Melia Ward Village

There is no more consequential address left in Ward Village. Melia rises on the final front-row parcel of Howard Hughes’ 60-acre master plan, between Auahi Street and Ala Moana Boulevard, beside the landmark IBM Building and across the boulevard from Ala Moana Beach Park — a position that will not be replicated, because there is nothing behind it left to build.

Melia shares its site and its architects with ‘Ilima Ward Village, its 33-story companion. Howard Hughes conceived the two as a pair, joined at grade by a native botanical garden pathway and framing Ka Lei Park between them. Together they represent the culmination of a decade of work in Kaka‘ako and the arrival of Robert A.M. Stern Architects in the Hawaiian Islands.

At 221 residences across 35 stories, Melia is the larger of the two and offers the broader range of homes, with access to a full suite of amenities of its own. It is a market-rate offering throughout — there are no reserved housing units at Melia, and no income or occupancy program of the kind found in Ward Village’s earlier towers.

Melia at a Glance

Architecture & Design

Melia and ‘Ilima mark the first Hawai‘i project of Robert A.M. Stern Architects — the practice behind 15 Central Park West and among the most consequential names in classical modern residential architecture.

What RAMSA brought to Kaka‘ako is a discipline of proportion and shade: buildings composed for a climate rather than imposed upon one, drawing on Hawai‘i’s own architectural record rather than an international luxury template. Howard Hughes assembled the team accordingly, pairing RAMSA with Champalimaud Design for interiors and VITA Planning & Landscape Architecture for the landscape.

The Residences

Two hundred twenty-one homes, each positioned to take the view the site was assembled for. Champalimaud Design — a practice known for interiors that feel composed rather than specified — has authored the residential and amenity spaces throughout.

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The Amenity Program

Melia’s amenities occupy a full deck above the podium, arranged so that the resort elements and the quiet ones do not compete. The result is a program that supports a household’s ordinary week as readily as it does an evening with thirty guests.

Ka Lei Park & the Botanical Pathway

The most distinctive element on this block is not inside either tower. VITA Planning & Landscape Architecture has designed a native botanical garden pathway running the length of the parcel — from the IBM Building through to Ka Lei Park, the expansive public open space between Melia and ‘Ilima.

It is the rarest amenity in urban Honolulu: not a deck or a room, but ground. A green corridor at the base of the building that residents pass through daily on the way to the beach park across the boulevard.

Melia & ‘Ilima

The two towers are frequently discussed as one project. They share a parcel, an architect, an interiors practice, and a landscape, and they were conceived together. They are nonetheless distinct offerings, and the distinction is worth understanding before you tour either one.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

‘Ilima is Discovery Land Company’s exclusive residential offering on O‘ahu, delivering that firm’s signature concierge services and a private owners’ club experience across three curated amenity levels. Melia is Howard Hughes’ own tower — larger, with its own full amenity suite, and the broader collection of residences of the two.

See ‘Ilima at Ward Village →

The Site

Front row on Ala Moana Boulevard, with nothing between the building and Ala Moana Beach Park but the boulevard itself, and an eastern position on the parcel that opens the Diamond Head view corridor. It is the last such site in Ward Village.

Ward Village remains under active development, with several towers still to be delivered. Construction activity in the surrounding blocks will continue through the buildout of the master plan.

Sales & Availability

Melia opened to extraordinary reception. In September 2025, Howard Hughes reported $1.2 billion in sales at launch across Melia and ‘Ilima — the highest sales volume and pricing ever recorded in Hawai‘i — including more than $280 million in penthouse sales and a single residence in excess of $40 million.

• As of September 1, 2025 — Melia reported 52 percent pre-sold, ‘Ilima 41 percent.
• Year-end 2025 — Howard Hughes reported 220 residences contracted across the two towers during the year, with the pair together approximately 60 percent pre-sold.
• Currently — Melia remains in pre-sales, advancing through planning and permitting. Availability moves; we will provide the current offering on request.

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Acquiring a Residence

A pre-construction purchase at this level is a considered transaction with its own architecture. The points below are the ones that most reward attention early.

• Financing position — at this tier that generally means a private banking relationship or documented proof of funds rather than a conventional pre-approval. Ward Village pre-sale contracts are typically written without a financing contingency; confirm the terms of your specific agreement.
• Deposit structure — Ward Village pre-sales use staged deposits held in escrow across the construction period. Understand the amounts, the dates, and the handling of those funds.
• The Developer’s Public Report — the document that governs the sale. It sets out unit descriptions, common and limited common elements, the association budget, use restrictions, and the developer’s reserved rights.
• Thirty-day cancellation right — Hawai‘i condominium law affords 30 days from delivery of the developer’s report and project documents to cancel, with the deposit refunded less escrow cancellation costs up to $250.
• Thirty-day arbitration election — separately, you generally have 30 days from the date of the sales agreement to elect out of its arbitration provisions and class action waiver. Both bind if the window passes.
• Owner-occupant designation — Hawai‘i law requires developers to designate at least half of a project’s residential units for sale to prospective owner-occupants before general sales open. A designated residence carries a notarized affidavit, a 365-day principal residence requirement, and civil and criminal penalties for violation. Whether a particular residence remains subject to designation should be confirmed before you write.
• Use and leasing — minimum lease terms and any registration provisions are established by the declaration and house rules. Short-term and vacation rental use is prohibited across Ward Village.
• Delivery — your orientation walkthrough precedes closing. Understand your remedies if completion does not occur by the outside date stated in your sales agreement.

Project Details

Arrange a Private Consultation

We will provide current availability and pricing, the Developer’s Public Report, the full carrying-cost picture, and a considered comparison of Melia against ‘Ilima, Kalae, The Launiu, and the wider O‘ahu luxury market. Please connect with us before your first visit to the sales gallery.

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