​Tuesday, April 23rd denoted the culmination of the third class of our Generational Mentoring Program. The commemorative graduation luncheon was held at The Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa where program co-founder Art Sarkissian, Founder of Here & Now Consulting, and HLTA Chairperson Glenn Vergara, joined me in presenting graduation certificates to the mentors and mentees.
 
The fifteen university student mentees were nominated by their educational institutions and completed a 6-month curriculum under the tutelage of top executives from Hawaii’s visitor industry. During this time, the mentor and mentee pairs worked on personal branding, emotional intelligence, and a litany of both personal and professional development skills.
 
Congratulations to our latest group of graduates!
 
Mahalo to the university faculty who provide our nominees: Prof. Stephen Lundgren of BYU – Hawaii; Dr. Wendy Lam of HPU; Dean Thomas Bingham of UH Manoa, and Dr. Derrek Choy of UH West Oahu.

I would also like to extend a special thank you to our wonderful member mentors, who generously gave their time, energy and effort to teaching these eager students.
 
Mahalo to:
Kimberly Agas, Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa
Julie Arigo, Halepuna Waikiki
Jim Braman, the Cliffs at Princeville
Michael Czarcinski, The Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa
Thomas Foti, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
Christina Gabriel, Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club
Gerald Glennon, The Kahala Hotel & Resort
Ed Gunderson, The Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo – A DoubleTree by Hilton
Kansas Henderson, The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
Kelly Hoen, Outrigger Reef and Outrigger Waikiki Resorts
Scott Ingwers, Trump International Hotel Waikiki
Simeon Miranda, Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk
Teri Orton, Hawaii Convention Center
Doug Sears, Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa
Cheryl Williams, Highgate Hotels

​Tuesday evening, HLTA Staff and Board Members attended the UH Manoa “Celebrate a Legacy in Tourism” gala at the Sheraton Waikiki. 
 
Given that this event honored three members of HLTA, we were proud to support such worthy awardees and happily attended with HLTA Chairperson and UH TIM alum, Glenn Vergara, as well as TIM alum, HLTA former Vice President, and current pre-opening General Manager for ESPACIO by Aqua-Aston, Dean Nakasone. 
 
HTA President Chris Tatum, former HLTA Chairperson Gregg Nelson, HLTA Board Members Carol Shimomura and Simeon Miranda, MHLA Executive Director Lisa Paulson, and HLTA members from The Page Group in support of this staple industry evening also joined us in support of this event. 
 
Congratulations to all the night’s honorees: the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NaHHA), Lee-Ann Wong Choy of Pacific Rim Concepts, and the lady of the hour, Mrs. Vicky Cayetano, President & CEO of United Laundry Services.  Vicky’s long history of leadership in our industry, as well as the community, is admirable and truly appreciated. Her daughter Marissa Ross of Standard Textiles, is also an active HLTA Member, who’s involved in the Hospitality Housekeeping Council and is a former HYPE Allied Chair. 
 
Last year, HLTA was bestowed the honor of the 2018 TIM Distinguished Service Award, and HLTA Board Member Jerry Gibson was inducted into the TIM Hall of Honor. Congratulations to all our members, and the TIM School Award Recipients - “we’re all in this together.”

​As Charity Walk rapidly approaches, I thought it would be fun to share each county’s current total with you all. As of 6pm Thursday evening, the tallies stand at:
 
Maui County: $124,416
Kauai County: $104,693
Oahu County: $54,966
Hawai’i County: $12,712
 
We encourage you ,if you’re feeling competitive, generous, or maybe a bit of both like me, to donate now to any island, using the links below.
 
Lanai        -     Molokai      -        Maui       -      Kauai     -       Hawaii       -     Oahu
 
And don’t forget that Oahu will be launching Hawaii’s first 1K Slippah Walk on May 18th; registration is available through the Charity Walk registration as well!
 
I hope I’ll see you out there.

This past Wednesday, two key visitor industry measures made its way through the Honolulu Full City Council floor: the first, the proposed real property tax increase targeted at our hotel and resort industry and the second, the ever-contentious transient vacation rental bill.
 
