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82-492: The Hotel Georgia was built at a cost of $ 1.5 million and opened on May 7, 1927; the architects were Robert T. Garrow and John Graham Sr. It became the first international property of Seattle-based Western Hotels on January 31, 1931, and remained with the chain, later Western International Hotels, until August 1, 1972. In 1998, the Hotel Georgia was sold to Vancouver-based Allied Hotel Properties Inc. for $ 45 million. They spent

164-601: A temperate climate , to alpine conditions with a cold, dry climate. The rainy climate impacts soil development , which largely determines ground permeability, affecting the distribution of streams and wetlands . Several areas in Hawaiʻi are under the National Park Service 's protection. Hawaii has two national parks: Haleakalā National Park , near Kula on Maui, which features the dormant volcano Haleakalā that formed east Maui; and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park , in

246-537: A Christian monarchy with the signing of the 1840 Constitution . Hiram Bingham I , a prominent Protestant missionary, was a trusted adviser to the monarchy during this period. Other missionaries and their descendants became active in commercial and political affairs, leading to conflicts between the monarchy and its restive American subjects. Missionaries from the Roman Catholic Church and from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were also active in

328-584: A cognate is the name of the underworld or of the ancestral home, but in Hawaii, the name has no meaning". In 1978, Hawaiian was added to the Constitution of the State of Hawaii as an official state language alongside English. The title of the state constitution is The Constitution of the State of Hawaii . Article   XV, Section   1 of the Constitution uses The State of Hawaii . Diacritics were not used because

410-489: A few sailors arrived in 1778 with Cook's journey, and more in 1789 with an American trader who settled in Hawaiʻi in the late 18th century. It is said that Chinese workers introduced leprosy by 1830, and as with the other new infectious diseases, it proved damaging to the Hawaiians. During the 1780s, and 1790s, chiefs often fought for power. After a series of battles that ended in 1795, all inhabited islands were subjugated under

492-625: A further $ 10 million renovating the hotel, reopening it as the Crowne Plaza Hotel Georgia in June 1998. Allied announced plans to develop the adjacent parking lot with a 50-story residential tower, before selling the hotel to Seattle-based Goodman Real Estate Inc. and the Delta Group for $ 65 million in 2005. The new owners reworked the plans for the tower. In early 2007, the Crowne Plaza Hotel Georgia closed for restoration work and construction of

574-493: A further $ 400 million to build. The hotel was sold to Vancouver-based Pacific Reach in 2017 for $ 145 million. The hotel closed for renovations on January 1, 2024, and reopened on July 3, 2024. Renovations included the refurbishment of the lobby and 1927 Lobby Lounge, as well as the Reflections Terrace, front desk, and rooms and suites. The basement of the hotel, that has long housed beer halls, cocktail bars, and nightclubs,

656-633: A half centuries, Spanish galleons crossed the Pacific from Mexico along a route that passed south of Hawaiʻi on their way to Manila . The exact route was kept secret to protect the Spanish trade monopoly against competing powers. Hawaiʻi thus maintained independence, despite being on a sea route east–west between nations that were subjects of the Viceroyalty of New Spain , an empire that exercised jurisdiction over many subject civilizations and kingdoms on both sides of

738-498: A higher percentage of its endemic species than any other U.S. state. The endemic plant Brighamia now requires hand pollination because its natural pollinator is presumed to be extinct. The two species of Brighamia — B. rockii and B. insignis —are represented in the wild by around 120 individual plants. To ensure that these plants set seed, biologists rappel down 3,000-foot (910 m) cliffs to brush pollen onto their stigmas. The archipelago's extant main islands have been above

820-688: A management company to handle all their properties, and help deal with the crippling effects of the ongoing Great Depression . The men invited Peter and Adolph Schmidt, who operated five hotels in the Puget Sound area, to join them, and together they established Western Hotels . The chain consisted of 17 properties – 16 in Washington and one in Boise, Idaho . Western Hotels expanded to Vancouver , British Columbia and Portland , Oregon in 1931, to Alaska in 1939, and then to California in 1941, assuming management of

