Designing Paradise
Don J. Hibbard / Photography by Augie Salbosa
216p. Black & white and color
$50.00
Princeton Architectural Press

For those who wish to know more about some of Hawai‘i’s most luxurious resorts and hotels, “Designing Paradise” provides both story and history. Author Don J. Hibbard has created a comprehensive tale of the travel and vacation industry that began in the 1800s and eventually created today’s Hawaiian hospitality industry.

Hibbard masterfully describes the behind-the-scenes politics and occasional controversies that preceded the design and construction of some hotels that have become the landmarks of modern architecture and hostelry. It is a history filled with colorful characters and artists such as Conrad Hilton, C. W. Dickey, George “Pete” Wimberly (one of the founding partners of the now famous resort architecture firms Wimberly, Allison, Tong and Goo), Laurence Rockefeller, Vladimir Ossipoff, and so many more.

The first three chapters take the reader through the entire history of Hawai‘i’s first hotel and tourist industry beginning in 1844 and leading up to the modern day. The thoroughly-researched text is illustrated with fabulous historic photos and renderings of the first hospitality structures to dot the Islands. In some cases, a chronological look at the long-lost hotels are displayed and the reader is offered the opportunity to walk through the history of a hospitality industry which has gone on to be emulated around the world.

Subsequent chapters chronicle the story of specific hotels such as the Kahala Hilton Hotel, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Kona Village Resort, Halekulani, and more (many of which have also been featured in the pages of Hawaiian Style).

Photographer Augie Salbosa captures the splendor of the more contemporary resorts. Capturing the architectural details while also framing a sense of place. Photographs of the Hyatt Regency Kaua‘i, Manaele Bay Hotel, Four Seasons Maui at Wailea, Grand Wailea and so many more, are a beautiful punctuation to the superb text detailing the creation of each of these fine resorts.

Whether you love history, architecture, or just would like to know more about your favorite vacation spot, “Designing Paradise” is a design of great writing and photography.