Kikiaola Land

What Kikiaola Land does

Kikiaola Land Company is a privately held, family-owned landholding and operating company based in Waimea on Kauai's West Side, owned by 150 members of the Faye ohana (family). It traces its origin to Norwegian immigrant Hans Peter (H.P.) Faye's 1880s sugar enterprises — Kekaha Sugar Company (operated 75+ years) and Waimea Sugar Mill Company (operated until 1969) — and retains title to a portfolio of makai land between Waimea and Kekaha. The company's commercial operations consist of three core businesses: Waimea Plantation Cottages, a 59-cottage historic resort housed in restored plantation-era mill houses (built 1880s-1930s) distributed primarily through Coast Hotels; the Waimea Heritage Center, a community venue at the Old Sugar Mill site hosting a weekly farmers market, food trucks, and craft vendors; and the Kikiaola Boat Harbor in Kekaha, providing fee-based parking for fishing and tour boat operators with free access for Hawaii residents. Revenue is generated from overnight lodging, event and wedding venue rentals, vendor leasing, parking fees, and episodic land sales — notably the 2017 sale of 6.5 acres to Kauai Habitat for Humanity and the 2019 sale of a 417-acre parcel (Waimea 400) to the County of Kauai for a community master plan including affordable housing. The company operates without proprietary technology, with marketing driven by community engagement, Facebook, LinkedIn, email newsletters, and earned media (Hawaii Magazine's 2025 Best Boutique Hotel, Outside Magazine 2026 wellness feature). Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, with two long-tenured operational staff (a bookkeeper since 2001 and an executive secretary since 1992) supporting a board chaired by fourth-generation H.P. Faye IV.

Name

Kikiaola Land

Legal name

Kikiaola Land Company

Website

https://kikiaola.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1847

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kikiaola Land Company is a family-owned (150-member Faye ohana) landholding and operating company on Kauai's West Side that runs a 59-cottage historic resort, a weekly farmers market, boat harbor parking, and community land partnerships including a 417-acre affordable housing master plan with the County of Kauai.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Resort and Land Management

NAICS

Residential Property Managers (531311), Real Estate Property Managers (53131), Lessors of Real Estate (5311)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512), Real Estate Operators (No Developers) & Lessors (6510)

akta.pro primary industry

Multifamily Apartment Property Management (BPAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Master-Planned Community & POA Management (BPAJAHAD), Real Estate Management for Family Offices (Acquisition, Development, Property Ops) (FSAAADAI)

Keywords

• Heritage hospitality
• Plantation cottages resort
• Family land ownership
• Historic lodging
• Community land stewardship

Headquarters

HQ city

Waimea

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Waimea Plantation Cottages: Historic resort with 59 restored plantation cottages built between 1880s-1930s. Offers lodging accommodations ranging from one to five bedrooms with Hawaiian décor. Revenue from overnight stays and event venue rentals.
2. Waimea Heritage Center Leasing: Leasing opportunities at the Old Sugar Mill site. Currently hosts weekly farmers market and food truck vendors.
3. Kikiaola Boat Harbor Parking: Parking services for fishing boat and tour boat operators. Free parking for Hawaii residents with local driver's license; automated fee system for tour boat guests.
4. Land Sales: Sale of land parcels for development purposes, including the 417-acre Waimea 400 parcel to County of Kauai and 6.5 acres to Kauai Habitat for Humanity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kikiaola Land Company is a family-owned Hawaiian landholding enterprise based in Waimea, Kauai, that operates heritage hospitality (Waimea Plantation Cottages, a 59-cottage historic resort), community and food retail (Waimea Heritage Center farmers market), harbor parking (Kikiaola Boat Harbor), and long-horizon real estate development (Waimea 400 Master Plan) on land owned collectively by roughly 150 members of the Faye ohana.