902-630: A new constitution to proclaim herself an absolute monarch. On January 14, 1893, a group of mostly Euro-American business leaders and residents formed the Committee of Safety to stage a coup d'état against the kingdom and seek annexation by the United States. U.S. Government Minister John L. Stevens , responding to a request from the Committee of Safety, summoned a company of U.S. Marines. The queen's soldiers did not resist. According to historian William Russ,

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984-491: A new corporate headquarters directly across the street in the Westin Building , which shared a parking garage with the hotel. In 1987, UAL chairman Richard Ferris announced a plan to reorganize UAL as Allegis Corporation, a travel conglomerate based around United Airlines , Hertz Rent a Car , Hilton International Hotels , and Westin and linked by Apollo . This strategy failed, however, and Allegis sold Westin in 1988 to

1066-504: A single ruler, who became known as King Kamehameha the Great . He established the House of Kamehameha , a dynasty that ruled the kingdom until 1872. After Kamehameha II inherited the throne in 1819, American Protestant missionaries to Hawaiʻi converted many Hawaiians to Christianity. Missionaries have argued that one function of missionary work was to "civilize" and "purify" perceived heathenism in

1148-410: A unified, internationally recognized kingdom in 1810, remaining independent until American and European businessmen overthrew the monarchy in 1893; this led to annexation by the U.S. in 1898. As a strategically valuable U.S. territory , Hawaii was attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, which brought it global and historical significance, and contributed to America's entry into World War II. Hawaii

1230-443: Is also restricted and anyone who enters without permission will be arrested. This island may also be dangerous since it was a military base during the world wars and could still have unexploded ordnance. The Hawaiian archipelago is 2,000 mi (3,200 km) southwest of the contiguous United States. Hawaii is the southernmost U.S. state and the second westernmost after Alaska . Like Alaska, Hawaii borders no other U.S. state. It

1312-615: Is an American upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International . As of June 30, 2020 , the Westin Brand has 226 properties with 82,608 rooms in multiple countries in addition to 58 hotels with 15,741 rooms in the pipeline. In 1930, Severt W. Thurston and Frank Dupar of Seattle , Washington met unexpectedly during breakfast at the coffee shop of the Commercial Hotel in Yakima , Washington. The competing hotel owners decided to form

1394-546: Is creating a conflict between economic and environmental health. In 2020, the Center for Biological Diversity reported on the plastic pollution of Hawaii's Kamilo beach, citing "massive piles of plastic waste". Invasive species are spreading, and chemical and pathogenic runoff is contaminating groundwater and coastal waters. Hawaiʻi is one of two U.S. states, along with Texas , that were internationally recognized sovereign nations before becoming U.S. states. The Kingdom of Hawaiʻi

1476-690: Is getting drier and hotter . The warmest temperature recorded in the state, in Pahala on April 27, 1931, is 100 °F (38 °C), tied with Alaska as the lowest record high temperature observed in a U.S. state. Hawaiʻi's record low temperature is 12 °F (−11 °C) observed in May   1979, on the summit of Mauna Kea . Hawaiʻi is the only state to have never recorded subzero Fahrenheit temperatures. Climates vary considerably on each island; they can be divided into windward and leeward ( koʻolau and kona , respectively) areas based upon location relative to

1558-515: Is national defense when what is being destroyed is the very thing the military is entrusted to defend, the sacred land of Hawaiʻi?" Contemporary Indigenous Hawaiians are still protesting the occupation of their homelands and environmental degradation due to increased militarization in the wake of 9/11. After the rise of sugarcane plantations in the mid 19th century, island ecology changed dramatically. Plantations require massive quantities of water, and European and American plantation owners transformed

1640-505: Is outside the state, is Midway Atoll ). Spanning 1,500 miles (2,400 km), the state is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania . Hawaii's ocean coastline is consequently the fourth-longest in the U.S. , at about 750 miles (1,210 km). The eight main islands, from northwest to southeast, are Niʻihau , Kauaʻi , Oʻahu , Molokaʻi , Lānaʻi , Kahoʻolawe , Maui , and Hawaiʻi , after which

