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HLTA Blog

Mufi's Message - May 30, 2020

5/30/2020

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COVID-19 Update

Aloha,

A couple days ago, during a televised meeting with Hawai'i's county mayors, Governor Ige stated the 14-day quarantine will extend beyond June 30, the previously announced sunset date for this policy. However, Gov. Ige did not announce the date to which the quarantine period would be extended. As I have said constantly, our industry needs better communication from our leaders. The continued ambiguity is not only causing anxiety for our entire industry, but also making it far more difficult for stakeholders to make the necessary preparations for reopening.

We will continue to urge our local elected officials to communicate clear reopening timelines and benchmarks. Continuing down this path is clearly unsustainable and we must pivot toward our recovery as soon as possible.

An article that recently ran in Civil Beat echoed these sentiments and drilled down into the implications of keeping the tourism industry shuttered. While the general public may think that hotels are saving money by suspending operations, we know that this is not the case.
​“The public and the government leaders have no idea,” said Mufi Hannemann, a former Honolulu mayor who is now president and chief executive of the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association. “You look at a hotel that’s shuttered, they think we’re saving money — we’re not.”

Excerpt, "Hawaii's Hotels Are Bleeding Cash Amid Shutdown," Civil Beat
​Moreover, the effects of a prolonged shutdown will undoubtedly affect numerous business sectors and industries in Hawai'i. The downturn will not be relegated just to tourism. Everything from agriculture, textile services, security, the service industry, and even the government will be negatively impacted if the lodging industry does not begin the recovery process soon.
​And it’s more than just jobs at stake, Hannemann said.

To be sure, Hannemann acknowledged, hotels can generate enormous revenue. During good times, he said, a small hotel can generate $2 million a month while a luxury resort can rake in $12 million and upward of $18 million per month during the holidays, he said.

But he noted that in addition to using that money to pay employees, the hotels also pay a lot in taxes, which have plummeted, which means less for state and local governments.

“If we’re down and out,” he said, “it affects the whole state.”

Excerpt, "Hawaii's Hotels Are Bleeding Cash Amid Shutdown," Civil Beat
​It should be noted, however, that Gov. Ige did also report that he has been working closely with the four mayors to establish a plan to reopen interisland travel and that an announcement can be expected in the next several days. This is welcome news as HLTA has continued to advocate for the interisland quarantine policy to be lifted as soon as possible.

"Hawaii senators support effort for ‘travel bubble’ agreement with Japan," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, May 28, 2020

Successfully managing any organization, or industry, through a crisis often comes down to sussing out creative solutions to new problems. HLTA Member Central Pacific Bank's Chairman & CEO Paul Yonamine and the Hawaii Executive Collaborative received "preliminary blessing" from state lawmakers while proposing a pilot "travel-safety bubble" between Hawai'i and Japan to the Senate Special Committee on COVID-19. These are the kinds of ideas and creative thinking that we must continue to rely upon as we seek out new ways to both keep our home safe and restore our economy.

Kaulana Pakele

I was heartbroken to learn of the unexpected passing of Kaulana Pakele, longtime lead vocalist for Mana'o Company.

He was a gifted performer who was blessed with a versatile voice that helped to solidify Mana'o Company as one of Hawai'i's favorite Jawaiian bands.

My heart goes out to the Pakele 'ohana, Kaulana's Mana'o Company family, and all those who were touched by Kaulana's music.

KZOO

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Mahalo to KZOO for inviting me to discuss the current state of tourism in Hawai'i. The interview was live-streamed in Japan. Special shoutout to Hula Grill for hosting us and letting us use their amazing view as the backdrop.
Mahalo,
Mufi
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Mufi's Message: May 23, 2020

5/23/2020

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Happy Memorial Day!

Aloha all,

The Memorial Day weekend is set to begin. Although this year will be markedly different from those in the past, it remains an opportunity to honor the American military personnel who have laid down their lives while serving our country.

