Aerial view of the beachfront Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii surrounded by lush greenery, with the ocean in the background under a clear blue sky.

The Hale Koa Hotel and Fort DeRussy

About the Hale Koa Hotel

The Hale Koa Hotel, which means House of the Warrior in Hawaiian, is an Armed Forces Recreation Center resort hotel located on Waikiki Beach and is run by and for military, retirees, and family members.

History of the Hale Koa

The Hale Koa Hotel celebrated its grand opening in 1975 and has undergone several major renovations over the past several decades, including additional towers and facilities.

Hale Koa Location in Waikiki

The Hale Koa is located in the heart of Waikiki, next to the Hilton Hawaiian Village and many other hotels and restaurants. It is on federal land known as Fort DeRussy, a former Army installation that is now open to the public as a park and Armed Forces recreation facility. In the early days of Hawaii, the area was primarily fish ponds and taro fields. In 1906, the U.S. War Department acquired this 72-acre parcel of land, which was named Fort DeRussy in honor of Brigadier General R. E. DeRussy of the Army Corps of Engineers. The area was transformed from wetlands to its current state as a recreation area with a park and hotel.

Fort DeRussy also houses the Fort DeRussy Army Chapel, with a welcoming Protestant service on Sunday, and the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, a U.S. Department of Defense institute that supports the U.S. Pacific Command.

Availability and Reservations

The Hale Koa is an official Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) resort that serves members of the U.S. Armed Forces, their families, and other authorized users. The Hale Koa’s nightly hotel rates vary according to rank and room category.