On a day that the Honolulu City Council had a full agenda, filled with city budget measures and controversial topics, the visitor industry shone in the limelight as we packed the council chambers with over 50 of our members.  Representatives from hotels and resorts across the board, from major brands to smaller independent operators stood in opposition with me, and 22 joined me in laying out our ardent disagreement with the council’s proposed real property tax increases in Resolution 19-55 (Council Draft 1 & Floor Draft 1). 
 
As a quick recap, the Honolulu Mayor proposed a $1.00 per $1,000 hike to the hotel and resort real property tax classification this year, to help fund his $2.8 billion operating budget.  This was the only business-related classification that was targeted for an increase in the RPT rate.
 
We galvanized the industry to submit testimony at the first Committee on Budget hearing earlier this month, where the Budget Chair proposed a reduced $0.50 per $1,000 increase, with the explanation that they would reduce it to zero if they could find a way to balance the budget without the increase (read HLTA Breaking News – April 5th for the full story). During this same hearing, another councilmember offered a floor draft that would seek increasing the RPT rate to $0.75 per $1,000.  Both drafts were up for action and consideration this past Wednesday at Honolulu Hale.
 
During the council hearing, Budget Chair Joey Manahan opened the measure’s deliberations by re-committing the resolution back to the committee on Budget for further discussion under his proposed CD1 ($0.50 increase).  This could have ended the discussion on the RPT increase for the day, but we as an industry would not leave without voicing our concerns.  Over the next 1.5 hours, members from the lodging industry: from area executives, to hotel owners, and even members from the finance, housekeeping, and security departments, touched on the many reasons why we as an industry should not be singled out for tax increases.  We not only explained how these increases hurt our ability to operate, reinvest in our infrastructure, and expand on employee opportunities, but we painted a wonderful picture on how we as an industry give back to the community - and additionally, to the City & County of Honolulu.
 
As both a former City Council Chair, and a former Mayor of the City & County of Honolulu, I asked a very direct question: why are they looking for more funds, when they should be trimming the fat off the budget first, detailing how they spent last years dollars and focus spending on basic city services. Having done the City’s operating budget for a number of years, I pointed to areas in which they should be making appropriate cuts before looking externally to generate more revenues.  Additionally, with hotel and resort valuations increasing with double-digit percentages year-after-year, the city is already collecting tens of millions in additional revenues organically. 
 
Prior to the movement from Reso 19-55, the Budget Chair commented that he would still like to further discuss the new rate in his committee and discussion centered on the perception that the industry is doing well for itself, and evidence of that fact is the salaries of top global executives who own many of the hotels not only in our state, but around the world. We couldn’t correct or rebut as we needed to be called upon by the Council to do so. Fortunately, Waikiki interim Councilmember Michael Formby, stepped up and declared  “we should not be hitting the hotels, who do so much for the community and its people… it’s almost like we (government) are trying to pit the local residents against the hotels, and that isn’t right.” 
 
Additionally, Councilmember Formby stated that “we don’t complain about the lodging industry when they are bringing in tens of millions of dollars into our state, such as the $70 million Turtle Bay renovation project.”  He closed out his statement by strongly voting no to the tax increase proposal, and reiterated that at the end of the day we should be looking at the big picture.
 
As an organization, and as an industry, we will continue to push for no tax increases as we kick our opposition campaign into high gear.  The resolution now heads back to the Budget Committee, where it will be heard on May 14th and ultimately back to the Full City Council for a final decision on June 5th.
 
Later in the day, the council put forth for second reading Bill 89 (2018) and Bill 85 (2018), both looking at imposing regulations for the short-term vacation rental market.  I went on record to state that we as an industry support Bill 89, as it takes a hard look at stopping the illegal expansion of transient vacation rentals (whole homes), but would allow for a controlled expansion of registered bed & breakfast units (units that are owner-occupied or have a manager on property). 
 