Please have a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable weekend with your families.
​

#AlohaLater

Donations have continued to roll in for our #AlohaLater campaign. These will ultimately be used to support the thousands of our brothers and sisters in the tourism industry who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

HLTA is pleased to announce that the #AlohaLater benefit concert, which originally aired on KHON2 and feautred appearances from Chris Berman, Terry Crews, Jason Mraz, Tua Tagovailoa, Raiatea Helm, Keali'i Reichel, Kapena, Jake Shimabukuro, and many more will be airing in markets on the west coast this weekend.

Please share the information below with your family or friends who may be living in Las Vegas, Fresno, or San Francisco. The more people we reach, the more we will be able to help.

For more information on this campaign, please head on over to AlohaLater.org.
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​Citizen Scholars

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The above ad ran in today's Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
To see a high resolution version of the ad, ​please click the image above.
HLTA is proud to unveil our 2020 Citizen Scholars. These students represent the best and brightest of their schools; student-learners who have already made significant impacts to their local communities and will undoubtedly continue to do so in the future.

Although we were unable to host our annual Citizen Scholars Luncheon, we were glad to be able to award these students for their accomplishments. A special mahalo to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and the Department of Education for their partnership and to the many tourism industry partners who donated to this scholarship fund.

Still Taking Submissions!

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HLTA Media

"Hawaii isn’t messing around when it comes to enforcing tourist quarantines," The Washington Post, May 20, 2020
"Hawaii hotels may have the key to enforcing 14-day quarantine on tourists," KITV4, May 17, 2020
"Hawai‘i Tourism Now: Mufi Hannemann Shares His Thoughts on Hawai’i’s Tourism Industry," Maui Now, May 15, 2020
"New Zealand: A Case Study For Hawai'i," MidWeek, May, 13, 2020

Have a great weekend,
​-Mufi
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Mufi's Message May 15, 2020

5/15/2020

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A Call to Action

Aloha,

In my most recent update, I announced HLTA's latest initiative: A Time of Crisis - Stories from Hawa'i's Visitor Industry.

Through this video campaign, we are hoping to do multiple things. First and foremost, we want to put a human face on the COVID-19 crisis. So many of our brothers and sisters are hurting right now, and they deserve to be represented by more than an unemployment rate statistic. Additionally, this is a prime opportunity to really demonstrate the diversity of the tourism industry and the variety of people who form its workforce.
I really need your help to get the word out about this campaign.
Please share this with your staff and encourage them to participate. If they, or you, are uncomfortable sharing your property name, I completely understand. Instead of naming the property, please feel free to instead say something along the lines of: "My name is __________________ and I work as a ______________ at a hotel on O'ahu."

Below, I've also included a flyer that you can easily share via text or email. It includes a video release for anybody who participates and can also be downloaded here.

If you have any questions or concerns about this campaign, please feel free to contact Jared Ellis on my staff at any time.
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COVID-19 Guidance Update

We have received further guidance regarding several COVID-19 policies that I would like to share with you. The first is in regards to the issuance of single-use room keys. More than 90% of open hotels are currently using this policy. However, there have been reports of quarantined visitors who have been given an "extra chance" after being caught breaking quarantine.

Please do not do this.

Earlier today, I sent out a memo to each of the hotels currently in operation requesting that any quarantine violators immediately be reported to local law enforcement. I have reproduced the body of the memo below for your reference.
Aloha,

We sincerely appreciate your assistance with monitoring and reporting violations of the required 14-day self-quarantine order. There have been rumors circulating that hotels are not abiding by the single-use key agreement and giving a “free pass” to guests. However, should you encounter a guest who has been locked out of their room due to the single-use key, or identify a guest that is not complying with the self-quarantine order, we ask that you immediately contact local law enforcement to report them. 
 
Mahalo for your understanding and cooperation.
There have also been several instances where a visitor has shown up to check-in to a hotel and has produced a federal letter declaring them an essential worker and, therefore, exempt from the mandatory quarantine. HI-EMA and HTA have both confirmed that, if a visitor produces a letter from a federal authority, they are to be considered exempt. Moreover, any federal letter shall supersede any letter from the State or HI-EMA.

