Antique & Vintage Postcards

A sun-bronzed model in a white bikini and pink lei reclines on the bow of a catamaran, the gleaming 31-story arc of the Sheraton Waikiki rising from the turquoise waters of Waikiki Beach behind her — this early-1970s chrome promotional card captures the full fantasy of postwar Hawaiian tourism at its most glossy. The Sheraton Waikiki opened in 1971 as one of the largest hotels in Hawaii, and this card, printed on Lusterchrome stock by International Hotel Supply Co. of Boston, was likely distributed in guestrooms shortly after opening. Never mailed, it retains crisp color and clean borders, a time capsule of the era's unabashed resort marketing style.