de Reus Architects led the design team in rebranding the former JW Marriott into the five-star Four Seasons Resort O‘ahu at Ko Olina. The team repositioned the outdated hotel, designed by Edward Killingsworth in 1993, into a one-of-a-kind luxury holding for the developer and investors. While the extant hotel had a durable and expressive structure and graciously sized guest rooms, it suffered from inadequate and tired amenities, neglected finishes, and mediocre landscaping, furniture, and fixtures. 

The assignment—a $100 million remodel that included architecture, interior design, landscape, pools, and signage—had to be delivered on a fast-track schedule for the hotelier’s predetermined opening. The refresh was extensive. It called for refurbishing 358 guest accommodations (including 52 suites), all 4 restaurants, and an existing circular pool. Refurbished guest rooms strike a balance between signature Four Seasons’ quality and luxury Hawai’ian hospitality. Banana bark wall coverings, jute-inspired carpets, and an art program produced by renowned local artists work together to form the rooms’ tropical modern elegance. 

The entire arrival experience, from the street through to the lobby, was enhanced. Wood detailing was added to the entry and the seventeen-story atrium to enrich the overall drama of the space and to bring a gracious elegance to the experience. Tahitian-inspired ki’i, or wooden sculptures, were custom designed to greet guests upon arrival. The reception area was relocated to a discreet location to the side of the lobby with new concierge pods, replacing reception that had blocked views from the lobby to the ocean. 

In addition to remodeling existing areas, we led the design of many new structures. These include a coffee lounge, two outdoor dining terraces, an adult pool and a family pool, and spa-treatment pavilions. We removed a large lobby wall and replaced it with the Hokulea Bar. We designed the adjacent Kohola Deck, an amenity built on an existing roof, to seamlessly integrate with Killingsworth’s architectural style. A new hotel wedding chapel was designed and constructed with coral stone walls and western red cedar trusses; its Arts and Crafts aesthetic draws inspiration from the architectural style of Hawai’i’s turn-of-the-century sensibilities. New landscaping, including the addition of a large muliwai (estuary) garden, more accurately reflects the region. 

Respectfully working within the bones of a Killingsworth-designed classic, we executed our vision of creating a new standard of luxury for O‘ahu’s first Four Seasons–branded resort. 

Project Team Architecture: de Reus Architects Architect of Record: Group 70  Construction Manager: Rider Levett Bucknall  Interior Designer: Philpotts Interiors, Studio Collective  Structural Engineer: Baldridge & Associates  Mechanical Engineer: Inatsuka Engineering, Inc.  Electrical Engineer: Albert Chong Associates, Inc.  Landscape: PBR Hawaii  Lighting: KGM Architectural Lighting