Shortly after it was built, a reporter from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin described the new Royal Hawaiian Hotel as experienced by a first-time visitor:

From the moment he is driven into the magnificent gardens of the hotel, around the sweep of a driveway bordered by strange and exotic plants, he is in an atmosphere of tropical wonder. He enters the lobby of the hotel, and finds a blaze of floral beauty. He goes to his room, and there finds flowers, a cut pineapple, and Hawaiian fruits awaiting him.

Although the development of Waikiki has drastically changed the open, landscaped areas surrounding the entry to the hotel, much of the beauty and historic features remain.

Driveway under construction in 1927

Driveway entrance

The porte cochere had round arches, Tuscan columns, and buttressed piers.

Rounded inner archways were squared off  after 1940s renovations.

Monkeypod, banyan, and porte cochere shaded the main entrance on the west side.

Uniformed valets greeted guests to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in 1927 – and still do today.