Our Story · Waikīkī's only family-operated boutique hotel · Since 1956
A place to hang your hat, seventy years in the making
You can find a hotel anywhere. Finding a place to hang your hat? That's a different story.
Three generations, one detour, and a story still being written.
Read our story Explore roomsWho we are
We'll be honest: we're a little different from your typical Waikīkī stay.
And that's a point of pride, intention, and heritage for us.
At The Equus, paniolo culture and Hawaiian hospitality run through our veins. We've always let these values shape the experiences we provide our guests.
- A sense of adventure
- The warmth of a family-owned, family-run stay
- Hospitality built across generations
What started with bringing polo back to Hawaiʻi in 1956 has evolved into our legacy as Waikīkī's only family-operated boutique hotel, with a direct connection to the North Shore and Hawaiʻi's rich paniolo culture. Since then, our family has proudly introduced generations of guests to polo and the countryside of Oʻahu's North Shore.
The Equus at a glance
Rooted in Waikīkī, tied to the North Shore
- Family owned & operated by the Dailey family — Mike, Becca, Devon, and Mariah
- Headquarters of the Hawaiʻi Polo Club, founded by Fred Dailey in 1956
- Two complimentary polo tickets for guests during the season (Sundays, April through Labor Day)
- Oceanfront trail rides on the Club's 100-acre North Shore property
- Equestrian rooms with antique East-Asian décor, designed by Becca Dailey — BIA Renaissance Award winner
- 0.3 miles to Waikīkī Beach, steps from Ala Moana and the Hawaiʻi Convention Center
- Hawaiʻi Green Business certified and a TripAdvisor GreenLeader
Seventy years, one family
Our hospitality wasn't built overnight. It's our way of life.
Walk our hallways and you'll see the paniolo of the old days looking back at you from vintage family photographs. They aren't decoration. They're the reason we're here.
Unlike any other hotel in Waikīkī, The Equus is rooted in the elegant and exciting sport of polo and inspired by Hawaiʻi's fascinating paniolo history. That heritage gives rise to our name, our equestrian theme, and the way we treat every guest who walks through the door.
Follow the timelineThe legacy
From the Waikikian to The Equus
When you've been in hospitality for generations, you learn that staying true amidst the winds of change isn't always the easiest path. Here's how we found our way back to where we first began.
Riding into Honolulu
The journey begins with Fred and Murph Dailey arriving in Honolulu. Fred is an avid polo player with a builder's eye, and Waikīkī is still a quiet stretch of beach with only a handful of hotels.
The Waikikian opens. Polo comes back.
Fred builds and opens the iconic Waikikian Hotel, one of only a few hotels in Waikīkī at the time. That same year, on the heels of World War II, he joins with several pre-war players to form the Waikīkī Polo Club, reviving a sport that had gone silent in Hawaiʻi since the war began. The club is later renamed the Hawaiʻi Polo Club.
The Waikikian becomes a major sponsor of polo through the 1950s and early '60s, hosting every visiting player and team — including Great Britain's Prince Charles.
Building the Driftwood
Fred has a hand in building the Driftwood Hotel on Ala Moana Boulevard. No one knows it yet, but this building will one day carry the family's name forward.
The detour
The beloved Waikikian passes into other hands. And for a while, so too does our place here. The polo connection to a Waikīkī hotel is lost.
Mike Dailey comes home
Born and raised on Oʻahu surrounded by horses and polo culture, Fred's son Mike continues the family legacy by acquiring the old Driftwood Hotel. Room by room, year by year, and with a lot of grit and imagination, he brings the family back to where it first began.
Becca gives the hotel its soul
After multiple renovations and the care only a family-owned business can provide, the hotel is renamed The Equus. Mike's wife, Becca Dailey, designs every corner of it — the equestrian flair, the antique East-Asian furniture, the vintage paniolo photographs lining the halls. Her redesign earns the BIA Renaissance Building and Remodeling Award.
That hotel is The Equus
Mike, Becca, Devon, and Mariah Dailey continue to operate The Equus, which still serves as headquarters of the Hawaiʻi Polo Club. Each year the hotel hosts visiting teams and players from around the world, and shares the story of the paniolo with every guest.
Whether you're saddling up for a Sunday polo match, taking some time offline on a mountain trail ride, or simply enjoying your home away from home, you'll discover a tradition that's been generations in the making.
Stay with the family
Great hospitality isn't built overnight.
Rooms lovingly designed to reflect our equestrian and island roots. A watering hole where the bartenders know your name. And when it's time to check out, you'll know one thing for certain: this is our way of life.
Paniolo heritage
History of the Hawaiian paniolo
When dreaming up an image of Hawaiʻi, most people picture hula dancers on white sand or surfers on aqua waves. But a rider on horseback is just as Hawaiian as either. Hawaiian polo is rooted in paniolo culture, and the paniolo story is as colorful as they come.
The gift that got loose
English explorer Captain George Vancouver presents cattle to King Kamehameha I on the Big Island. With free rein and no predators, the herds soon damage native forests in the mauka (mountain) lands and raid the sweet potato, yam, and taro gardens of the makai (oceanside) villages. Fences of volcanic rock and even papipi — prickly-pear cactus — can't hold them.
The paniolo are born
The wild herds have spread to Oʻahu, Maui, and Kauaʻi. King Kamehameha III sends a high chief to Spanish California to bring back vaqueros — experienced horsemen — to round up the cattle and train Hawaiians to do the same. The word paniolo is the Hawaiian rendering of español. A culture is born.
