It was in January of 1891 that King David Kalākaua died in San Francisco. He had often called the historic Palace Hotel home when he traveled there and sadly that visit to the City By the Bay would be his last.
Visitors may be surprised to see a pair of throne chairs with a plaque noting that they had been donated to the hotel as a gesture from someone in his family.
The Victorian-era gilt chairs are a nod to just a few of the connections to Hawaiʻi.
General Manager Angie Clifton said there is a museum in the hotel called Landmark 18, a corner carved out that includes a mention of the ties to the islands.
She said it took over a year to curate it from their archives and calls it a "collaborative effort and a true labor of love."
King Kalākaua died at the hotel 133 years ago this month. It is a sister property to Hawaiʻi’s Royal Hawaiian, Moana Surfrider and Princess Kaiulani hotels, as well as the Sheraton Waikiki and the Sheraton resort on Maui.
This story aired on The Conversation on Jan. 29, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