1722-617: Is preserved in the names of some locations in the US state of Idaho , for example. Spanish explorers may have arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in the 16th century, 200 years before Cook's first documented visit in 1778. Ruy López de Villalobos commanded a fleet of six ships that left Acapulco in 1542 bound for the Philippines, with a Spanish sailor named Juan Gaetano aboard as pilot. Gaetano's reports describe an encounter with either Hawaiʻi or

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1804-510: Is the most recent state to join the union , on August 21, 1959. In 1993, the U.S. government formally apologized for its role in the overthrow of Hawaii's government, which had spurred the Hawaiian sovereignty movement and has led to ongoing efforts to obtain redress for the indigenous population. Historically dominated by a plantation economy , Hawaii remains a major agricultural exporter due to its fertile soil and uniquely tropical climate in

1886-511: Is the only U.S. state not in North America, and the only one completely surrounded by water and entirely an archipelago. In addition to the eight main islands, the state has many smaller islands and islets. Kaʻula is a small island near Niʻihau. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands is a group of nine small, older islands northwest of Kauaʻi that extends from Nihoa to Kure Atoll ; these are remnants of once much larger volcanic mountains. Across

1968-490: The kapu system, the prevailing legal system before European contact, and heiau , or "temples" to religious figures. Kapu , which typically translates to "the sacred", refers to social regulations (like gender and class restrictions) that were based upon spiritual beliefs. Under the missionaries' guidance, laws against gambling, consuming alcohol, dancing the hula , breaking the Sabbath, and polygamy were enacted. Without

2050-406: The 11th-least populous ; but with 1.4 million residents, it ranks 13th in population density . Two-thirds of Hawaii residents live on O'ahu, home to the state's capital and largest city, Honolulu . Hawaii is among the country's most demographically diverse states, owing to its central location in the Pacific and over two centuries of migration. As one of only seven majority-minority states , it has

2132-619: The Hawaiʻi hotspot . The process is continuing to build islands; the tectonic plate beneath much of the Pacific Ocean continually moves northwest and the hotspot remains stationary, slowly creating new volcanoes. Because of the hotspot's location, all active land volcanoes are on the southern half of Hawaiʻi Island. The newest volcano, Kamaʻehuakanaloa (formerly Lōʻihi), is south of the coast of Hawaiʻi Island. The last volcanic eruption outside Hawaiʻi Island occurred at Haleakalā on Maui before

2214-570: The Marshall Islands . Most scholars have dismissed these claims due to a lack of credibility. Nonetheless, Spanish archives contain a chart that depicts islands at the same latitude as Hawaiʻi, but with a longitude ten degrees east of the islands. In this manuscript, Maui is named La Desgraciada (The Unfortunate Island), and what appears to be Hawaiʻi Island is named La Mesa (The Table). Islands resembling Kahoʻolawe' , Lānaʻi , and Molokaʻi are named Los Monjes (The Monks). For two and

2296-520: The Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (alongside Alaska ), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, the only state that is an archipelago , and the only state in the tropics . Hawaii consists of 137 volcanic islands that comprise almost the entire Hawaiian archipelago (the exception, which

2378-515: The Seal of Hawaii use the spelling without symbols for glottal stops or vowel length. There are eight main Hawaiian islands. Seven are inhabited, but only six are open to tourists and locals. Niʻihau is privately managed by brothers Bruce and Keith Robinson ; access is restricted to those who have their permission. This island is also home to native Hawaiians. Access to uninhabited Kahoʻolawe island

2460-682: The Sir Francis Drake Hotel the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed. Western added properties in Utah in 1949 and Montana in 1950. Western Hotels executive Edward Carlson convinced Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron to open his first franchised Trader Vic's location in the chain's Benjamin Franklin Hotel in Seattle in 1949. Originally a small bar named The Outrigger , it was expanded into a full restaurant in 1954 and renamed Trader Vic's in 1960. Due to