Finally, we have received clarification that working flight crews should operate on a limited quarantine basis after arriving in Hawai'i. They may leave their rooms to get food or to exercise, but should also be limiting contact and should not be frequenting common areas of their hotel.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding these policy updates, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Have a great weekend,
​-Mufi

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Mufi's Message May 10, 2020

5/10/2020

1 Comment

 

Happy Mother's Day

Aloha,

On this Mother's Day, I want to send a special note of gratitude to each and every of the amazing women that someone is fortunate enough to call 'Mom'. A mother's love is an extraordinary thing that exists in rarefied air. If you are able to be with yours today, please take a moment to let her know exactly how much she means to you. And if they have passed on, say a prayer of gratitude for the influence they’ve had in your life. 

Happy Mother's Day!
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Baby Mufi and his mother, Faiaso. ​

HLTA COVID-19 Standards

As I noted in previous communications, we have completed a proposed set of health, safety, and security standards that we hope will help to establish Hawai'i as one of the safest and cleanest places in the world to work, live, play, visit, relax, and enjoy. After reviewing feedback and comments from many industry stakeholders, we have submitted an initial draft to HI-EMA and the State Department of Health for their approval.

I want to quickly share with you portions of the three areas of focus on which our standards focus.

Mākaukau - Preparation
This section details the steps that must be taken before our local hotels resume business operations. Proper training, education and communications are a critical component in going forward in the “new normal". It requires the establishment of a property-wide policy in the following areas:
  • Clear, non-punitive employee health guidance
  • Social-distancing 
  • Food & Beverage operations
This section also suggests the development of internal "right to test" policies that allow a property to refuse service to a visibly ill guest who will not agree to further COVID-19 screening processes.

Hana Pono - Proper Procedure
The second area of focus for our standards requires that properties establish clear, comprehensive cleaning practices for all common areas, staff areas, and guest rooms. In researching the latest best practices for this section, we referred to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention as well as the Occupational Safety & Health Administration to determine everything from best practices to the cleaning products that should be used. A high degree of priority is the constant need to always have the workforce in the hotels operating in a healthy and safe environment. 

Pane - Answer
The final area of focus covers the need for hotel properties to have established action plans that will go into effect in the event of a suspected case of COVID-19 or any other communicable disease. In this section, we laid out a proposed plan that includes designating an isolated bloc of rooms or other area of the hotel to house possibly ill guests. We are cognizant of the fact that we are not hospitals or a place where medical experts reside and work. Therefore, our plan is to have clear communication and dialogue with the state Department of Health and law enforcement officials should the need arise to handle an emergency.  

The impetus for these standards, besides protecting our local population as well as our visitors, is to slowly restore public trust in our industry. This is not possible if we begin to ostracize individuals who may be ill. We are all in this crusade together and, for us to proceed down this the path of recovery, everything we do must come from a place of aloha.

Mahalo,
​Mufi

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Mufi's Message May 1, 2020

5/1/2020

0 Comments

 

COVID-19 Update

Aloha,

Hawai'i continues to see lower and lower COVID-19 infection rates and noticeable progress in our fight against this public health emergency. It is now more critical than ever that we focus on the details of a recovery plan that will help our local economy rebound from the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 when the green light is given to us by the governor and the mayors. 

"Plans in the works to market Hawaii as the ‘safest place in the world’," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, May 1, 2020

