Wednesday morning, I officially debuted HLTA’s new show on ThinkTech Hawaii: Tourism 101. My inaugural guest was State Senator Glenn Wakai, who chairs the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Tourism, and Technology. This new 30-minute show was streamed live on OC16 and on ThinkTech’s website from 10 - 10:30 am.  If you missed it, you can view the full episode on YouTube here, as well as on our website.

Tourism 101 will air once a month. Like “Tourism Tuesday," I am looking to use this platform to further spotlight our industry, and to inform the public about the merits of tourism. In pursuit of that goal, I would like to invite you all to please share our episodes with your friends, family, and colleagues. If you have something you’d like us to discuss, or would like to be on the show as a guest or host, please contact Ashley Yonamine of my staff at [email protected]

​Wednesday night, I joined our Hawai‘i Island Chapter at the beautiful Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, to distribute the funds from the Big Island Charity Walk. The event served as the culmination of the hard work and dedication put forth by the many planning committee members of Hawai‘i Island’s Charity Walk.  Sixty-four charitable organizations, serving the local community, were awarded much-needed grants to fund programs that address the pillars of Charity Walk, from homelessness to youth and education.  A special mahalo to our Hawai‘i Island Chapter Chair and General Manager of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Steve Yannarell and his team, who generously hosted the evening and did a fabulous job of spearheading the Charity Walk. This officially marks the third grant allocation ceremony for the 2018 Charity Walk. Oahu will close out the 40th annual year on September 13th at Roy’s Eating House 1849 at the International Marketplace in Waikiki.

​At the height of concern and with the entire state in heavy anticipation of Lane, Hawai’i residents from across all islands were grateful for the happy reprieve that came with watching our own Honolulu All-Stars win the US Championship, and then take home the title in the Little League World Series last Sunday. 

Upon their arrival home to Honolulu International Airport Monday afternoon, the team was greeted with hundreds of cheering fans, supporting this resilient team that truly exemplified aloha.  

In the wake of an at-the-time Category 4 hurricane that threatened their home towns, these young men stayed focused, positive, happy, and genuine ambassadors of aloha. As the mayor of Honolulu, I had the honor of staging parades and a Sunset on the Beach for  the first two teams that won the Little League World Series - Ewa Beach in 2005 and in 2008 Waipio and this latest feat of the Honolulu squad brought back a lot of memories! Congratulations gentlemen: you have been a beacon of light through this storm. It takes a special team to accomplish what you have done. I offer my sincere gratitude to the coaches and families of these young men, who have been gracious representatives of Hawai’i as they met and played teams from many different places. You have shown the entire world what it means to be from Hawai’i, and we are all incredibly proud of you.

When speaking of natural disasters, I have always said that it isn’t a matter of “if” but rather a matter of “when”, and as Hurricane Lane came barreling towards our state last week, we came perilously close to seeing this happen.  Lane headed to our state as a dangerous Category 4 hurricane, with a forecasted track that would have taken the storm directly over our island chain, proving to be one of the biggest natural disaster scares our state has faced in decades.  Thanks to high-pressure weather conditions and the ensuing wind shear, Lane lost a lot of its momentum and eventually downgraded to a tropical storm, as it veered westward of our islands.

As Lane leaves Hawai‘i, I would like to send a sincere mahalo to everyone who stayed vigilant and informed during the storm’s passing.  This was a critical test for Hawai‘i, and it was reassuring to see that the visitor industry was well-prepared for the threat. 

Although the remnants of Lane have moved towards the remainder of the Pacific, we did not emerge unscathed.  We send our thoughts and prayers to the areas of Hawai‘i Island, Maui, and Kauai which saw heavy rains this past week with some regions experiencing record-breaking rainfall, resulting in the flooding of several towns.
 
While we take lessons away from this incident, I would again like to thank you all for your fine representation of the visitor industry during this time of crises.  Please note, hurricane season extends through November; and we ask that you remain cautious and prepared for any future storms that may head in our direction. 

Mahalo for your kokua.