A little tamer, still hard work
Ranching remains a thriving industry, particularly on the Big Island. You just might find a group of paniolo relaxing at a favorite watering hole — blue jeans, boots, a cowboy hat with a lei around it — listening to slack-key guitar or joining in an old-time Hawaiian song. Sound familiar? That's the Paniolo Bar on any given evening.
"Real live cowboys in Hawaiʻi? They ask how cattle and cowboys ever came to the islands. We're happy to tell the story."
The sport of kings
Polo in Hawaiʻi, revived by our family
Polo is arguably the oldest recorded team sport in history, first played in Persia more than 2,500 years ago. Hawaiʻi was one of the first places in the United States to take it up after it arrived from Great Britain: polo and horse races drew crowds to Kapiʻolani Park throughout the 1800s, with the Town and Country Stables at the park's edge housing the polo ponies.
When World War II began, the games stopped. They didn't resume until 1956, when Fred Dailey joined with several pre-war players to form the Waikīkī Polo Club — later renamed the Hawaiʻi Polo Club. Hawaiʻi has been an unlikely hub for the sport ever since, drawing acclaimed players and teams from around the world.
The North Shore connection
Waikīkī's only hotel with a direct line to the North Shore
The Equus is the only hotel in Waikīkī that offers guests a direct connection to the North Shore, home of the Hawaiʻi Polo Club. The Mokulēʻia polo grounds sit on 100 acres of beachfront, and it's our family-built field.
- Two complimentary polo tickets for every guest checking in during the season — matches are played Sundays, April through Labor Day, with local food vendors on site
- Oceanfront trail rides along the North Shore coast on some of the island's finest polo ponies, not a landlocked ranch loop
- Polo lessons through our seasonal "Sport of Kings" package
- Weddings and special events can be hosted on the Club grounds
Check in with our front desk to claim your tickets or arrange a ride.
Polo & trail rides
The experience
Take a ride off the beaten path
So what's it like to stay at Waikīkī's only family-operated boutique hotel? Imagine…
- No pretension — just a laid-back charm found only in Hawaiʻi
- A watering hole where the bartenders know your name, with weekly evening entertainment at the Paniolo Bar & Café
- Our signature Fire Horse cocktail in hand as you lounge poolside or talk story with friends, old and new
- Rooms lovingly designed to reflect our equestrian and island roots — four-poster beds, handmade Italian duvets, and imported antiques
- A stay that treads lightly: Hawaiʻi Green Business certified, Ocean Friendly Restaurants Hawaiʻi, and a TripAdvisor GreenLeader
- And always, a place to hang your hat
The Equus is your oasis, standing just a stone's throw from Waikīkī's key destinations — 0.3 miles to the beach, a short walk to the Hawaiʻi Convention Center, Ala Moana Center, and Magic Island.
The Paniolo Bar & CaféFor 2026 · Year of the Fire Horse
The Fire Horse offer
In the lunar calendar, the Fire Horse appears only once every sixty years. We aren't just observing the milestone; we're inviting you to live it.
- 25% off our best available rate
- Daily breakfast for two
- 20% off a horseback trail ride for two on the North Shore
- The Fire Horse, our signature crimson pour, complimentary on arrival — plus a keepsake drink card from the Paniolo Bar
Two-night minimum stay. Best rate guaranteed when you book direct.
Questions from the trail
About The Equus and our history
Is The Equus really family-owned?
Yes. The Equus is Waikīkī's only family-operated boutique hotel. It is owned and run by the Dailey family — Mike, Becca, Devon, and Mariah — whose hotel and polo roots in Waikīkī go back to 1956.
Why is the hotel called The Equus?
Equus is Latin for horse. The name reflects the family's equestrian heritage: Fred Dailey revived polo in Hawaiʻi in 1956, and the hotel remains the headquarters of the Hawaiʻi Polo Club. The rooms and hallways carry the theme through vintage paniolo photographs and equestrian design.
What was the Waikikian Hotel?
The Waikikian was the iconic hotel Fred Dailey built and opened in 1956, when only a handful of hotels stood in Waikīkī. It sponsored polo through the 1950s and early '60s and hosted visiting teams from around the world. It was sold in the late 1970s; the family returned to Waikīkī hospitality in 1990 when Mike Dailey acquired the old Driftwood Hotel, now The Equus.
What is a paniolo?
A paniolo is a Hawaiian cowboy. The tradition dates to the 1830s, when King Kamehameha III brought vaqueros from Spanish California to manage the wild cattle descended from Captain George Vancouver's 1793 gift to Kamehameha I, and to train Hawaiians in their craft. The word comes from the Hawaiian pronunciation of español.
Do guests really get free polo tickets?
Yes. Every guest checking in during polo season receives two complimentary general-admission tickets to the Hawaiʻi Polo Club's Sunday matches in Mokulēʻia on the North Shore. The season runs April through Labor Day. Ask the front desk during your stay.
Can I go horseback riding during my stay?
Yes. Oceanfront trail rides are offered on the Hawaiʻi Polo Club's 100-acre beachfront property on the North Shore, riding some of the island's finest polo ponies. Seasonal polo lessons are also available through our Sport of Kings package. The front desk can help you book.
Who designed The Equus?
Becca Dailey, Mike's wife, designed the hotel's distinctive character — the equestrian flair paired with antique East-Asian décor. Her redesign received the BIA Renaissance Building and Remodeling Award.
Keep exploring
Around the hotel
Out on the North Shore
"It truly felt like home for the week we were there. I am greatly appreciative of all the staff at the Equus." — Melissa
Hang your hat with us at The Equus
Best rate guaranteed when you book direct.
Book todayThe Equus · 1696 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96815 · (808) 949-0061 · 24-hour front desk