2542-627: The Stuttgart TV Tower , was the origin of the Space Needle. The chain managed the restaurant atop the Space Needle from its opening until 1982. Western Hotels also managed a floating hotel aboard the ocean liner QSMV  Dominion Monarch , docked in Seattle harbor during the fair. The company was renamed Western International Hotels in January 1963, to reflect its growth outside the US. In

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2624-582: The chiefdoms , which grew to encompass whole islands. Local chiefs, called aliʻi , ruled their settlements, and launched wars to extend their influence and defend their communities from predatory rivals. Ancient Hawaiʻi was a caste -based society, much like that of Hindus in India. Population growth was facilitated by ecological and agricultural practices that combined upland agriculture ( manuka ), ocean fishing ( makai ), fishponds and gardening systems. These systems were upheld by spiritual and religious beliefs, like

2706-455: The kapu system, many temples and priestly statuses were jeopardized, idols were burned, and participation in Christianity increased. When Kamehameha III inherited the throne at age 12, his advisors pressured him to merge Christianity with traditional Hawaiian ways. Under the guidance of his kuhina nui (his mother and coregent Elizabeth Kaʻahumanu ) and British allies, Hawaiʻi turned into

2788-409: The kapu system, the practice of human sacrifice, and the building of heiau . This later immigration is detailed in Hawaiian mythology ( moʻolelo ) about Paʻao . Other authors say there is no archaeological or linguistic evidence of a later influx of Tahitian settlers and that Paʻao must be regarded as a myth. The islands' history is marked by a slow, steady growth in population and the size of

2870-424: The lava flows and the sulfur dioxide fumes, necessitated the evacuation of more than 2,000 inhabitants from their neighborhoods. The islands of Hawaiʻi are distant from other land habitats, and life is thought to have arrived there by wind, waves (i.e., by ocean currents), and wings (i.e., birds, insects, and any seeds that they may have carried on their feathers). Hawaiʻi has more endangered species and has lost

2952-583: The lokahi , that linked cultural continuity with the health of the natural world. According to Hawaiian scholar Mililani Trask , the lokahi symbolizes the "greatest of the traditions, values, and practices of our people ... There are three points in the triangle—the Creator, Akua ; the peoples of the earth, Kanaka Maoli ; and the land, the ʻaina . These three things all have a reciprocal relationship." In January 1778, British Captain James Cook encountered

3034-466: The Hawaiian Islands serendipitously while crossing the Pacific during his third voyage of exploration . This marked the first documented contact by a European explorer with Hawaiʻi. Cook named the archipelago "the Sandwich Islands" in honor of his sponsor John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich . The native name of the islands was originally rendered and published as " Owyhee" or "Owhyhee" , a form which

3116-592: The Japanese Aoki Corporation for $ 1.35 billion. Aoki immediately sold the Plaza Hotel to Donald Trump for $ 390 million. In 1994, Aoki agreed to sell Westin to real estate investment firm Starwood Capital Group (parent of Starwood ) and Goldman Sachs at an enormous loss, for $ 561 million, but by the time the sale closed in May 1995, the buyers had negotiated the price down to $ 537 million. In 1998, Starwood assumed full ownership of

3198-629: The National Park Service's control include Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail on Hawaiʻi Island and the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor on Oʻahu. President George W. Bush proclaimed the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument on June 15, 2006. The monument covers roughly 140,000 square miles (360,000 km ) of reefs, atolls, and shallow and deep sea out to 50 miles (80 km) offshore in

3280-474: The New World. This carried into Hawaiʻi. According to historical archaeologist James L. Flexner, "missionaries provided the moral means to rationalize conquest and wholesale conversion to Christianity". But rather than abandon traditional beliefs entirely, most native Hawaiians merged their Indigenous religion with Christianity. Missionaries used their influence to end many traditional practices, including

3362-570: The Pacific Ocean—an area larger than all the national parks in the U.S. combined. Hawaiʻi has a tropical climate . Temperatures and humidity tend to be less extreme because of near-constant trade winds from the east. Summer highs reach around 88 °F (31 °C) during the day, with lows of 75 °F (24 °C) at night. Winter day temperatures are usually around 83 °F (28 °C); at low elevation they seldom dip below 65 °F (18 °C) at night. Snow, not usually associated with

