Comments on: Islands Update: Here Come the Jackhammers

By: Humu Kon Tiki » Blog Archive » The Islands Restaurant Gutting Results

Humu Kon Tiki » Blog Archive » The Islands Restaurant Gutting Results — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:13:33 +0000

[...] Not that anyone’s hopes were high, but it’s still crushing to see… above is a photo of the newly renovated Islands Restaurant in San Diego, taken by bamalamalu and posted to Tiki Central yesterday. Blech! It doesn’t even look like a restaurant any more, it looks like a hospital waiting room. [...]

By: Humu Kon Tiki » 2006 » November » 15

Humu Kon Tiki » 2006 » November » 15 — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 22:52:22 +0000

[...] Chongolio has created this great little video clip of the Islands Restaurant in San Diego, using footage he took at last year’s Tiki Oasis. It includes a nice, lingering pan shot of the clamshell fountain that was demolished last week (you can see heartbreaking before & after pictures on Joel Delano’s blog). [...]

By: Humu Kon Tiki » Blog Archive » This Week at Arkiva Tropika

Humu Kon Tiki » Blog Archive » This Week at Arkiva Tropika — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 00:54:25 +0000

[...] With the sad news about the remodeling of the Islands Restaurant at San Diego’s Hanalei Hotel this week, Mimi pulled out a lot of great Hanalei & Islands items from her collection. Above is a great postcard from the ’60s or ’70s, showing how the front of the hotel used to look, including its famous sign, which was sadly removed a few years back. ’60s brochure for the Hanalei Hotel in San Diego, from Arkiva Tropika [...]

By: Swanky

Swanky — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 20:12:57 +0000

Mimi is taking up the call and posting lots of Hanalei stuff on Arkiva Tropika today.

By: Humuhumu

Humuhumu — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 20:03:50 +0000

Ah! Thanks for the clarification. Otto had said that the management of the hotel isn’t changing (that was a huge issue for him at the hotel Oasis used to happen at, the Caliente Tropics in Palm Springs). I mistook that for meaning that it was still owned & operated by Red Lion; he probably meant that the people actually managing the hotel haven’t changed.

From your position, what is the best way tikiphiles can help the effort to keep the artifacts visible & on-site?

I love the picture of the floats in your latest blog post — Otto had been told that those were most likely staying — you mentioned that you don’t think they’re coming back. They’re so iconic — I hope they stay somewhere at the hotel, at least.

Any updates you can give us would be wonderful, thanks so much for chiming in!

By: Joel Delano

Joel Delano — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 19:49:50 +0000

The changes weren’t mandated by Red Lion, but rather by the owners, due to the fact that the Red Lion name, as well as the word Hanalei, is being dropped. The Hotel will become part of the Crown Plaza chain of hotels. Like with Red Lion the owners still hold the majority of the control, but “upgrades” were wanted to meet the new “standard”. So the new name will be the “Crown Plaza San Diego”. Some of the walls were being torn out this morning, ahead of schedule. I am a banquet supervisor at the Hanalei and I was quite thrilled when Tiki Oasis came this last year. I hope that all of the removed artifacts find their way back on property in time for Tiki Oasis this coming year. Of little note, but just another piece of the Hanalei restaurant puzzle is that the Peacock Cafe upstairs will close permanently when the Islands reopens, which is why it is being expanded, and the Islands will become the sole food destination for the hotel, along with it’s adjoining Sushi Lounge.