The Royal Hawaiian is back in action! After a seven-month closure and an $85 million facelift, the legendary Pink Palace of the Pacific debuted on Jan. 20 with its new look. The hotel now joins Starwood's Luxury Collection brand. Gone are the little storefronts clogging up the lobby, replaced with a brilliant new open-air welcome experience. The public spaces on property look larger and more inviting than ever. Even the ladies' rooms have been completely redone and drew "oohs" from the crowd I toured with. I was hesitant about the hotel losing some its pink touches, but seeing the improvements eased any doubts that this wasn't a much-needed change for the hotel. 

Noemar Viloria, a dedicated employee who at the time of this picture, happily claimed he had been working at The Royal for "29 years, one month, 16 days, four hours, and 10 minutes." Phew!