was coming for years now, it's still tough."
"The building is 45 years old and is past its useful life. It's not worth the reinvestment to keep it going another year or so to get it back up to the quality level we'd like," Hoag said. The closure also coincides with the end of the inn's management company, Hospitality Associates.
In the meantime, the closest lodging is a seven-minute drive north at the Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku. Laie Inn's reservation system has been shut down and Hospitality Associates is working to relocate future guests.
Hawaii Reserves' Web site says plans to build a new hotel will "provide an affordable, convenient place to stay for those planning a multi-day visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center, and it will also fill a standing community need -- serving visiting families of Brigham Young University-Hawaii students and patrons of the nearby LDS Temple."
"Demolition of the Laie Inn is expected to begin in six to eight weeks; pending approval to build, we're hopeful that groundbreaking will take place in the next year or so," Hoag said.
Hawaii Reserves describes it as "Designed to showcase a 'Polynesian sense of place' with plans calling for grass-hut-type roofing for the reception building, and other Pacific Island architectural elements.
E-mail: sfidel@desnews.com
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