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3444-649: The Pacific. Despite such contested claims, Cook is generally considered the first European to land at Hawaiʻi, having visited the Hawaiian Islands twice. As he prepared for departure after his second visit in 1779, a quarrel ensued as he took temple idols and fencing as "firewood", and a minor chief and his group stole a boat from his ship. Cook abducted the King of Hawaiʻi Island , Kalaniʻōpuʻu , and held him for ransom aboard his ship to gain return of Cook's boat, as this tactic had previously worked in Tahiti and other islands. Instead,

3526-522: The U.S. Its economy has gradually diversified since the mid-20th century, with tourism and military defense becoming the two largest sectors. The state attracts visitors, surfers, and scientists with its diverse natural scenery, warm tropical climate, abundant public beaches, oceanic surroundings, active volcanoes, and clear skies on the Big Island. Hawaii hosts the United States Pacific Fleet ,

3608-589: The US and Canada. Western opened its first hotel in Mexico in 1961. In March of that same year, they opened the first hotel to be both constructed and owned by the chain, The Bayshore Inn in Vancouver. Edward Carlson became President of the chain in 1960 and is credited with bringing the Century 21 Exposition to Seattle in 1962. Carlson's own napkin sketch of a tower with a revolving restaurant on top, inspired by his visit to

3690-559: The archipelago are around 130 small rocks and islets, such as Molokini , which are made up of either volcanic or marine sedimentary rock. Hawaiʻi's tallest mountain Mauna Kea is 13,796 ft (4,205 m) above mean sea level; it is taller than Mount Everest if measured from the base of the mountain, which lies on the floor of the Pacific Ocean and rises about 33,500 feet (10,200 m). The Hawaiian islands were formed by volcanic activity initiated at an undersea magma source called

3772-420: The authority which I claim as the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands. The treason trials of 1892 brought together the main players in the 1893 overthrow. American Minister John L. Stevens voiced support for Native Hawaiian revolutionaries; William R. Castle, a Committee of Safety member, served as a defense counsel in the treason trials; Alfred Stedman Hartwell, the 1893 annexation commissioner, led

3854-632: The chain's 25th anniversary. Western Hotels expanded to Hawaii in 1956, assuming management of the Hawaiian Village Hotel , built by Henry J. Kaiser . Early management developed each property individually. After more than two decades of rapid growth, many of its properties were merged into a single corporate structure in 1958, focusing on bringing the hotels together under a common chain identity. Also in 1958, Western Hotels assumed management of three hotels in Guatemala, its first properties outside

3936-512: The company. In 2016, Marriott International acquired Starwood , becoming the world's largest hotel company. Westin was the first hotel chain to introduce guest credit cards (in 1946), 24-hour room service (1969), and personal voice mail in each room (1991). In 1999, Westin began selling the Heavenly Bed mattresses featured in Westin properties, and manufactured by Simmons Bedding Company , to

4018-551: The defense effort; and Sanford B. Dole ruled as a supreme court justice against acts of conspiracy and treason. On January 17, 1893, a small group of sugar and pineapple-growing businessmen, aided by the American minister to Hawaii and backed by heavily armed U.S. soldiers and marines, deposed Queen Liliʻuokalani and installed a provisional government composed of members of the Committee of Safety. According to scholar Lydia Kualapai and Hawaii State Representative Roy Takumi, this committee

4100-474: The document, drafted in 1949, predates the use of the ʻokina ⟨ʻ⟩ and the kahakō in modern Hawaiian orthography. The exact spelling of the state's name in the Hawaiian language is Hawaiʻi . In the Hawaii Admission Act that granted Hawaiian statehood, the federal government used Hawaii as the state name. Official government publications, department and office titles, and

4182-426: The early 21st century as Roman Catholic saints . The death of the bachelor King Kamehameha V —who did not name an heir—resulted in the popular election of Lunalilo over Kalākaua . Lunalilo died the next year, also without naming an heir. In 1874, the election was contested within the legislature between Kalākaua and Emma, Queen Consort of Kamehameha IV . After riots broke out, the U.S. and Britain landed troops on

