Hilo Concert Venue Part Of Hotel Renovation

The upgrade includes the hotel’s Crown Room, which can seat 350 to 400, and which has already received a $250,000 renovation overseen by Maui entertainer Willie K. Plans call for the renting the room to promoters for concerts, or to organizations needing meeting space, according to the Hawaii Tribune Herald.

The lobby of the 383-room hotel has been moved down a floor, signaling the work has begun. Developers tell the paper they are optimistic they will obtain a loan to pay for an estimated $12 million in improvements.

“The economy has now turned (for the better),” Oahu-based developer Ed Bushor told the paper. “Last year, in 2013, there weren’t that many lenders out in the marketplace. In 2014, they’re turning over a new leaf.”