NEWS RELEASE
Sustainability and social impact are the centerpieces of this near-decade-long development that pursues circularity, innovation, and cultural understanding
July 01, 2023
Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort occupies a pristine stretch of shoreline on the ecologically and culturally rich island of Hawaiʻi. This destination, with an ancient history dating back thousands of years, is home to some of the world’s most diverse environments including ten distinct climate zones, encompassing dense forests, snowcapped mountains, volcanos, beaches, plentiful waters, and coral reefs living beneath the ocean’s surface. From this awe-inspiring landscape originated a native culture that very much respected and honored both the power and the bounty of the land and sea, creating a legacy of stewards who lived sustainably and lightly on the land for generations.
In order to maintain this gracious and responsible approach to hospitality, Kennedy Wilson, the innovative global real estate investment company renowned for its commitment to responsible development on Hawaiʻi, prioritized sustainability throughout the duration of its seven-year development. Given the resort’s remote island location, the project team took a careful approach to protecting the land's naturally rich environment and precious resources.
In line with Rosewood Hotel Group’s Impacts initiative, which is rooted in the belief that people and planet are intimately intertwined and must be considered and cared for holistically, sustainability and community engagement are the resort’s guiding principles. Working directly with Kennedy Wilson, Rosewood is proud to introduce a resort experience that offers guests a way to appropriately honor this island paradise and help support its preservation. The Rosewood brand’s mission of circular hospitality, operational sustainability, and cultural understanding come together at Kona Village in a unique way that ensures both the longevity of culture and the health of the environment.
Together, both Kennedy Wilson and Rosewood have ensured that this project has been respectful of the land from its onset. Central to this approach is the understanding that sacred land will always be borrowed, and it should be protected along with its stories and its people. The partners share a commitment to supporting Kona’s local community and have consulted its members during the development planning process. To honor the local community’s deep ties to the land and to authentically partner with the people of the Big Island, the property has sought the support of an established Kona Village Cultural Leadership Committee. Comprised of lineal descendants, cultural advisors, and community leaders, this group has guided the project from its earliest days and has been integral in ensuring the land maintains its mana – or special energy of power and strength.
A Sustainable Approach to Development
Sustainability is foundational to Hawaiian values, where there is a deep sense of responsibility toward the land and a communal understanding that resources are to be nurtured and shared. Continuing with this centuries-long legacy, Kona Village seeks to usher in a new era of stewardship. This can be seen from the property’s very beginnings, with developer Kennedy Wilson employing the services of Re-Use Hawaiʻi, a non-profit organization that managed the demolition of Kona Village’s previously existing structures. The original resort laid dormant for over a decade, and with great care, the Re-Use Hawaiʻi team conducted the entire demolition of its remains through minimally invasive means and methods. With the goal of circularity in mind, over 80% of materials salvaged were repurposed and brought back to the island as affordable building materials.
From there, the development team, in partnership with Walker Warner Architects, took a gentle approach when reviving Kona Village’s iconic silhouette. Throughout construction, sustainable materials were prioritized; the hales themselves are constructed from bamboo, engineered wood, and ethically sourced timber with adhesives, sealants, paints, and coatings recognized as low emitting. Sustainable management tactics were employed throughout the property’s creation, laying the groundwork for a low-waste commitment that will continue as part of the resort’s ongoing operations. These are just a few of the many efforts that demonstrate the property’s commitment to achieving LEED Gold status across several of its key buildings, as well as TRUE and SITES certifications that are currently being pursued. If achieved, Kona Village will be the first resort in the world with all three distinctions.