Sincerely,
Mufi Hannemann
President & CEO

​Dear HLTA members:

As Hurricane Lane makes its way towards the Hawaiian Islands, we ask that you all stay vigilant and informed of the storm’s ever-shifting condition throughout the remainder of this week. The storm’s impact on our state is still pending, but I urge everyone to prepare as best you can, and to kokua those who need help if you are able.  

Lane is currently a category 4 hurricane traveling at a speed of 8 mph with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph.  There are currently hurricane warnings in effect for Hawai‘i County, Oahu, and Maui County, with a Hurricane Watch in effect for Kaua‘i County.  With the constant shifting of the storm’s path, speed, and wind condition, please check the resources listed at the end of this message regularly for the most up-to-date information on Lane.

* As an additional note for members residing in the City & County of Honolulu, the Honolulu City bus will be ceasing operations as of 6:00 pm Thursday (8/23) evening.  With the storm expected to last 36 hours, please plan on the bus service to be out of operation through Friday (http://thebus.org).

While preparations are important, the personal safety of people is always our priority.  It is my hope that everyone remains calm and has disaster plans in place, both at home and at work, wherever that may be.

We encourage you to help your associates/family members become familiar with your emergency plans, and to review them thoroughly.  We also strongly suggest that you prepare a 14-day survival kit, as we are in the midst of hurricane season.  Please click here to download HiEMA's 2-week preparedness brochure.

The HLTA office will be operating with limited staff over the next two days, as I know many other businesses are, in an effort to encourage our staff to prepare their families and homes for Lane. If the Visitor Industry Command Center is activated, we will have a presence at the Convention Center as well.

To all our members, family, friends, and loved ones, please stay safe through the impending storm.

Aloha ke akua,

Mufi Hannemann                                    
President & CEO
 

On Tuesday, I visited the State Capitol where Jon Yoshimura was officially sworn in to the State Senate, filling the vacancy left by Senator Will Espero for District 19.  Jon is a former colleague of mine as we served together on the Honolulu City Council. Congratulations on the gubernatorial appointment Jon, and we wish you the best as you serve through the interim. ​

Mahalo to all our golfers who came out yesterday, August 9th, to our 19th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament at The Hawaii Prince Golf Course in Ewa Beach. Our annual tournament is an all-day affair filled with lots of ono food and fun in the sun, but best of all, it’s for a great cause. This year we sold out 82 teams with 246 golfers participating in the tournament. 

​The scholarship monies we raise through this tournament help to facilitate 18 diverse scholarships throughout the year. While many HLTA scholarships are geared toward students who are pursuing hospitality-focused curriculum, we also offer scholarships to the children of members of our association. Other scholarships include partnerships with the University of Hawaii Foundation for community college and culinary programs, and the Pauahi Foundation. The reach of our hospitality industry is wide, and we continue to encourage the growth of our future leaders in whatever facet speaks to them.

This year’s tournament featured three dynamic refreshment stations: ENPRO Environmental provided tacos, Mai Tais and Cigars; Interstate Restoration served beer and Sake from Young’s Market and had a live sushi chef and DJ; and Hard Rock Cafe featured pulled pork sliders with yuzu coleslaw and fresh apple slices. Mahalo to all our vendors who braved the heat and shared the spirit of hospitality with our golfers. A special shoutout to Justin Yoshino of Tripe F Holdings for generously providing 5 beverage purveyors on the course yesterday. 
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I would like to take this moment to personally thank our HLTA Scholarship Golf Tournament committee, as well as committee chairperson Don Takaki of Hawktree International.  Also, mahalo to our generous sponsors, without whom this tournament would not be possible.  Diamond Sponsor, Kaiser Permanente, and our Dinner Sponsor, Pacific Guardian Life Insurance Company, Ltd, our Sapphire Sponsors, Interstate Restoration Hawaii and Noguchi & Associates, Inc. and all those who provided donations for our live auction, lucky draw giveaways, door prizes, and gift bags. ​

