Outrigger Hotels & Resorts

Last updated
Outrigger Resorts & Hotels
Industry Hotel
Founded1947;78 years ago (1947)
FounderRoy and Estelle Kelley
Headquarters Hawaii
Number of locations
36
Area served
Hawaii, Asia, Australia, Oceania
Key people
Jeff Wagoner, President and CEO
Website www.outrigger.com

OUTRIGGER Resorts & Hotels is a Honolulu-based luxury hotel chain and management company that operates hotels, condominiums, and vacation resort properties in Hawaii, the Asia-Pacific region, and the islands of the Indian Ocean.

Contents

History

The company was founded by Roy and Estelle Kelley, who opened their first hotel in 1947. Roy Kelley was an architect for Charles William Dickey and worked on many of Honolulu's landmark buildings, including the Immigration Station, Montegue Hall at Punahou School, the main building of the old Halekulani Hotel and the former Waikiki Theater. [1]

In 1963, Roy Kelley bought the old Outrigger Canoe Club from the estate of Queen Emma of Hawaii and built the Outrigger Waikiki on this site. In 1967, the Outrigger Waikiki On The Beach hotel opened, the first to carry the Outrigger name. During the 1970s, OUTRIGGER grew into a chain of Hawaiian hotels. In 1982, the company purchased the Prince Kuhio Hotel, its first luxury property. By 1986, OUTRIGGER became the largest hotel chain in Hawaii when its room count reached over 7,000. In 1989, OUTRIGGER took over the Royal Waikoloan Hotel, and in 1993, the Kauai Hilton became the Outrigger Kauai Beach hotel. In 1996, OUTRIGGER opened its first hotel outside the United States, the Outrigger Marshall Islands Resort. [1]

In 1999, OUTRIGGER spun off 15 of its hotels to create the hotel chain OHANA Hotels and Resorts, a brand of three-star properties, while keeping the OUTRIGGER brand for its higher-end five-star and luxury properties. Ohana is a Hawaiian word meaning "family". [1] By 2018, there were only two remaining OHANA Hotels.[ citation needed ]

By 2014, the hotel chain operated 11,000 rooms in 40 hotels worldwide [2] and added 2 Fiji hotels to its list of properties. [3]

In March 2016, OUTRIGGER sold its four Australian hotels to the Mantra Group. [4] In November 2016, the company entered into an agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of KSL Capital Partners, a Denver, Colorado based firm that specializes in travel and leisure investments. [5] OUTRIGGER's portfolio includes 38 hotels, condominiums and vacation resort properties operated, owned and managed. [6] Jeff Wagoner joined the company as president and CEO, effective April 26, 2018. Additionally, KSL Resorts Co-founder and CEO Scott Dalecio, who was serving as OUTRIGGER’s interim CEO since early 2017, was appointed executive chairman of the global hospitality brand. [7]

In 2020, OUTRIGGER purchased the former Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay on Hawaiʻi Island, marking the start of a new phase of expansion within the Hawaiian Islands. The property was later rebranded as OUTRIGGER Kona Resort & Spa, reflecting the company’s renewed focus on its home market. [8]

In July 2023, OUTRIGGER acquired the Kā‘anapali Beach Hotel and its sister property Plantation Inn on Maui, further expanding its Hawaiian portfolio. The property was subsequently renamed OUTRIGGER Kā‘anapali Beach Resort. [9]

In September 2023, the company added the 25-acre oceanfront property Kauaʻi Beach Resort & Spa near Līhuʻe on the island of Kauaʻi to its collection, rebranding it as OUTRIGGER Kauaʻi Beach Resort & Spa. [10]

In 2024, OUTRIGGER Resorts & Hotels partnered with Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group to debut ‘Auana’, the first-ever Cirque du Soleil resident show in Hawaiʻi. Presented at the OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel, the production celebrates the islands’ natural beauty, music and storytelling through Cirque’s signature artistry. [11]

OUTRIGGER will continue its growth in Southeast Asia with the upcoming opening of OUTRIGGER Phi Phi Island Resort, expanding the brand’s presence in Thailand’s luxury resort market. Located on the iconic Phi Phi Don Island, the beachfront property is scheduled to open in October 2025. [12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, The Story of Roy and Estelle Kelley". Monolith.com.
  2. "Outrigger sets new brand direction with focus on resorts and vacation condos". Northstar Travel Group . 30 September 2014.
  3. "Outrigger acquires two Fiji properties". Hospitalitynet.org. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  4. "Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Australia hotels sold to Mantra Group". Eturbonews.com. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  5. "What We Do". KSL Capital Partners.
  6. Allison Schaefers (8 November 2016). "Outrigger Hotels sold to Denver-based KSL Capital Partners". Staradvertiser.com. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  7. "Jeff Wagoner Named President and CEO At Outrigger Hospitality Group in Honolulu". hospitalitynet.net. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  8. Editor, Emma WeissmannExecutive (2020-02-23). "Outrigger Hospitality Group Acquires Sheraton Kona Resort". www.travelagewest.com. Retrieved 2025-10-13.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. "Exclusive: Outrigger acquires Maui's Kā'anapali Beach Hotel". www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  10. "OUTRIGGER Adds Kaua'i Beach Resort to Portfolio". Hospitality Net. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  11. "How Cirque du Soleil Has Moved to Hawaii with Outrigger". Insider Travel Report. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  12. Writer, TravelAge WestContributing (2025-05-12). "Outrigger Acquires Resort on Phi Phi Island, Plans Major Renovation and Rebrand". www.travelagewest.com. Retrieved 2025-10-13.