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The most famous feature of the Waikiki Hotel is the Hanohano Room, the loftiest of Waikiki's restaurants towering above the beach on the thirtieth floor of the hotel tower. Various local entertainment shows are hosted at the Hanohano Room. Most recently, it was the site of televised auditions for the 2004 season of American Idol and where national entertainer Jasmine Trias was discovered.
In 1963, Japanese businessmen and brothers Kenji Osano and Masakuni Osano purchased the Moana Hotel and the adjacent Surfrider Hotel from the Matson Navigation Company for USD $10.7 million. The market price for the property was undervalued and the Osano brothers made millions of dollars in profit. In 1969, the Osano brothers tore down and rebuilt the Surfrider Hotel. They merged the two properties which became the Moana Surfrider Hotel as it is known today. The Osano brothers formed Kyo-Ya Company Limited, a subsidiary of Kokusai Kogyo Company Limited as the corporate entity charged with overseeing the hotel properties. By 1974, the Osano brothers would purchase all the Matson Navigation Company properties including: Princess Kaiulani Hotel, Royal Hawaiian Hotel and the Waikiki Hotel. The purchases put the Osano brothers on the ForbesAlternate meaning: For the Boston Brahmin family associated with John Forbes Kerry, see Forbes family. Forbes magazine is an American business and financial magazine founded in 1917 by B. After his death in 1954 and his son Bruce's death in 1964, it was l List of World's Richest People in 1999For the album by Prince, see 1999 (album 1999 is a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the UN. Events Kosovo War Former child star Gary Coleman files for bankruptcy Y2K prep. After the death of the Osano brothers, Takamasa Osano inherited the billions of dollars owned in properties. The Waikiki Hotel is used as the corporate office of the Osana Empire.