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4264-519: The general public. In 2005, Westin partnered with Nordstrom , which carried the mattresses and bedding in its stores. In 2011, Westin began selling the Heavenly mattresses and bedding at Pottery Barn stores. Hawaii Hawaii ( / h ə ˈ w aɪ . i / hə- WY -ee ; Hawaiian : Hawaiʻi [həˈvɐjʔi, həˈwɐjʔi] ) is an island state of the United States , in

4346-491: The higher mountains. Windward sides face cloud cover. Hawaii has a decades-long history of hosting more military space for the United States than any other territory or state. This record of military activity has taken a sharp toll on the environmental health of the Hawaiian archipelago, degrading its beaches and soil, and making some places entirely unsafe due to unexploded ordnance . According to scholar Winona LaDuke : "The vast militarization of Hawaii has profoundly damaged

4428-513: The islands to restore order. The Legislative Assembly chose King Kalākaua as monarch by a vote of 39 to   6 on February 12, 1874. In 1887, Kalākaua was forced to sign the 1887 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi . Drafted by white businessmen and lawyers, the document stripped the king of much of his authority. It established a property qualification for voting that effectively disenfranchised most Hawaiians and immigrant laborers and favored

4510-503: The kingdom, initially converting a minority of the Native Hawaiian population, but later becoming the first and second largest religious denominations on the islands, respectively. Missionaries from each major group administered to the leper colony at Kalaupapa on Molokaʻi, which was established in 1866 and operated well into the 20th century. The best known were Father Damien and Mother Marianne Cope , both of whom were canonized in

4592-412: The land in order to access it, primarily by building tunnels to divert water from the mountains to the plantations, constructing reservoirs, and digging wells. These changes have made lasting impacts on the land and continue to contribute to resource scarcity for Native Hawaiians today. According to Stanford scientist and scholar Sibyl Diver, Indigenous Hawaiians engage in a reciprocal relationship with

4674-409: The land, "based on principles of mutual caretaking, reciprocity and sharing". This relationship ensures the longevity, sustainability, and natural cycles of growth and decay, as well as cultivating a sense of respect for the land and humility towards one's place in an ecosystem. The tourism industry's ongoing expansion and its pressure on local systems of ecology, cultural tradition and infrastructure

4756-568: The land. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are more federal hazardous waste sites in Hawaii – 31 – than in any other U.S. state." Hawaii State Representative Roy Takumi writes in "Challenging U.S. Militarism in Hawai'i and Okinawa" that these military bases and hazardous waste sites have meant "the confiscation of large tracts of land from native peoples" and quotes late Hawaiian activist George Helm as asking: "What

4838-429: The late 18th   century, possibly hundreds of years earlier. In 1790, Kīlauea exploded ; it is the deadliest eruption known to have occurred in the modern era in what is now the United States. Up to 5,405 warriors and their families marching on Kīlauea were killed by the eruption. Volcanic activity and subsequent erosion have created impressive geological features. Hawaii Island has the second-highest point among

4920-545: The mid-1960s, the company became publicly-held, trading its shares on the American Stock Exchange . From November 1, 1965, to 1970, Western International had an agreement with Hotel Corporation of America (today known as Sonesta), under which all 72 hotels of the two chains were jointly marketed as HCA and Western Hotels . From 1968 to 1973, Western International had a similar joint marketing agreement with UK-based Trust House Hotels . In 1970, Western International

5002-404: The monarchy was unable to protect itself. In Hawaiian Autonomy , Liliʻuokalani states: If we did not by force resist their final outrage, it was because we could not do so without striking at the military force of the United States. Whatever constraint the executive of this great country may be under to recognize the present government at Honolulu has been forced upon it by no act of ours, but by

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5084-612: The name of Hawaiʻi is that it was named for Hawaiʻiloa , a figure from Hawaiian oral tradition. He is said to have discovered the islands when they were first settled. The Hawaiian language word Hawaiʻi is very similar to Proto-Polynesian Sawaiki , with the reconstructed meaning "homeland." Cognates of Hawaiʻi are found in other Polynesian languages, including Māori ( Hawaiki ), Rarotongan ( ʻAvaiki ) and Samoan ( Savaiʻi ). According to linguists Pukui and Elbert, "elsewhere in Polynesia, Hawaiʻi or

