The Hawaiian Inn was opened by Frank Cannova in late 1974. Its building used to be the Desert Ranch hotel which dates to the mid 1950s. The lobby was decorated with tiki masks and outrigger canoes. They had a restaurant called the Kon Tiki Supper Club, which had the traditional Polynesian floor shows such as hula and fire knife dance, and there was also a separate lounge. In November 1978 a fire gutted the restaurant and lounge, and it remained closed until May 1979 when it became the Beachcomber Resort, run by Resort Inns of America, who decided to change the bar/restaurant area into a German Beer Hall complete with an oom-pah-pah band.

Opened in December 2024 in the basement under the historic Phoenix Saloon in New Braunfels, Texas.

The build-out was designed and carried out by The Boozy Doodler (Jason Straughan). Owners of the Phoenix Saloon had visited Jason's home bar, the Taboozy Lei, during Covid and had asked him if he could transform their basement into something similar.

The space incorporates lots of old school tiki elements and touches from Jason's own invention, like an animated ship in a bottle. Details include: Papua New Guinea carvings, a nautical section (with mermaid prow figure and windows looking out at the sea), tons of routered wood trim, bamboo, lauhala matting, hanging fish floats, cork floats hanging from strands of nautical rope, and much much more. The incredible attention to detail should satisfy even the pickiest of tikiphiles and is evidence that this was a true labor of love.

The Tiki Mirage cocktail bar started in 2019 as a pop-up in West Los Angeles. It's now a bookable cocktail experience for parties and collaborations, re-located to Chinatown for the time being.

Founders Max Masuda-Farkas, Aaron Girard, and Nick Newberg, decked out a box truck with a detailed tiki interior and crafted it into a show with its own original story.

Those who book the $85 gratuity-included tickets will be asked to meet at a Google-pinned location in Chinatown and get escorted over to the truck. Once seated, bartenders will assemble a cocktail menu by World’s 50 Best Los Angeles bar Thunderbolt while the trio tells a narrative based on tales of a fictional sea explorer named Daniel T. Coleridge.

Opened around 1959.

Located at 4th Avenue at 10th Street in Downtown Columbus, Georgia.

The hotel originally boasted 198 rooms, a restaurant, and a heated pool.

The Martinique Motor Hotel in Columbus, Georgia changed hands many times and was eventually demolished. The hotel underwent an expansion and a renovation in the 1980s, but the renovation made the building look worse.

The Outrigger was open at least as late as 1978.

Opened in June of 1971.

As of 2025, this location is home to WellCare Urgent care.

Built in 1963.

This motel drew its name from a mash-up of "Polynesian" and "Mollison" Avenue in El Cajon.

The A-frame with lamp theme seems borrowed from the Half-Moon Inn in nearby San Diego.

Eventually, Best Western purchased the motel and decided to add their corporate crown logo to the top of the sign instead of the original torch.

Best Western continues to operate this site today, as of 2025, but through a series of progressive remodels (most recently in 2019), it bears no resemblance to the original construction.

Open at least as early as April of 1959.

This A-frame hotel in Miami advertised a private pool, free TV, heat/air conditioning, a cocktail lounge, coffee shop, and sound-proof rooms.

This building was eventually torn down, and today there is no trace left.

There have been a plethora of unassociated "Aloha Motels" throughout the United States over the years, many of which have little theming beyond just the sign, but this one is one of the earliest, has great architecture and a wonderful neon sign to boot.

The Skylodge Hotel in Nadi, Fiji was built in 1960 and is a historic institution in the area.

It was once a popular hotel for families and young travelers.

Located 5 minutes from the airport.

Last renovated in 1989.

Now part of the Tanoa Hotels Group.

It appears that they have lost some of their tiki decor over the years, and may be a bit run-down, but there is still some of the original character left, even though the hotel is now seemingly eclipsed by more modern hotel options in the area.

This restaurant was open at least as early as 1975 (see dated black & white photo background) in Landing, New Jersey.

Landing is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Roxbury Township, Morris County, New Jersey, United States.

The restaurant billed itself as a Chinese and Polynesian Restaurant and had a separate cocktail lounge that can be seen in one of the color photos below.

The dining rooms were decorated with dozens of hand-carved wooden Filipino Ifugao tribal masks, fake palm trees, and a large tribal shield in one corner.

Today, the shopping center is still standing, but many of the storefronts are vacant.

The Royal Hawaiian in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey was built by Lou Morey in 1969 and was part of the Wildwoods Shore Historic District.

It is classified as "Doo Wop" style in New Jersey (what might be referred to as "Googie" on the West Coast).

Located on Orchid Street near the beach and Atlantic Avenue.

Originally it had an Easter Island head on the signage and logo.

Over the years, details were added like a large flying saucer shaped room on the top which was originally a restaurant, but is now a penthouse suite.

Also, the Easter Island head was replaced with a palm tree logo.

The hotel was purchased by Madison Resorts in 2023 and is now part of the Madison Resort Wildwood Crest.

Lester Klayman and his family owned the Royal Hawaiian until Madison Resorts purchased it.

Reportedly, the Madison Resorts' plan is to preserve the property's historic architecture and create a world-class resort that will be part of the Madison Resort Wildwood Crest, which also includes the Oceanview Motel.

Opened in 1965.

The Islander in Westport, Washington, was a premier marina front destination for fishermen, surfers and beach goers alike. With wonderful views of the fishing fleet of the Westport Marina, the Olympic Mountains, the vast Pacific Ocean and an awesome surf spot, the Islander was a favored getaway.

It was during the 60s that the motel advertised a dining room & coffee shop, 31 ocean view units, a large heated pool, and a Bamboo Room with dancing. See vintage flyer below...

In other ephemera and on swizzle sticks the Bamboo Room is called a "Tiki Room".

At some point this Bamboo/Tiki Room was remodeled...and all signs of tiki removed...

Neddie Rose Farrington, a legend in Westport, ruled the Marina from The Islander Resort for many decades, overseeing dozens of charter boat captains, countless fishermen, and many a wayward Karaoke superstar. When Neddie was ready to retire in 2004, she turned to a local land developer who was giving his best shot at updating Westport's tourist economy. The restaurant was remodeled and given a new name "The Half Moon Bay Bar and Grill" and the site underwent design and permitting to be redeveloped into a boutique hotel project. In 2008, the project was placed on hold when the regional, national, and world economic markets went into a tailspin.

The Islander was purchased in 2015 and re-opened in March 2017, under the same original name.

However, a fire in April of 2020 caused around $250,000 damage to the site.

After re-building and re-modeling, the site was re-christened as the Saltwater Inn and is currently in operation as of 2025.

Built in 1964.

Not to be confused with the Exotic Isle Apartments in Paramount, California at 8600 Rosecrans Avenue that were built in 1963.

This Alhambra location was lush and populated with tiki carvings, tropical plantings, and water features in its heyday.

The carvings became overgrown and were removed and the name was eventually changed to Jade Gardens, but the A-frame and basic architecture of the site remains intact.

Older photos of this location can be found in Sven Kirsten's Book of Tiki (page 220).