© The Walt Disney Co. 2007

Walt Disney Parks & Resorts announced on October 30, 2007 that the company had finalized plans to purchase 21 acres of oceanfront property on Hawaii's island of Oahu.

The property, located on the island's western side in the picturesque Ko Olina Resort & Marina, Honolulu's premier resort destination, will be home to Disney's first mixed-use family resort outside of its theme park developments. The expansive resort, to be called Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, is scheduled to open in Fall 2011. It will have more than 800 units including hotel rooms and villas for Disney Vacation Club, which is Disney's rapidly growing timeshare business.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts broke ground for its first family destination resort in Hawai'i on November 19, 2008 with a traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony. The new resort will overlook breathtaking crystal blue lagoons and white sand beaches and is planned to include 481 two-bedroom-equivalent Disney Vacation Club villas and 360 hotel rooms.

Ko Olina

The new resort will be the latest addition to the Ko Olina development, known for its sweeping ocean views, picture-postcard white sand beaches and tranquil crystal blue lagoons.

Jeff Stone, President of The Resort Group and master developer of Ko Olina, has been working closely with Disney on the land acquisition and project. "Ko Olina means 'place of joy,' and I can't imagine a more perfect fit here than a Disney resort that will bring joy to people from around the world," Stone said. "For many years, it has been our vision to continue to expand Ko Olina as a premier vacation destination for families and business travelers, and this new Disney resort hotel is making that vision a wonderful reality."

Design Plans

Plans call for an expansive pool and water play area, an 18,000-square-foot spa, a wedding lawn, an 8,000-square-foot convention center, a children's club and spectacular dining at two restaurants -- one of which will provide a stunning view of the ocean.

The design also calls for activities and amenities that aim to engage every member of the family. At the resort's signature water way, for example, family friendly tubes and body slides will weave through volcanic rockwork and engage an iconic caldera volcano, while a nearby wading pool gives parents with toddlers a welcoming alternative to the sprawling zero-entry fun pool. In addition, more adventurous family members will find vibrant fish species in a saltwater snorkel lagoon.

Beyond activities for the whole family, the resort is being designed to respect and connect with the local culture of the Hawaiian islands. During the past year, the Walt Disney Imagineering team has been researching Hawai'i and working with local architects and cultural experts as part of the resort's creative design process. The resulting design is a village celebrating the Hawaiian customs and traditions that lead to a life filled with joy and in harmony with the natural world. To further incorporate Hawaiian traditions, cultural programming in the areas of environmental education, music, dance, history, and arts and crafts; a story-driven, technology-enabled adventure game; and other surprises come together to create a Hawaiian destination that's uniquely Disney.

Additionally, Hawai'i's aloha spirit will influence the many intricate details for which Disney resorts are famous, with stories woven into the architecture, interiors, art, graphics and three planned signature gardens all brought to life through carefully selected colors, patterns, materials and forms. Wood, thatch, lava stone and coral will be among the materials represented in the resort's two 15-story guestroom towers, each oriented perpendicular to the ocean to maximize ocean views from the strategically angled guest rooms. Façade murals will add to the distinctive look of each tower and will begin to portray some of the stories and legends of the islands.

At the heart of the resort, an open-air lobby building -- dubbed Hale Aloha -- will draw its design inspiration from a traditional Hawaiian canoe house, visually connecting families to the sea and beyond. Window designs, wall graphics and other details will welcome families with tales of adventure, myth, legend and more, while twin streams flow through the building before uniting as a single cascade into the center garden below.

Disney's Hawaiian Heritage

While the announcement marks Disney's first resort hotel development in Hawaii, the company's love affair with the islands began in the company's infancy with founder Walt Disney. From the 1937 Mickey Mouse animated short "Hawaiian Holiday" to the Hawaiian setting of Disneyland's groundbreaking Enchanted Tiki Room attraction, which debuted in 1963 and established the Audio-Animatronics art form, to the inclusion of Disney's Polynesian Resort at the Walt Disney World Resort, Walt often pulled inspiration from the popular islands.

Walt Disney Pictures continued the Hawaiian legacy in 2002 with the hit animated film "Lilo & Stitch," an original story about a Hawaiian girl who tames a seemingly untamable alien by teaching the meaning of "ohana," the Hawaiian tradition of family. The Walt Disney Company also does extensive film work in Hawaii, including on-location production for the hit ABC series "Lost." The feature film "Pearl Harbor" was also shot on location in Oahu.

"We are very excited about becoming part of the Ko Olina community," Rasulo said. "Clearly, Hawaii already has a special place in our hearts and in Disney's history. Building a resort hotel in Hawaii is the next chapter in our effort to create immersive Disney experiences that allow families to reconnect and recharge in the areas of the world they most long to visit."

Disney Vacation Club

Part of Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, will be dedicated to Disney Vacation Club, a timeshare program that helps families enjoy flexibility and savings on vacations for decades to come. By becoming a member of Disney Vacation Club, families can enjoy vacations at Disney destinations worldwide as well as more than 500 other popular Member Getaways vacation locations around the globe.

Since its inception in 1991, Disney Vacation Club has grown to serve more than 350,000 individual members from more than 100 countries and all 50 US states.

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