The Ilikai

Few buildings in Hawaii carry the kind of cultural weight the Ilikai does. When developer Chinn Ho commissioned architect John Graham Jr. — fresh off designing the Seattle Space Needle — to build Waikiki’s first condotel in 1964, the result was a 26-story Y-shaped tower that physically dominated a neighborhood still largely low-rise. The concept was genuinely new: individual condo ownership layered with hotel operations, in a single building on the water. For over a decade, the original Hawaii Five-O broadcast its opening credits to millions of weekly viewers with Jack Lord waving from the penthouse lanai, making the Ilikai one of the most recognized buildings in the country without most people knowing its name.

What has kept it relevant isn’t the nostalgia — it’s the position. The Ilikai is one of three buildings in all of Waikiki with direct beach access, the others being Waikiki Shore and Ilikai Marina. A 2014 renovation brought the lobby, pool deck, and retail level up to the standard of the major waterfront hotels nearby, and a family pool followed in 2015. Empire Steakhouse Hawaii arrived at the top of the building in 2025, reached by glass elevator — a detail that adds to a ground floor already anchored multiple casual dining options and other shopping options.

With over a thousand units, eight elevators, and a floor plan that puts residences on one of three radiating wings, the building functions more like a self-contained neighborhood than a typical condo. Short-term rentals are permitted and multiple management companies operate on-site, making it one of the most accessible investment buildings in Waikiki for owners who want professional management without going far to find it.