5166-410: The natural world, resulting in widespread biodiversity and intricate social and environmental relationships that persist to this day. On a single island, the climate around the coasts can range from dry tropical (less than 20 inches or 510 millimeters annual rainfall) to wet tropical; on the slopes, environments range from tropical rainforest (more than 200 inches or 5,100 millimeters per year), through

5248-471: The once-isolated islands, causing the Hawaiian population to drop precipitously. Native Hawaiians had no resistance to Eurasian diseases, such as influenza , smallpox and measles . By 1820, disease, famine and wars between the chiefs killed more than half of the Native Hawaiian population. During the 1850s, measles killed a fifth of Hawaiʻi's people. Historical records indicate the earliest Chinese immigrants to Hawaiʻi originated from Guangdong Province ;

5330-424: The only Asian American plurality, the largest Buddhist community , and largest proportion of multiracial people in the U.S. Consequently, Hawaii is a unique melting pot of North American and East Asian cultures, in addition to its indigenous Hawaiian heritage. Settled by Polynesians sometime between 1000 and 1200 CE, Hawaii was home to numerous independent chiefdoms. In 1778, British explorer James Cook

5412-531: The restaurant's success, Bergeron worked with Western Hotels to open Trader Vic's locations in a number of its hotels. In 1955, Western Hotels assumed management of the landmark Olympic Hotel in Seattle. It became the chain's new flagship, and the headquarters and executive offices were moved from the New Washington Hotel to a newly-decorated suite of offices on the 12th floor of the Olympic, in celebration of

5494-559: The southeast region of Hawaiʻi Island, which includes the active volcano Kīlauea and its rift zones. There are three national historical parks : Kalaupapa National Historical Park in Kalaupapa, Molokaʻi, the site of a former leper colony; Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park in Kailua-Kona on Hawaiʻi Island; and Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park , an ancient place of refuge on Hawaiʻi Island's west coast. Other areas under

5576-402: The state is named; the latter is often called the "Big Island" or "Hawaii Island" to avoid confusion with the state or archipelago. The uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands make up most of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument , the largest protected area in the U.S. and the fourth-largest in the world. Of the 50 U.S. states , Hawaii is the eighth-smallest in land area and

5658-462: The supporters of Kalaniʻōpuʻu attacked, killing Cook and four sailors as Cook's party retreated along the beach to their ship. The ship departed without retrieving the stolen boat. After Cook's visit and the publication of several books relating his voyages, the Hawaiian Islands attracted many European and American explorers, traders, and whalers, who found the islands to be a convenient harbor and source of supplies. These visitors introduced diseases to

5740-477: The surface of the ocean for less than 10   million years, a fraction of the time biological colonization and evolution have occurred there. The islands are well known for the environmental diversity that occurs on high mountains within a trade winds field. Native Hawaiians developed complex horticultural practices to utilize the surrounding ecosystem for agriculture. Cultural practices developed to enshrine values of environmental stewardship and reciprocity with

5822-493: The tower. In 2010, Delta Group announced that the luxury Rosewood Hotels & Resorts chain had been selected to manage the hotel. The hotel reopened on July 10, 2011 as the Rosewood Hotel Georgia. The hotels rooms were gutted and combined, reducing their number from 320 to 155. The restoration of the hotel cost $ 120 million, while the adjacent Private Residences at the Hotel Georgia 48-story glass condominium tower cost

5904-452: The tropics, falls at 13,800 feet (4,200 m) on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on Hawaii Island in some winter months. Snow rarely falls on Haleakalā. Mount Waiʻaleʻale on Kauaʻi has the second-highest average annual rainfall on Earth, about 460 inches (12,000 mm) per year. Most of Hawaii experiences only two seasons; the dry season runs from May to October and the wet season is from October to April. Overall with climate change , Hawaiʻi

