AHL is honored to see Mauna Kea Beach Hotel featured in Cool Hunting, celebrating the resort’s 60-year legacy and its thoughtful evolution along Kaunaʻoa Bay on Hawaiʻi Island. The story spotlights AHL Principal, Neu-Wa O’Neill, AIA, whose leadership helped guide the architectural restoration and creation of new spaces at this beloved island landmark.
AHL’s design approach honored Mauna Kea’s original architectural character while advancing the property for its next chapter. Renewed guest, dining, and wellness spaces build on the hotel’s enduring relationship with the landscape—framing ocean and garden views, bringing art into focus, and extending the open-air experience that has long defined the resort.
“We had a duty to respect the existing building and only add elements that would enhance or restore what was already here,” says O’Neill. “For the spa and fitness campus, our key design narrative words were filtered and framed views, art as focal point and blending of indoor and outdoor.”
Mahalo to Mauna Kea Resort and the multidisciplinary team—including Looney & Associates, The Vanguard Theory, MADE Brands, and Island Eclectic—for their shared stewardship of this remarkable Hawaiʻi Island destination.