As a reminder, the Primary Election is tomorrow, Saturday the 11th. It may seem trivial, but I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that voting is both your civic duty and responsibility. Voting is the driver of a true democracy, and the Primary Election is just as important as the General Election. If you are not yet registered to vote, don’t worry; tomorrow, polling places will be allowing same-day registration. You can also opt into absentee ballots at the polls tomorrow. For the list of HLTA-endorsed candidates, please click here. To find your polling place, please click here. For a list of acceptable documentation to register to vote, please click here. ​

As we announced last week, we are enthusiastically anticipating our 191st General Membership Meeting at the Four Seasons Resort O’ahu at Ko Olina, October 11-13. If you are interested in participating in our exclusive Sponsor Showcase and sponsoring our GMM, please click here. If you are not yet registered for GMM, please click here. We look forward to seeing you in Ko Olina! ​

​I would like to send a big mahalo to everyone who attended our Hospitality Industry Pau Hana event this past Thursday at Lucky Strike Social Honolulu.  The evening was filled with ono pupus, complimentary bowling, and of course lively conversation!  As we are in an election year, I took the opportunity to tie this particular HIP event to our mission of advocacy.  With just over a week left until the primary elections, I saw this as a perfect opportunity to have HLTA’s endorsed candidates come out to meet our members.  As we rolled into the night, I gave our honored guests an opportunity to address the attendees.
 
I’d like to give a big shout out to the candidates that travelled both near and far to join us that evening.  A warm mahalo to Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Ford Fuchigami - who was representing Governor Ige, Senator Lorraine Inouye, Rep. Tom Brower, Rep. Romy Cachola, Rep. Sharon Har, Rep. Sam Kong, Rep. Lei Learmont, Rep. Bob McDermott, Rep. Gene Ward, Councilmember Trevor Ozawa, Kika Bukoski, Bobby Bunda,  Scot Matayoshi, and Pohai Ryan for attending our event and taking the opportunity to talk story with our members.  On behalf of the HLTA, I would like to express our gratitude for your continued support of the hospitality industry and wish you the best in the upcoming elections!
 
A special mahalo to our host Lucky Strike Social Honolulu’s General Manager Gordon Chow, and his team, for the exceptional service, and to Sukit Kanaprach of The Orchid Lei Company for the generous donation of beautiful lei.  

As of this past Monday, July 30 through Thursday, August 9, registered voters are able to visit early walk-in voting locations within their respective counties to cast their ballots for the primary election. This is a wonderful opportunity to ensure that you as a voter take advantage of your right and responsibility to vote.
 
If you’re on the island of Oahu, you can walk-in and vote at Honolulu Hale or Kapolei Hale, Monday through Saturday, 8am-4pm. If you’re on another island, please click here for a list of your early voting locations. To check your voter registration status, or for more information, please visit elections.hawaii.gov or call 453-VOTE (8683).

​This year, we are pleased to announce that our 191st General Membership Meeting (GMM) will be held at the Four Seasons Resort O’ahu at Ko Olina from October 11-13.  Kudos to Four Seasons General Manager Charlie Parker , who when I first broached the subject of having our GMM at his property has been working zealously with us to make it happen... We will have many activities for our members to participate, learn, exhibit, and enjoy; including a golf tournament, an industry lunch and learn, and government forums. If you are ready to register, or would like to see our tentative calendar, please click here. We look forward to seeing you in Ko Olina! 

​Last month, HLTA’s Oahu Chapter raised a record $1,400 through their annual Back-to-School Supply Drive at Kahala Mall for Ali’iolani and President Thomas Jefferson Elementary Schools. These funds and school supplies could not have been collected without the hard work and support of our members, including a generous donation of $1,000 from Allied member, Drake Biel of Drake Biel and Associates.  Today, per Drake’s request, we presented President Thomas Jefferson Elementary School Principal Garrett Zakahi with gift cards valued at $1,000 to go towards purchasing supplies needed throughout the school year.  Mahalo Drake for the contribution to your alma mater, and for the support you have provided the keiki and the community.