Hawaii: Lodging in the islands on the upswing

Among the record 8.9 million visitors to Hawaii in 2016, more than 5.5 million stayed in hotels, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, and the majority of visitors are repeat travelers to the islands. Besides Hilo’s Grand Naniloa Hotel, here are brand new or newly transformed hotels seeking to keep those statistics equally high in 2017: The 52 units in total permit access to Kukuiula’s championship golf course, spa, restaurant and other facilities otherwise only available to owners of the resort’s high-end estates. The Waikoloa Beach Marriott on Anaehoomalu Beach is converting a wing into Marriott’s Waikoloa Ocean Club, which will offer one- and two-bedroom villas with kitchenettes, living rooms, sofabeds and washer-dryers, plus free parking (and no resort fee.) Reservations are available starting May 5, with one-bedroom rates starting at $308 and two-bedroom rates at $455. www.marriotthawaii.com Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, near the new Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo on Banyan Drive, recently completed a half-million-dollar renovation that included a complete makeover of its bayfront pool and ballrooms.