We also support the intent of Bill 85 (2018), although draconian, as it takes a strong stance against any expansion of short-term rentals.  I pointed to two caveats in my testimony to the Council: one, that we would like to see a fair, separate real property tax classification for transient vacation rentals, and two, the city needs to seriously consider the current state of its Department of Permitting and Planning in regards to its ability to implement these new rules and regulations.  Currently, the DPP is not up to par and needs to be adequately funded, staffed, and fortified before taking on the big task ahead as outlined in these measures.
 
After a long afternoon of testimony, the Council passed both measures out from second reading and back to the Committee on Planning, which will be hearing the bills on Tuesday, April 23rd. 
 
If you have any questions on these measures, please feel free to reach out to me or my Senior Director of Government & Community Affairs, Jared Higashi at [email protected]. 

​Last year, Oahu introduced its inaugural Visitor Industry Charity Walk bowling tournament.  In partnership with Salem Media, we raised $10,000 to support homelessness efforts!
 
Friday April 12th, we again teamed up with Salem Media to fundraise money through our Strike Out Domestic Violence event, and successfully raised another $10,000! My sincere thanks and appreciation to General Manager Dita Holifield and her team at Salem Media Hawai‘i for helping us put on such a successful evening.
 
Additionally, I would like to extend a heartfelt mahalo to the following HLTA Members who came out to enjoy a night of bowling, pupus from The Alley, and to support the Oahu Charity Walk:
 
The Waikiki Resort Hotel, Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa, Castle Resorts & Hotels, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach, The Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, HLTA Engineers Advisory Council, and Duke’s Waikiki.

Thanks to your efforts, we are $10,000 closer to our $500,000 plus goal for Oahu. 
 
As Saturday, May 18th draws nearer, I hope that you are all registering or donating to support Charity Walk!  This year, we also hope to break the Guinness World Record for most walkers wearing slippers in our first ever Hawai‘i’s 1K Slippah Walk: for more information on how to get involved or to contribute, please visit www.charitywalkhawaii.org or contact my office at (808) 923-0407.

​The 2019 Lotte Championship “swung” into Ko Olina on April 14th for its eighth annual golf event, featuring an International field of marquee female professional golfers. This Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tournament is broadcasted on The Golf Channel and its affiliates, is shown in 159 countries, and reaches nearly 389 million households.
 
For the past eight years, Hawaii Tourism Authority’s support of the tournament has been an integral part of the ongoing success.  Lotte, the title sponsor, has committed its sponsorship investment for this event to remain in Hawaii through 2020.
 
My Senior Directors and I were in attendance for the Welcome Gala at the Four Seasons Resort O’ahu at Ko Olina Monday evening in which I joined with Governor Ige to give opening remarks on behalf of the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the tourism industry. Mahalo to Lotte Chairman Ding-bin Shin and LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan for organizing such a wonderful weeklong event. 
 
HLTA’s principal involvement with Lotte was to help HTA  to increase and enhance the tournament’s community outreach programs. Working with HVCB, it was decided that West Side high schools should be more involved with the Lotte Tournament.  At our behest, grants were established for Waipahu, Campbell, Kapolei, and Waianae high schools to aid students in the athletic programs; develop special need student programs; enhance current pathway in tourism, hospitality, engineering and culinary programs; and enhance student involvement and development with media/video productions.  Needless to say, the Principals of the aforementioned schools were very grateful and appreciative. 
 
The community outreach partnership also invited four talented high school student golfers to play in the ProAm Tournament, with LPGA Professional Golfer Mariajo Uribe.  I would like to send a personal congratulations to Shannon McCafferty from Waianae High School, Kaito Frazier from Kapolei High School, and Reyan Lee from Waipahu High School:  these outstanding students shot 14 under par, and won the ProAm event with a score of 58!
 
Additionally, we set up an opportunity for Waianae High School’s Searider Productions to assist with the filming and interviewing of players and the public during the First Tee Golf Clinic.
 
As we head into the weekend, we wish all those involved with and competing in the 2019 Lotte Championship a very successful event.

