Turtle Bay Resort is a key gathering place and the largest private employer for the North Shore community. The resort, iconic Arnold Palmer Golf Course and local restaurants employ

750+ TEAM MEMBERS,
85% OF WHOM ARE NORTH SHORE RESIDENTS

WHAT’S THE LATEST AT TURTLE BAY RESORT?

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit last March, Turtle Bay was forced to close its doors and furlough nearly all of its team members when the. During this time, significant renovations have been underway as the resort prepares to welcome guests to the newly transformed Turtle Bay Resort and bring team members back to work this summer.

Upon their return, the first thing employees will see is a breathtaking 84-foot mural painted just for them. The mural was created by local artist Kahi Ching to capture the beauty and stories of the North Shore and honor the hardworking men and women of Turtle Bay.

ENHANCING TURTLE BAY RESORT

Turtle Bay Resort is undergoing the first major renovation since the resort was built almost 50 years ago. This long-awaited transformation is critically important to Turtle Bay’s continued competitiveness as a world-class resort and vital economic driver for the region.

Enhancements underway include the completed transformation of the Kula Grille restaurant – now known as Alaia – and the refreshed ocean bungalows. The resort hired Hui Kū Maoli Ola to grow species of native plants, including ulu, naupaka, pohinahina and more, at the property’s entrance.

Over the last two years, Turtle Bay has undergone a range of much-needed repairs and maintenance to the existing hotel and various facilities that support resort operations. Renovation initiatives include:

  • Reposition the hotel entrance with a new entry drive on the existing valet parking area

  • Renovate existing lobby, two restaurants, pools, pool bar and pool deck

  • Remove the guard shack and add a resort entry feature

  • Renovate existing beach cottages

  • Repair existing tennis courts and add resurfaced pickle-ball courts

  • Expand existing cart barn to house additional golf carts

RESORT TRANSFORMATION

$124 MILLION INVESTMENT

225 LOCAL
CONSTRUCTION JOBS

0 NEW
ROOMS ADDED

UNDERSTANDING TURTLE BAY RESORT’S DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

In 2015, the then owner of Turtle Bay Resort participated in an unprecedented public/private partnership with the State of Hawai‘i, the City & County of Honolulu and the Trust for Public Land to:

  • Preserve 660 acres, more than 65% of the property, as open space in perpetuity
  • Establish public access trails, meaningful public parking, golfing privileges for Kahuku High School Golf Team
  • Maintain the resort owners’ ability to develop a limited portion of the resort campus

While the resort retains its agreed-upon development rights, the main focus at this time is to continue investing in Turtle Bay which will generate jobs for the community.  Whatever our development plans may be in the future, we are dedicated to being good neighbors and responsible stewards of the land we’ve been entrusted to nurture and protect.

STEWARDING OUR ʻĀINA

Turtle Bay Resort remains committed to being a thoughtful steward of our environment. The nearly 900 acres of Turtle Bay are home to endangered species like monk seals, green sea turtles, Laysan albatross, alae ‘ula birds and humpback whales. To restore, preserve and protect our ʻāina and native species, Turtle Bay has:

Invested more than $160,000 to create signage inviting guests and the community to explore 12 miles of hiking, biking and jogging trails and learn more about historical sites like the King’s Walk, Kalaeokauna‘oa (Kahuku Point) and Punaho‘olapa Marsh.

Partnered with NSCLT and the Hawai‘i Fish and Wildlife Service to stabilize the sand dunes at Kahuku Point with ground cover.

Committed to making sustainable decisions that are good for local businesses and the health of our island.

SUPPORTING OUR NORTH SHORE AND KO‘OLAULOA COMMUNITIES

Giving back to our communities through philanthropy is an important commitment for Turtle Bay. During the past year, Turtle Bay Resort and its charitable giving arm, the Turtle Bay Foundation:

  • Donated 4,000 pounds of fresh food and distributed supplies – including toilet paper, and surplus toiletries such as shampoo and conditioner – to kūpuna at the Kahuku Hauoli Elderly Hale and community members with the Hau‘ula Civic Club

  • Gave 20 computers to the Kahuku High School Computer Club, enabling students who previously didn’t have computer access to keep up with their school work

  • Hosted four food distributions with Aloha Harvest, North Shore Food Bank and the Hawaiʻi Foodbank to support team members and the surrounding community

  • Volunteered at community workdays and beach clean-ups with North Shore Community Land Trust and Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i

Currently, the Turtle Bay Foundation is accepting scholarship applications and plans to award funds to students in Spring 2021. Since 2015, the Turtle Bay Foundation has awarded nearly 300 scholarships totaling roughly $300,000 in educational support for students in our Ko‘olauloa and North Shore communities.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

PARTNERING  WITH NORTH SHORE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST

Turtle Bay Resort is proud to support the North Shore Community Land Trust (NSCLT) in fulfilling its mission to preserve our ʻāina and culture, and mālama native species — like the Laysan albatross — who call Turtle Bay home. In January, team members joined NSCLT to perform restoration work like pulling weeds and planting native trees at Kahuku Point.

PROTECTING AND CULTIVATING AGRICULTURAL LAND

In September 2019, Turtle Bay and its partner Pono Pacific opened the Laulima Gardens, a community garden with 32 plots for Turtle Bay employees, community members and nonprofits to grow food. Located across Kamehameha Highway, Turtle Bay’s Mauka Lands encompass 468 acres of agricultural land that farmers use to grow various crops. The land is protected from further development by the conservation easement.

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