Each time Elvis Presley came to Hawai’i from 1957 to 1973, the only hotel he stayed at in Waikiki was the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Why did he only stay here? There are four reasons: The hotel was easy to secure because of its security and location; there was a helicopter pad located next to the Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon, which made it easier to fly him in from the Honolulu International Airport; Colonel Parker was stationed in Hawai’i in 1929 at Fort DeRussy, next door to the Hawaiian Village Hotel, and he developed a fondness for this area of Waikiki; and over the years, he trusted the hotel management and employees to respect his privacy.

Elvis Presley loved Hawai’i. He visited numerous times from 1957 to 1973 to perform three major concerts. Hawai’i was also the location for three of his major movies: Blue Hawaii (1961), Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) and Paradise Hawaiian Style (1966). Hilton Hawaiian Village was the hotel location on O’ahu for Blue Hawaii.

He was very generous. His concerts in 1961 and 1972 in Hawai’i were fundraisers for Hawaii-based charities (USS Arizona Memorial and Kui Lee Cancer Foundation).

Elvis came to Hawai’i in 1957 by boat on the S.S. Matsonia. He arrived on Nov. 9, 1957 at the Aloha Tower, Pier 9 at Honolulu Harbor. When he disembarked from his four-day boat cruise, he was greeted by throngs of screaming Honolulu fans.

He was whisked away with his entourage to the Hawaiian Village Hotel. This would be the beginning of his 20-year relationship with the hotel.

The hotel was under full security lockdown for Elvis’ stay. Only hotel guests and employees were allowed on property. The hotel telephone operators were working overtime handling the numerous calls from Elvis fans who tried to get connected to Elvis’ guest room. Hotel operator Mavis Chan recalls, “His fans tried every trick in the book to get through to his room. They disguised their voices, pretended they were his mom, his aunt, and his sister (he didn’t have a sister).”

Screaming Fans on the Beach

In those days, hotel guests were of a middle-aged demographic and most were not fans of rock ’n’ roll, and definitely not fans of Elvis. Many complained about the screaming fans on the beach and the limited access to certain areas of the hotel. One guest, Mrs. Joan Mayberry, was one of the incessant complainers, threatening to leave the hotel because of Elvis. Her complaining stopped when she received a telegram from her granddaughter asking her to get Elvis’ autograph. On Elvis’ last day (Nov. 12, 1957) of his visit, she was among the fans who lined up on the beach to get his autograph.

In 1957, the hotel was called the Hawaiian Village Hotel. The hotel had no affiliation with Hilton; it was owned by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and his business partner Fritz Burns. It was 20 acres of ponds, lawns and gardens, low-rise buildings and thatched roof cottages with the newly built Ocean Tower (Ali’i Tower) situated beachfront. Ocean Tower was the tallest building in Waikiki in 1957. It was the perfect location for Elvis Presley. He took the entire 14th floor of the tower. The 15th floor housed executive offices and a popular radio station, KHVH.

Hawaiian Village’s Radio Station Elvis Publicity Stunt

Henry J. Kaiser publicized his Hawaiian Village Hotel through his radio station KHVH. He hired two young disc jockeys, Tom Moffat and Ron Jacobs. They hatched a publicity stunt for KHVH that had an Elvis impersonator (the station’s production manager) drive around O‘ahu in a convertible along with another man dressed as Colonel Parker. Tom Moffat was on the air giving a blow-by-blow of where Elvis traveled around the island. The stunt kept listeners glued to KHVH and caught the attention of Colonel Parker, who was very pleased with the publicity.

Colonel Parker kept in touch with Tom Moffat throughout the years, giving him exclusive access to Elvis and even having him introduce Elvis at each of his Hawai‘i concerts. Elvis’ last concert was in 1972. Tom Moffat became the top concert promoter in Hawai‘i.

16 Days at Hilton Hawaiian Village: Elvis Concert and Blue Hawaii Filming on O‘ahu

Elvis was drafted into the U.S. Army two years after his 1957 concert in Hawai‘i. His manager, Colonel Parker, planned for Hawai‘i to be the second major concert after his release from the army in 1961. This concert would be a benefit for the building of the USS Arizona Memorial. A few days after the concert, Elvis began filming Blue Hawaii.

He arrived in Hawai‘i on March 25, 1961 on a Pan American Airways plane and was greeted by 3,000 screaming fans. At the Hilton Hawaiian Village, 200 fans were waiting for him in the lobby area. He was escorted to the Carousel Room for a press conference with students from 27 island high schools and intermediate schools.

Again, the entire 14th floor of the Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower) was booked for Elvis and his entourage, including the “Memphis Mafia,” his band, and Colonel Parker. Elvis stayed a total of 16 days from March 25 to April 9. For five of those days, the hotel served as a movie set for Blue Hawaii.

Hotel employees recalled that Elvis would come down in the evening with a few of his “Memphis Mafia” buddies to go for an evening swim, put on a cap to disguise himself, and have a drink at the Garden Bar.

Hotel employees were told to keep his movements strictly confidential. One of the members of the Memphis Mafia was Joe Esposito, who signed many of the Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel checks for Elvis.

When you watch Blue Hawaii, observe the background shots and you will notice the drive into the old lobby, the geodesic Dome, Lagoon Cottages with grass thatched roofs, the Hilton logo placed in conspicuous locations, the Garden Bar, palm-lined hotel grounds, hotel shops, the pink Hilton pier, beach boys holding surfboards with “HV” on them, the catamaran with “HV” initials, and glimpses of what the hotel looked like in 1961.

One of the hotel shops featured in the background was Alfred Shaheen. Elvis wore a red Alfred Shaheen aloha shirt on his Blue Hawaii record album and made it famous. Alfred Shaheen originals are collector’s items today.

Hotel employees recall that there were always girls on the beach fronting the Ocean Tower screaming “Elvis!” and being rewarded with waves from the famous singer from his 14th-floor Mahele Suite.

Elvis’ Final Stay at Hilton Hawaiian Village

In 1972, Colonel Parker arranged Elvis’ last concert in Hawai‘i. The satellite-transmitted Aloha From Hawaii concert took place at the Honolulu International Center (Neal S. Blaisdell Center). It was a benefit for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.

Elvis arrived by a chartered Boeing 747 on Jan. 9, 1973 and was flown by helicopter to the landing pad in front of the Rainbow Tower. About 1,000 fans waited at the fenced-off landing pad for him.

Elvis stayed on the entire 31st floor of the Rainbow Tower in the Duke Kahanamoku Suite. The following nights were used in secrecy to rehearse at the Dome at Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The satellite show was a huge success. Elvis stayed at the hotel many times, even when he was not performing or filming. He trusted the management and employees because they respected his privacy.

During his last visit to Hawai‘i in 1977, he rented a home on Lanikai Beach but still booked rooms for his entourage at Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Over the years, Hilton Hawaiian Village has been the “home away from home” for world leaders, presidents and celebrities. The hotel’s legacy of sharing aloha with Elvis Presley remains a cherished part of its history.