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Coco Palms Resort
Upon arriving at the entrance hall of the Coco palms you instantly knew you were in a special place.
The legendary Coco Palms
The Coco Palms is a legendary resort known throughout the world for it's authentic and gracious form of Polynesian hospitality, it's nightly torch-lighting ceremony and the giant clamshell sinks in its guest rooms. Visitors returned for decades and counted amongst them kings, rascals, movie stars and residents of the islands. It was a delightful and engaging world unto itself, with it's own ceremonies, rituals, and traditions.
In September of 1992 Hurricane Iniki, the strongest hurricane to sweep through Hawaii in recorded history caused $1.8 billion of damage to the island of Kaua‘i and shut down the resort.
Info Grafik was brought onboard in the fall of 2006 to help relaunch the Coco Palms Resort, which would tear down the existing structure and rebuild it with approximately 200 condominium residences and 100 hotel bungalows.
Site Layout Circa 1990
The Coco Palms Resort first opened in 1953 with only 53 rooms. Over the years the resort continued to grow with having over 400 rooms at its peak. Here is the layout of the resort shortly before being shut down by hurricane Iniki.
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The Coco Palms Resort Plan in 1992
1. Coconut Tree Grove
2. Hotel Reception Hall
3. Lagoon
4. Hotel Bungalows
5. Fitness Center
6. Tennis Courts
7. Seashell Restaurant
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Mrs. Guslander's Vision
The equity of the brand was locked up in the memories of the resort that wereheld in the hearts of former guests, residents, and employees. These memories helped the Coco Palms build a lasting reputation around the world.
The first phase of our engagement was to research the history of the resort and the island. We also met with and interviewed individuals and groups with direct experiences with the resort and with Mrs. Grace Guslander, the equally legendary hotelier who created Coco Palms. We had the privilege to sort through her personal archives which, in combination with personal interviews, helped us to see and appreciate the history of the Resort, Wailua and Kaua‘i. With this background and by spending time on the property we formed a clear understanding of what made the resort successful.
Life at Coco Palms was centered around the nightly Call to Feast and the Torch lighting Ceremony. It was a complex community, a veritable tribe that grew over the years out of the ceremonies, rituals and parties that Mrs. Guslander gave to draw people together and bind them to the place and to eachother.
The early-stage renderings and site plan focused the community on the Lagoon. The 2,000-tree Coconut Grove, a key component to the guest experience and mystique of the resort, hadn't yet been integrated into the plan.
The Brand vs. New Resort Plan
We were asked to examine the preliminary design and guest experience of the new resort plan through the lens of the Coco Palms brand. Our assessment noted some key issues relating to the density, placement of buildings, spa and the architectural design of the plan. As a result, changes were made to the plan that would bring the plan and brand into closer alignment.
After examining the plan, our general conclusions were these:
- The Coconut Grove needed to be incorporated into the overall plan and not cut off from the flow of daily and nocturnal life.
- The key individual and communal guest experiences revolved around the interaction between the grove, lagoon, restaurants, and bars.
- The current design of the resort needed to be modified to serve the equity of the brand, provide for the best guest experiences and maximize the ROI for the project owners.
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Original redevelopment plan:
1. Coconut Tree Grove
2. Hotel Reception Hall
3. Lagoon
4. Hotel Bungalows
5. Fitness Center
6. Tennis Courts
7. Seashell Restaurant
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A Wall of Bungalows
The increase in the size and number of bungalows on the mauka side of the lagoon denied the Coconut Grove participation in the resort. The architecture of the buildings and the lagoon area needed to be softened to evoke the sensuality of a Polynesian hideaway.
The Coconut Grove
With all the bungalows designed facing the lagoon, the interaction with the Coconut Grove was lost. The spirit of the grove has always been at the center of the Coco Palms spirit.
Hard Landscaping
The concrete or stone planters and concrete pathways were at odds with the natural sensuality of the property and the brand equity.
Spa and Treatment Center
The Spa was initially conceived as one building thereby limiting the interaction with the environment and the realm of fantasy.
Diminished Entrance
The grand entrance hall that once greeted visitors from around the world was replaced by a smaller and less compelling version. The sense a magnificent arrival was diminished.
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The Bungalow concept changed to a Proto-Polynesian village. By consolidating some units and breaking apart others we opened up the access to the grove so that the overall environment of the resort now included it as a key component. The landscaping was softened and the entrance to the Bungalow was relocated to the grove side of the structure.
The Resort: Conceptual Exploration
Part of our branding assignment to was to was to explore the idea of what Mrs. Guslander might have done if she were to rebuild the Coco Palms today. We followed the basic rules of the entitlements and zoning codes but let the insights we had learned from our research and interviews have free play.
Basic Recommendations
- Redesign bungalows so that they blend into the overall resort rather than dominate the lagoon.
- If the bungalows can't be redesigned, then change the architectural surfaces to downplay their presence and remove the intrusive concrete elements.
- Tell a story with the spa and bring it to life as a pleasurable destination in the far reaches of the mysterious grove.
- Take a look at the overall resort design and find for ways of activating the equity in a contemporary and captivating manner.
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Our approach re-organized the bungalows on the mauka side of the lagoon and opened up access to the power and mystery of the Coconut Grove.
The Spa, now The Islands of Pleasure & Health became an interesting destination.
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The Islands of Pleasure and Health
We evolved the Spa concept from a one-building service center to a romantic and evocative destination on the far side of the grove. The concept was modeled on the Hawaiian Island archipelago with a variety of experiences related to the different personalities of each island. For instance Kaua'i would be more meditative while Hawai'i would be for more active pursuits.
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The top image is of a hut that was built at Coco Palms for one of the many Hollywood movies filmed at Coco Palms. It evoked the dream that the resort symbolized.
The conical hut below belonged to a Chief in New Caledonia. Mrs. Guslander positioned Coco Palms as a Polynesian Resort and we thought that by invoking a variety of Pacific references we would honor the brand and differentiate the product from the branding efforts of likely competitors.
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Kalani Vierra, Kaua'i native, became the new poster child for the resort. His graciousness, clarity and willingness to help had a great impact on the power of the imagery developed for the project.
Bringing the Brand Story to Life
The challenge was to tell a story that evoked the experiences of the past while opening the door to new ones. With the resort in tatters and without any conceptual renderings we used a combination of archival and new photography to re-launch the story. We re-enacted the torch-lighting ceremony, brought the Flame Bar back to life and spent a week on the grounds and Wailua Bay.
We re-drew the iconic Coco Palms identity and added "Island of Kaua‘i" to help locate it for off-island buyers.
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The final site plan incorporated many of the broad-brush recommendations we suggested. The number of bungalows were reduced and the channel to the Coconut Grove was re-established. The Spa was broken out into various components and the bungalows were re-oriented toward the grove.
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The new advertising effort invoked the fantasies of the past while offering a bridge to realizing them today.
The collateral pieces used rich imagery from today and cross-pollinated it with the archival images from our research.
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