Hawaii luxury hotel leaders rethink personalisation

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[Hotels & Resorts](https://latteluxurynews.com/category/hotels-resorts/)

[Matt Turner](https://latteluxurynews.com/author/matt-turner/)

When it comes to hotels, does personalisation mean continually surprising guests or knowing them well enough not to change anything?

That question was at the heart of a recent discussion at [**Evoke \| Inspire**‘s “Curators” event in Hawaii last month](https://us.latteluxurynews.com/2026/09/22/a-first-look-at-evoke-inspire-at-it-celebrates-curators-in-hawaii/) among leaders of three of Hawaii’s most established luxury hotels.

Panelists—including **Deni Ohlsen-Dukic, Executive Assistant Manager at Halekulani**; **Nicole Okuna, General Manager of The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort**; and **Craig Anderson, Vice President of resort operations at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection**—explored how their properties balance longstanding client relationships with the expectations of first-time and younger guests—and the role travel advisors play in bridging that gap.

Ohlsen-Dukic spoke about how Halekulani has guests who, during each of their stays, prefer to stay in the same room, sit at the same spot by the pool and dine at the same table at the restaurant. Okuna and Anderson agreed that this isn’t uncommon. But it’s not just making sure they have the same room, lounger and table when they visit; true luxury (and personalisation) goes beyond simply accommodating those requests.

Halekulani’s lobby \| Credit: Halekulani

For instance, after a recent US$240 million renovation at the Mauna Kea—in which all rooms received new signage—the hotel decided to gift the former room numbers in a shadow box to a family who had been booking the same handful of rooms each holiday season.

Okuna shared a similar story from The Royal Hawaiian, which replaced its signature pink guestroom wallpaper during a recent refresh. One repeat guest has a room in her home inspired by the hotel, so The Royal Hawaiian saved a square yard of the original wallpaper and has it framed and waiting for her next visit in December.

Neither gesture would be considered a “conventional” luxury upgrade by any means. But for those specific guests, these otherwise ordinary objects carry years of memories and personal significance.

Perhaps even more elaborate, Ohlsen-Dukic shared a story about a couple who got married at the Halekulani 30 years ago (in fact, that’s where they met); for a recent trip celebrating their anniversary, the team redesigned their room to match to the best of their ability the room design from 30 years ago.