5986-495: The unlawful acts of its own agents. Attempts to repudiate those acts are vain. In a message to Sanford B. Dole, Liliʻuokalani states: Now to avoid any collision of armed forces and perhaps the loss of life, I do under this protest, and impelled by said force, yield my authority until such time as the Government of the United States shall, upon the facts being presented to it, undo the action of its representatives and reinstate me in

6068-467: The wealthier, white elite. Resident whites were allowed to vote but resident Asians were not. As the 1887 Constitution was signed under threat of violence, it is known as the Bayonet Constitution. King Kalākaua, reduced to a figurehead, reigned until his death in 1891. His sister, Queen Liliʻuokalani , succeeded him; she was the last monarch of Hawaiʻi. In 1893, Liliʻuokalani announced plans for

6150-499: The world's islands. On the volcanoes' flanks, slope instability has generated damaging earthquakes and related tsunamis , particularly in 1868 and 1975 . Catastrophic debris avalanches on the ocean island volcanoes' submerged flanks have created steep cliffs. Kīlauea erupted in May 2018, opening 22 fissure vents on its eastern rift zone . The Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens are within this territory. The eruption destroyed at least 36 buildings and this, coupled with

6232-474: The world's largest naval command, as well as 75,000 employees of the Defense Department. Hawaii's isolation results in one of the highest costs of living in the U.S. However, Hawaii is the third-wealthiest state, and residents have the longest life expectancy of any U.S. state, at 80.7 years. The State of Hawaii derives its name from the name of its largest island, Hawaiʻi . A common explanation of

6314-610: Was acquired by UAL Corporation , with Edward Carlson becoming president and CEO of UAL, Inc and United Airlines. Western International bought New York's iconic Plaza Hotel in 1975 for $ 25 million. On January 5, 1981, the company changed its name again to Westin Hotels (a contraction of the words Western International). The chain's flagship Washington Plaza Hotel in Seattle was the first property to be rebranded, becoming The Westin Hotel on September 1, 1981. That same year, Westin opened

6396-602: Was also redeveloped, opening in 2024 as Prophecy, a cocktail lounge. A 48-story, 158.5 metre, high-rise residential building has been constructed on the adjoining site of the hotel's parking structure. It is the 3rd tallest tower in the city, after the Living Shangri-La Tower and the Paradox Hotel and Tower . All three of these developments are new mixed use hotel/residences towers on Georgia Street. Westin Hotels %26 Resorts Westin Hotels & Resorts

6478-492: Was formed against the will of Indigenous Hawaiian voters, who constituted the majority of voters at the time, and consisted of "thirteen white men" according to scholar J Kehaulani Kauanui. The United States Minister to the Kingdom of Hawaii ( John L. Stevens ) conspired with U.S. citizens to overthrow the monarchy. After the overthrow, Sanford B. Dole , a citizen of Hawaii and cousin to James Dole, owner of Hawaiian Fruit Company,

6560-473: Was probably by Polynesian settlers from the Marquesas Islands , and a second wave of migration from Raiatea and Bora Bora took place in the 11th century. The date of the human discovery and habitation of the Hawaiian Islands is the subject of academic debate. Some archaeologists and historians think it was a later wave of immigrants from Tahiti around 1000 CE who introduced a new line of high chiefs,

6642-437: Was sovereign from 1810 until 1893, when resident American and European capitalists and landholders overthrew the monarchy . Hawaiʻi was an independent republic from 1894 until August 12, 1898, when it officially became a U.S. territory. Hawaiʻi was admitted as a U.S. state on August 21, 1959. Based on archaeological evidence, the earliest habitation of the Hawaiian Islands appears to date between 1000 and 1200 CE. The first wave

6724-514: Was the first known non-Polynesian to arrive at the archipelago; early British influence is reflected in the state flag , which bears a Union Jack . An influx of European and American explorers, traders, and whalers soon arrived, leading to the decimation of the once-isolated indigenous community through the introduction of diseases such as syphilis, tuberculosis, smallpox, and measles; the native Hawaiian population declined from between 300,000 and one million to less than 40,000 by 1890. Hawaii became

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