Turtle Bay Resort Oahu Becomes Ritz-Carlton

HOSTED BY: 1 AIR TRAVEL

One of Oahu’s more luxurious hotels is becoming a Ritz-Carlton, which is great for those looking to earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy points (thanks to Anthony for flagging this)…

Turtle Bay Resort Oahu sold, will be rebranded as Ritz-Carlton

Host Hotels & Resorts, which is the largest lodging real estate investment trust in the United States, is acquiring Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Most interesting is that as part of this purchase, the new owners plan to turn this property into a Ritz-Carlton.

Host Hotels & Resorts is acquiring this property for a total of $680 million — that includes $630 million for the 450-room property, plus $50 million for a 49-acre land parcel which can be developed.

The resort is situated on 1,180-acres on the North Shore of Oahu, with five miles of beach and coastline views. All rooms feature ocean views, and there are also 42 bungalows with direct beach access. The property also has six food and beverage outlets, a club lounge, seven retail spaces, a spa, a fitness center, two golf courses, seven beaches, four resort pools, tennis and pickle ball courts, an equestrian center, 12 miles of oceanfront trails, and more.

Turtle Bay Resort was closed for a renovation from March 2020 until June 2021, and that renovation included just about all aspects of the resort.

It’s not clear yet when the property will transition to a Ritz-Carlton, but it sounds to me like it will happen once the deal is finalized, since not many changes will be required. The property won’t just be reflagged as a Ritz-Carlton, but will also be managed by Marriott.

The press release mentions how “in connection with the rebranding, Marriott provided key money and favorable modifications on several existing management agreements.” That’s interesting — so clearly the owners got some concessions on their other Marriott branded properties in exchange for making this a Ritz-Carlton.

My take on Hawaii’s new Ritz-Carlton

I’ve been intrigued by Turtle Bay Resort, simply because it has a unique location on Oahu’s North Shore. There aren’t many other resorts in the area, and this is quite secluded, so that’s fun. At 450 rooms, this is no doubt a “resort factory,” but then again, that’s what I generally expect from the Ritz-Carlton brand.

A few thoughts:

But hey, on balance I’d say this is good news. Hawaii doesn’t have many luxury points hotels, so more options are a good thing.

Bottom line

Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Oahu has been sold, and will become a Ritz-Carlton. The property underwent a renovation in recent years, so I imagine that this conversion will happen shortly after the deal is finalized. I’m excited to have a unique points property in Hawaii, though given that it’s a Ritz-Carlton, we’ll manage our expectations when it comes to elite perks.

What do you make of Hawaii’s new Ritz-Carlton?