Monday morning, I joined Governor David Ige, First Lady Dawn Ige, and HTA President Chris Tatum in addressing hundreds of high school students interested in pursuing futures in hospitality at ClimbHI’s 8th annual LEI event.  LEI, which stands for “Lead, Expose, and Inspire,” is an HTA-sponsored workforce development project, led by Julie Morikawa, President & CEO of ClimbHI, and is intended to encourage local youth to work towards careers in the visitor industry.  

During my speech, I presented two new initiatives for the students to take advantage of: the first, that HLTA will be inviting a group of (15) students to attend our brand-new Hawai’i Hotel and Restaurant Show on May 29th and 30th at the Hawai’i Convention Center! The second was to remind these future industry leaders that HLTA, in partnership with the Hawaii Tourism Authority, is still taking applications for our new Ho’oilina Scholarship.  This new initiative provides several four-year scholarships to students who are pursuing a Travel Industry or Hospitality degree, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii Pacific University, or Brigham Young University-Hawaii. 

My staff followed up by handing out information on this new endeavor, as well as HLTA’s many other scholarship opportunities, at the LEI Career Fair later that day. For those who are interested, the Ho’oilina Scholarship applications are due on April 29th: for further information, please visit our website at http://www.hawaiilodging.org/scholarships.html.  

It was also my pleasure this past week to emcee the Hawaiian Music Walk of Fame Dedication & Blessing at 2500 Kalakaua Avenue, as a favor to Margaret Bukatz, President of the Hawaiian Music Walk of Fame. 
The Hawaiian Music walk of Fame honors Don Ho, Alfred Apaka, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, Gabby Pahinui, Chick Daniels, Hilo Hattie and Alice Namakelua. 
​
Margaret has coordinated and by in large funded this project over the last several years.  Her idea began when the palm trees that had adorned the sidewalk became diseased- she then facilitated the placement of seven bronze plaques cast in the likeness of the Hawaiian Music Legends into the new sidewalks at the corner of Kalakaua Ave and Kealohilani Ave. 

This Dedication and Blessing featured tributes to the legends from family members or their friends. One of the highlights was the Aiea State Representative Sam Kong, who grew up and went to school with Bruddah Iz in Palolo. Nearly 200 people were in attendance, including friends and family of the honorees, as well as members of the press. 

The ceremony featured a blessing from Pastor Shon Kihewa of New Hope Oahu, and hula performances by Maile-Anne Daniels, granddaughter of Chick Daniels; soloist Dora Kawahinepo’aimoku Yamamura; Bianca Kulia Kaleinani Foster, granddaughter of Don Ho, and the halau Ka Hale I o Kahala Halau Hula, led by Kumu Hula Leimomi I-Maldonado.  The reception that followed was generously hosted by ABC Stores.
Though you'd never suspect at first glance that what looks like a very large Cheeseburger in Paradise is also home to the Hawaiian Music Walk of Fame. And if you take a second look, you’ll see not only the faces of these fabled performers in the stone, but you can also find QR codes and the images of these famous musicians along the external wall of Cheeseburger in Paradise.

I hope that the next time you find yourself on Kalakaua, you’ll stop by and take a moment to honor and learn more about these exceptional musicians who shared the spirit of aloha with the world. Mahalo Margaret! 

It was recently brought to my attention by Joe McNamara (former General Manager of KITV4 News) and the Wounded Warrior Ohana that the 2018 Guinness World Record for most walkers in thong flip-flops belongs to a small run club in Cary, North Carolina. 

The nOg Run Club’s record was subsequently broken in September by the UMOM New Day Centers in Tempe, Arizona.  Their participation, which has recently been reflected in the Guinness Book of World records, is 1,587 walkers.  

Now my question is this: how can we possibly let that stand, when Hawaii is home to the rubbah slippah? Waikiki is a slippah town: and at any given moment, we have thousands of flips flops on our sidewalks and streets worn by residents and visitors alike.  