Sustained by Solar
Home to the largest privately owned microgrid in the state, Kona Village is capable of fully operating on renewable energy and solar power. To the resort, this accomplishment was central to its goal of limiting its overall impact. Operating off an independent grid was especially important to the development team, not only to continue their light on the land approach but also as a way to honor the property’s legacy as a protector of community resources. Today, 8,000 solar panels create enough power not only to run day-to-day operations but to generate a full day’s backup as well. For the rare instances where solar power does not suffice, the resort is also home to two generators that run off sustainable biodiesel sourced from an on-island refinery, carefully vetted to ensure that even the alternative energy solution remains low impact. In keeping with the resort’s commitment to circularity, Kona Village donates its used cooking oil back to the provider, Pacific Biodiesel, to recycle. Clean energy is a theme across guest-facing operations and activities as well. Working with the Cultural Leadership Committee, the entire layout of the resort was planned in accordance with the traditional winds of the area to maximize natural breezeways and thereby reduce the need for air conditioning. The utmost in energy-efficient appliances, equipment, and technologies have been used throughout the resort.
A Move Toward Circular Hospitality
Given the state’s remote location residents of Hawaiʻi must be incredibly mindful of waste. Kona Village shares this responsibility with the community and employs every possible effort to reduce waste, seeking out new ways to prioritize recycling and limiting what materials end up in the island’s only landfill. With the goal of further innovating the recycling process beyond what is currently available on the island, Hana Hou Recycling has been tapped to consult on the resort’s evolving efforts while simultaneously supporting with the collection of recyclable materials. Separately, the property will also execute its own composting program to transform organic materials into nutrient-rich soil.
Honoring the Power of Water
Just as the management of waste is of especially high importance to an island community, so too is the preservation and treatment of water. The property’s efforts include the development and operation of its own reverse osmosis and wastewater treatment plants. Together, these plants produce enough water a day for irrigation, safeguarding the delicate balance of resources as the vast majority of the water regenerates itself by returning it back into the surrounding environment. Most importantly, potable water will not be used for irrigation purposes.
A Responsible Resource Protector
Beyond managing resource allocation, Kona Village has taken a commitment to sustainability one step further. Not only have the development and operations been carefully engineered to not harm the environment, but they also serve to preserve and honor the legacy of the land itself. There are around dozens of archeological sites with deep historical significance that fall under the property’s care. Certain areas are protected under local mandate, such as the expansive petroglyph field that is home to the highest-density collection depicting indigenous Hawaiian sails, representative of the Big Island’s deep nautical history. Several sites were discovered only through the development team’s close relationships with the lineal descendants of the land. One example is the Hale ‘Aina, a portion of a structure originally used for cooking by Hawaiians between 1916 and 1935 that has been preserved for interpretive learning and inspired the design of the new Kahuwai Cookhouse.
The team went above and beyond to ensure that these family sites were honored and protected, even when that meant overhauling original construction plans. Across the resort, guests are alerted of many of these locations through nonintrusive signage that communicates their layered stories. As with every other element of the Kona Village experience, the lineal descendants were consulted on how to preserve each and every site with the utmost reverence.
The team’s thoughtful approach to stewardship also ensured that existing natural phenomena were protected as well, such as the dozens of naturally occurring brackish water anchialine pools on site. The property not only understands the environmental significance of these pools but also the history of stewardship that ensured the longevity of these delicate ecosystems. The development team has worked to remediate these pools from invasive aquatic species and plants, ensuring ecosystem health and proliferation. The protection and management of wildlife such as native birds, monk seals, fish, coral, sea turtles, and invertebrates are prioritized, and all are watched over with the utmost care. Kona Village is also an ardent supporter of local initiatives to protect and preserve the island’s fauna including collaborating with the Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Life Advisory Committee (KMLAC) on the “Try Wait” initiative which has implemented a 10-year rest for a stretch of coastline to restore marine resources in the region. Educating guests and local youth on the significance of the resort’s surrounding environment as well as the importance of preservation and conservation will be evident through thoughtful programming such as nature tours, beach clean-ups, kids club activities, community workdays, and more.
Low Impact Food & Beverage
Efforts to lessen the resort’s impact permeate across the sophisticated food and beverage programming, which has been crafted to be as sustainable as possible despite the constraints that come with living on an island. A great deal of the food supply is sourced from the island with maximum effort invested into partnerships with local suppliers, craftspeople, and producers to strengthen local economies, improve the prospects of small businesses, and build sustainable livelihood pipelines. Beyond coming from the island, some of the produce used across the dining outposts will be sourced directly from the property itself through a robust onsite farm, carefully tended by a local farmer.