There is a prevailing thought that the COVID-19 outbreak is a clear indicator that Hawai'i must begin to diversify its economy away from the tourism industry. I do believe that diversification can be a positive thing for our community. But, seeing as tourism is, and always will be, our core competence, perhaps now is the time to explore what I stated in the 90’s as the State’s DBEDT director that we can diversify within the tourism sector rather than looking outside of it. This is one of the concepts that I shared in recent comments during a discussion panel hosted by Hawaii News Now.
​“Every crisis presents an opportunity to see how we can diversify the economy beyond tourism. I’ve been involved in state, local, federal government for many years and I’ve seen all the great ideas and initiatives that have come forth to diversify the economy. And, unfortunately, it always comes back to this one big basket called tourism. Nothing will immediately replace what we have brought to the economy. $17 billion that we contribute. $2 billion in taxes. 250 thousand people employed. So we have to recognize that and try to diversify from within. Our core competence is tourism, so let’s talk about science tourism, educational tourism, health tourism, and cultural tourism.”
-Mufi Hannemann, HNN COVID-19 Discussion Panel
Moreover, we know that the attitudes of travelers have changed in the wake of COVID-19. Potential visitors will have new considerations to take into account when they are deciding when and where to travel again. Chief among these will be the level of confidence that a destination can give them when it comes to their health and safety, two things for which Hawai'i has always been known.
​"We want to make sure the trust and confidence is going to be there, especially if we are going to start opening our businesses on an incremental basis. So, I have been advocating, and our industry has been responding big time, to the need for all of us to put into place cleanliness and hygiene safety standards so that, when we are going to open, people can be confident- whether they patronize restaurants, small businesses, or come to our hotels, that these will be in place."
-Mufi Hannemann, HNN COVID-19 Discussion Panel
As such, HLTA is currently working with industry stakeholders to create new, industry wide practices in regards to hygiene, cleanliness, public safety, and how to respond to a possible public health emergency. I have also encouraged other industry partners to join with us to form a broad coalition of business leaders in Hawai'i who have publicly vowed to put the health and safety of not only visitors, but also our employees and 'ohana, as our top priority. 

And this path that lies ahead of us will not be an easy one. In some ways, the obstacles could be greater than what we are facing now as we work to restore the economy. However, by working to first address the most pressing concerns of public health and safety, we can make major strides towards a return to normalcy.
​"So let's pull together to reestablish that brand that we've been known for throughout the years. We want to be the cleanest, safest, healthiest place in the world to live, work, play, and raise our families, and we can do it if we work together."
-Mufi Hannemann, HNN COVID-19 Discussion Panel
If you didn't get a chance to watch the discussion panel, I encourage you to do so as it covered a wide range of topics and brought out insights from myself as well as other local business leaders. You can see the segment in its entirety here.

Kau Kau Kokua Kits v2.0

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Hawai'i Lodging & Tourism Association and Y. Hata are pleased to announce our second Kau Kau Kokua Kits event for Hawai'i'is tourism employees. We will again be offering two different food bundles at low prices.

Bundle D
Pork Cubes for Stew, 1" Butts (5lbs)
Corn, Cut, Sweet Whole Kernel (2.5 lbs)
Broccoli Florets (2lbs)
Ground Beef (5lbs)


Bundle E
Chicken Breast (10lbs)
Chicken Wings, Party, Jumbo (5lbs)
California Blend, Vegetables (2lbs)
Broccoli Florets (2lbs)


*Orders must be placed no later than 11:59 p.m. on May 5.

Distribution will be held at the following locations:
Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk - 9 a.m.-10 a.m.
Residence Inn by Marriott Oahu Kapolei - 1 p.m.-2 p.m.

If you have any questions, please contact our Director of Membership & Special Projects Ashley Yonamine.

In closing, please always feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance in any way.


Have a great weekend,
​Mufi

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Hawai'i Lodging & Tourism Association.  All Rights Reserved.
2270 Kalākaua Ave, Suite 1702  |  Honolulu, HI 96815
Phone: (808) 923-0407 | info@hawaiilodging.org
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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Chapters >
      • Oahu
      • Maui
      • Hawai'i
      • Kauai
    • HLTA's Committees >
      • Golf Tournament
      • Hospitality Housekeeping Council
      • Engineers Advisory Council
      • HLTA Engineers Council
      • HR Council
      • Government Affairs
      • HYPE
      • Membership
      • Hospitality IT Council
      • Women In Lodging & Tourism
    • Board of Directors
  • Membership
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Become a Member!
    • Testimonials
  • GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
    • Legislative Tracker
  • HTBCC
  • HLTA Initiatives
  • CHARITY WALK
  • Scholarships
  • #AlohaLater
  • Mākaukau
  • Health & Safety Standards
  • HLTA IN THE Media
  • Women In Lodging & Tourism