The Kalia Tower will be built on the corner of Kalia Road and Ala Moana Boulevard, one of the busier intersections in Waikiki.

The hotel received approval for the tower several years ago, but the project has been on hold because of the sluggish economy.

With the on-going tourism industry rebound, however, the hotel decided to get the project back on track, said Bernie Caalim-Polanzi, hotel spokeswoman.

The tower, which would be the fifth at the 2,545-room Hilton resort, will feature a health spa and fitness center, lagoons, waterways and waterfalls.

It would bring the total room count for the 20-acre resort to nearly 3,000.

Caalim-Polanzi couldn't say this morning when construction would start, how long it would take to complete or how much the project is expected to cost. Details were scheduled to be released at a news conference this evening.

When the hotel first announced plans for the tower in 1991, it said the geodesic dome at the site - long the stage for entertainer Don Ho - would be torn down and replaced by the high-rise.

It originally expected to start the project in early 1994 and complete it in mid-1995.

Back then, some area residents, including former Sen. Mary-Jane McMurdo, opposed the project, saying the building would be too tall and would overload Waikiki with tourists.

But with the state's convention center under construction only a mile or two away, the incentive to bring the project back on line likely has increased. Recent changes to government regulations for the Waikiki area also have made it easier for hoteliers to renovate their properties.