Product overview

Kikiaola Land Company operates a diversified portfolio of hospitality, community, and real estate properties on Kauai's West Side. The company operates Waimea Plantation Cottages (a historic resort featuring 59 restored plantation-era cottages), the Waimea Heritage Center (a weekly farmers market venue at the Old Sugar Mill), and the Kikiaola Boat Harbor (a parking facility for boat operators). The company also partners with the County of Kauai on the Waimea 400 Master Plan, a 417-acre affordable housing development. The company is owned by 150 members of the Faye ohana (family) and is headquartered in Waimea, Hawaii.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Waimea Plantation Cottages: A charming resort consisting of 59 historic cottages built between the 1880s and 1930s, originally homes of Waimea Sugar Mill Company employees and families. Located in Waimea, Kauai.
• Waimea Heritage Center
• Kikiaola Boat Harbor

Products and services

• Waimea Plantation Cottages

Quantifiable outcome

• Named Kauai's Best Boutique Hotel in Hawaii Magazine's 2025 Readers' Choice Best of Hawaii Awards
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• County of KauaicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership for the Waimea 400 Master Plan where the County of Kauai purchased a 417-acre parcel between Kekaha and Waimea from Kikiaola Land Company. The master plan, published in January 2022, includes approximately 60 acres designated for affordable housing west of Waimea Sunset subdivision.
• Kauai Habitat for HumanitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2017, Kauai Habitat for Humanity purchased 6.5 acres of land in Waimea adjacent to the West Kauai Tech & Visitors Center from Kikiaola Land Company for the development of affordable housing. The project includes multi-family rental units and single-family homes as part of the Waimea Huakai development.
• The Beall CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDan Metsch at The Beall Corporation handles leasing and construction opportunities for Kikiaola Land Company properties including Waimea Heritage Center. Contact: [email protected], (808) 652-9205.
• Hale PunamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit organization that has revitalized the historic Kōkeʻe Lodge in Kōkeʻe State Park and is restoring the Gulick-Rowell House in Waimea (oldest house in Kauai). Sponsors the weekly farmers market at Waimea Heritage Center.
• Surfrider FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Earth Day event combining yoga session and beach cleanup at Waimea Plantation Cottages.
• Coasthotels.comcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for Waimea Plantation Cottages resort bookings and reservations.
• Waimea High School Alumni and Friends FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecipient of annual scholarship donations from Kikiaola Land Company to support Waimea High School graduates pursuing higher education.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay: A North Shore Kauai luxury resort positioned around wellness and nature-led experiences. Comparable as another Kauai resort targeting the wellness/experiential visitor that Kikiaola's plantation cottages also attract.
• Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu Beach: A Kauai-based villa-style resort on the south shore operating similar mid-market-to-upscale accommodations. Comparable as another Kauai resort competing for West Side tourist flow, though modern villa format vs. Kikiaola's historic cottages.

Broad incumbents

• Outrigger Hospitality Group: A major Hawaii-anchored resort and vacation-condo operator with multiple properties across the islands. Comparable as a Hawaii hospitality operator serving mid-market tourists, though it competes more at scale and lacks Kikiaola's heritage/cultural-plantation positioning.
• Halekulani Corporation: Operator of the iconic Halekulani hotel on Oahu and affiliated properties. Comparable as a Hawaii luxury-resort operator with deep brand heritage and award-winning positioning, though at a much larger and more urban scale than Kikiaola.
• Alexander & Baldwin (Hawaii): A Hawaii-based land and real-estate company with historic plantation-era roots and active commercial-property portfolio. Comparable on the multi-generational Hawaiian land-ownership and stewardship angle, though publicly held and far larger in scale.
• Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa: A large incumbent luxury resort on the same island (Kauai) directly competing for the same tourist visitors. Comparable in serving the Kauai visitor market, though at a fundamentally different scale and category (full-service resort vs. historic boutique cottages).
• Kamehameha Schools (Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate): Hawaii's largest private landowner and one of its most significant institutional land stewards, with a multi-generational endowment-driven real-estate, education, and community-impact mission. Highly comparable to Kikiaola on the long-horizon family-trust stewardship, Hawaiian land management, and community-development dimensions, though vastly larger in scale.

Direct peers

• Castle Hospitality Group: A Hawaii-focused resort, condo, and vacation-rental management company operating across multiple islands. Comparable in operating smaller-format Hawaiian accommodations and managing real estate on behalf of owners, similar in scale and island-by-island distribution.
• Travaasa Hana (Maui): A small, heritage-driven Hawaiian resort in a remote location emphasizing cultural authenticity, wellness, and experiential tourism. Most directly comparable to Waimea Plantation Cottages on the boutique heritage-resort model, small scale, and experiential positioning.

Others

• Bishop Museum (Honolulu): Hawaii's premier cultural-heritage institution preserving Hawaiian and Pacific Islander history. Comparable as a Hawaiian heritage and cultural-preservation organization with deep community ties, complementary to Kikiaola's plantation-history stewardship rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kikiaolaland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kikiaola-land-company-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kikiaola Land