So we thought that this year, as a warm-up to our traditional Charity Walk, we would organize Hawaii’s first-ever 1K Slippah Walk around Ala Moana Beach’s Magic Island! For just five (5) additional dollars, we encourage our Charity Walk participants to come out and support the Wounded Warrior Ohana as we try to break the Guinness World Record! 

I hope that you’ll come out and join us in your slippahs for this special event.  We then ask that you donate your pair to our slippah drive, as you change into sneakers for our Charity Walk, and make a day of walking for a great cause! I’m already looking forward to May 18th – see you at Magic Island! 
​
To register online, please click here. To register via paper form, please click here.

​This week, HTA President & CEO Chris Tatum joined me in presenting over $360,000 to 44 nonprofit organizations across the state. 

We were accompanied by special guests at each event: On Kaua'i, Chapter Chair Paul Toner was joined by Mayor  Derek Kawakami, HTA board member Fred Atkins, and members of his board; on Maui, Chapter Chair Fred Findlen was joined by HLTA Chair Emeritus Gregg Nelson, venue host Maui Beach Hotel General Manager Greg Peros, and MHLA Executive Director Lisa Paulson; and on Hawai'i Island Chapter Chair Craig Anderson hosted us at the Mauna Kea Resort. At the Oahu allocations, we were joined by Lieutenant Governor Josh Green, House Tourism Chair Representative Richard Onishi, Senate Tourism Chair Senator Glenn Wakai, HLTA Executive board members, and HLTA Chairperson Glenn Vergara.
 
These beneficiary organizations have been carefully vetted; not just at the county level via the HLTA Chapters, but were also subject to final approval by the State.  These grants are the result of a productive public-private partnership between the State, HTA, and HLTA. 
 
Though it has been a long process, I could not be more pleased to announce that we have indeed begun disbursement of the Act 86 (2018) $1 million dollars. These monies are particularly earmarked for homelessness efforts in tourism-impacted areas, and matched dollar-for-dollar, by funds raised by the private sector. 
 
7 nonprofits joined us at the Kauai Marriott Resort on Monday.  The Boys & Girls Club of Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i Division; Catholic Charities of Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i Office; Hawai‘i Foodbank, Kaua‘i Branch; Kaua‘i Independent Food Bank; Kaua‘i North Shore Food Pantry; ‘Ohana Christian Fellowship; and Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Division – Kaua‘i Corps all received their checks. 
 
On Tuesday at the Maui Beach Hotel, the 9 recipients were Catholic Charities of Hawaii, Maui Division; Family Life Center; Feed My Sheep; Habitat for Humanity; Hale Kau Kau; Ka Hale a Ke Ola Homeless Resource Center; Keiki Cupboard; Maui Food Bank, and The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Division, Maui Corps.
 
Thursday morning, the Oahu Allocations were held at the Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger. 21 organizations received their additional funds: Corvette Center Ministries; Surfing the Nations; The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division; Hawaii Foodbank; Aloha Medical Mission; People Attentive to Children (PATCH); Mental Health Kokua; Hale Kipa; Legal Aid Society of Hawaii; Family Promise of Hawaii; Aloha Harvest; United Church of Christ Transition House; River of Life Mission; Young Women’s Christian Association of Oahu; Hawaii Youth Services Network; Project Vision Hawaii; United States Veterans Initiative – Hawaii; Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Oahu; Hawaii Arts Alliance; Ho’oala Na Pua, and The Institute for Human Services.
 
Then, Thursday afternoon we jetted off to Hawaii Island, where we presented checks to the last seven philanthropic groups.  Catholic Charities Hawaii; Habitat for Humanity; Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council; Hawai‘i Food Basket; Hawai‘i Island Home for Recovery; Hope Services Hawaii, and The Salvation Army gathered at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel for their monies.
 
This would not have been possible without the efforts of Representative Richard Onishi, and Senator Glenn Wakai, as well as our wonderful partnership with HTA.  While it has taken some time, it warms my heart to meet with these groups and hear about the impactful work they are doing in their local communities.