HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Around 2:30 a.m. Monday, a mesmerizing display from Kilauea Volcano ripped sleeping hotel guests from their beds at the Hawaii Volcano House.

Ben Greene heard a knock on his door and a commotion.

“I hear someone screaming, ‘Oh my God! “The volcano is erupting,” said Greene, a native of St. Louis, Missouri.

He pulled back the curtain.

“I said, ‘Oh my God! The volcano erupts. “Everyone needs to wake up now,” he added.

Greene ran outside in 50-degree weather without a jacket or shoes to see Pelé’s power.

He spent a night at the hotel, which is the only one in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and says the stars were just right for him to see it.

“The entire crater floor filled with lava that just glowed and the fountains were really dramatic. The smoke was going in every direction,” Greene said.

The hotel features a huge panoramic window overlooking the Halemaumau Crater, providing hotel guests and visitors with a rare and comfortable view.

“We have the best seat in the house. We’re so happy we’re actually here to see it in person,” said Collette Chee, a California native.

The artists at Volcano Garden Arts in Volcano Village say their art gallery is typically busy during the holidays and they expect business to easily double as more people come to see the eruption.

“I am very excited. Christmas is already a busy time of year, but every time there is a lava flow at the volcano, it attracts even more people,” said Craig Lawver, Volcano Garden Arts, artist and gallery assistant.

Christmas came early for lava watchers and businesses.

“I know it is special and spiritual for many people, so the power and magic of this moment is not lost on me,” Greene said.

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