As part of Rosewood’s Partners in Provenance program, the team has tapped many of the island’s most skillful and sustainable culinary talents to enhance the offerings at Kona Village while simultaneously supporting the community by providing its businesses with a new platform to promote their work. Among many others, these organizations include Kona Sea Salt, Blue Ocean Mariculture, Hawaiian Vanilla Co., Pacific Coffee Research, and Wai Meli Honey, all of which have greatly informed the resort’s culinary program and operations.
Experiential Sustainability
To help guests understand the resort’s efforts toward sustainability first-hand and to tangibly assist Kona Village in the advancement of its goals, expert cultural and sustainability teams have curated meaningful programming that invites guests to aid in the preservation of the island’s heritage and environment. Examples include experiences that bring guests directly into the diverse environments of the Big Island, such as tide pool tours, bird-watching excursions, and guided snorkeling trips. The resort is also supporting KMLAC in its efforts to create a first-of-its-kind coral restoration project. Additionally, the resort will offer educational experiences focused on coral conservation, with the goal of eventually allowing guests to view KMLAC’s innovative program and progress. In partnership with the nearby Ke Kai Ola- Monk Seal Rehabilitation Center, the property facilitates fishing for invasive tilapia from the onsite fishpond, which will be used to feed healing Hawaiian seals as they recover at the center. Kona Village will also engage and inspire the next generation of conscious travelers through the property’s Rosewood Explorer’s Keiki Club.
Through an innovative approach to sustainability, Kona Village seeks to take important lessons from the past to inform a brighter tomorrow. Through cultural programming, environmental conservation, and ongoing community support Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort fulfills a decade-long promise, to not only breathe life back into a beloved resort but to also care for and protect the deeply rooted mana of the land, made so powerful by the delicate natural balance of this rich and layered ecosystem.
About Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort
Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort, is an iconic hideaway rooted in Hawaiian legacy, where the rhythm mirrors the slow, rolling waves along the secluded Kahuwai Bay. Immersed in the moʻolelo (stories) of the Native Hawaiians who came before, this ancient fishing village upholds their long-etched values, carrying a deep commitment to ʻohana (family) with profound Hawaiian hoʻokipa (hospitality of complete giving). Spanning 81 acres of stunning geologic landscape on the Kona Coast, this reimagined classic channels inspiration from the land’s storied history, local sensibilities, and natural elements to illuminate the ancient Kaʻūpūlehu’s past, present and future. Every element of the property has been carefully curated to celebrate the quintessential elements of the original Kona Village Resort that made it so beloved and to demonstrate a profound connection to and appreciation of the habitat and heritage of its one-of-a-kind location. Spearheaded by Hawaiʻi-raised architect, Greg Warner of Walker Warner Architects, and designed by San Francisco-based interior design firm, NICOLEHOLLIS, these offerings include 150 traditional guest hale; five restaurants and bars, including the original resort’s beloved Shipwreck and Talk Story bars; and Asaya Spa, Rosewood’s integrative wellness concept designed to support mind, body and soul. A commitment to sustainability is evident throughout the property. The resort is powered 100% by solar energy, and several buildings have been designed for LEED Gold Certification, while an on-site cultural center further provides both visitors and locals with perspective into the rich natural and cultural significance of the surroundings.
About Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts manages a global collection of 31 one-of-a-kind luxury hotels, resorts and residences in 18 countries. Each Rosewood property embraces the brand’s A Sense of Place® philosophy to reflect the individual location’s history, culture and sensibilities. The Rosewood collection includes some of the world’s most legendary hotels and resorts, including The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel in New York, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel in Paris, as well as new classics such as Rosewood Hong Kong and Rosewood São Paulo. For those who wish to stay a little longer, Rosewood Residences offer a distinct opportunity for the ownership or rental of properties co-located with a Rosewood hotel or resort and of standalone for-sale residences. Rosewood Residences are defined by the brand’s commitment to Enriched Living through thoughtful details and experiences that enhance the quality of life while evoking a sense of discovery and inspiration.
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