On behalf of the Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association, I would like to send a heartfelt congratulations to Lynette Eastman, General Manager of Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club. She has just been named to the “2018 GM to Watch” list by Hotel Management magazine. The title of “2018 GM to Watch” is bestowed upon individuals who demonstrate commitment to their guests, their company, and their industry. In 2016, Lynette was the HLTA Woman of the Year. She is heavily involved in our Visitor Industry Charity Walk, has been a mentor in our Generational Mentoring program, has continuously nominated outstanding finalists for the Na Po’e Pa’ahana Awards, and often helps to provide rooms for our Return Victim Program in partnership with the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
 
Lynette’s compassion and creative thinking have helped her to integrate sustainability programs, such as their plastic-free initiative and Aqua-Aston Hospitality’s #ForOurReef Program, which entails educating her guests and associates alike about the ramifications and impacts of single-use plastic and safe reef practices. As a proud Waipahu High School graduate, she has worked hard to provide a venue to showcase live Hawaiian entertainment in the heart of Waikiki. Congratulations Lynette for winning this prestigious award! ​

HLTA’s Hospitality IT Council is proud to present “Strategies to Stay Ahead of Malicious Threats & Sharing Hospitality Industry Lessons Learned.” This luncheon and educational seminar will be held at the Kahala Hotel and Resort on Tuesday, October 2nd, and is free of charge, thanks to sponsor Hawaiian Telcom. Cybersecurity is of the utmost importance, especially in the hospitality industry, and this is a wonderful opportunity to learn from a seasoned expert.

Please join us at our next Hospitality Industry Pau Hana (HIP) at Blue Note Hawaii on Monday, October 22nd from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. We invite you to meet HLTA’s endorsed General Election Candidates in an evening of fellowship, ono food, and live music. Hosted parking will be available at the OHANA Waikiki East by Outrigger.  We are excited to host our HIP events at different locations, giving our members the opportunity to experience the diversity of venues within our industry.  A big mahalo to Outrigger Hotels & Resorts as well as Blue Note Hawaii and Duke’s Waikiki for co- sponsoring our upcoming HIP. I look forward to seeing you all there!

October 1, 2018 will mark a new chapter for the Waikiki Parc Hotel, Halekulani’s boutique sister property, as they start their complete renovation project.  Built in 1987, the Waikiki Parc celebrated their 31st birthday yesterday on their pool deck, in anticipation of their exciting new look.  I would like to send a heartfelt congratulations to the Waikiki Parc’s General Manger, Julie Arigo, who chaired the Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association in 2013 and was one of the driving forces behind the formation of WIL - Women in Lodging of HLTA. For many years, Julie, a distinguished UH TIM School alum has continued to be an integral member of Halekulani and Hawai‘i’s hospitality industry. Julie’s dedication and care is characterized by her 25-year commitment to both her hotel and her associates, a characteristic that will surely carry over through the hotel’s renovations.  As we open the pages of a new chapter of the “ Waikiki Parc,” we wish Julie and her cohorts our best wishes for continued success in the years ahead! ​

As the end of September nears, October is right around the corner: and that means it is almost time for our 191st General Membership Meeting. HLTA is excited to be heading out to the Four Seasons O’ahu at Ko Olina Resort from October 11-13th.

If you have not registered yet, I would urge you to do so now. Next Friday, September 28th will be the last day to register at the $375 rate; after that, it will go up to $500 per person.

​Purchase of GMM Registration includes attendance at our Friday evening reception, our Saturday General Membership Meeting, Saturday Lunch & Learn, and our Saturday evening reception. GMM also provides an opportunity to golf, learn, and network with optional add-on events like our Friday Hawaiian Culture Panel with Kumu Hulas Robert Cazimero, Michael Pili Pang, and Vicky Holt Takamine, or our HYPE Committee’s “EQ & IQ: The Rise of Workplace-Valued Emotional Intelligence.”  All these options can be found on our GMM Registration link. We hope we will see you there.

​Nominations for the 2nd annual aio Media Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Awards are now open to the general public. This year, there will be 18 awards in 6 overall categories: accommodations, food and beverage, events, activities, leadership in the industry and agritourism. This celebration is dedicated to recognizing the individuals and businesses that contribute to the success of tourism in Hawaii. HLTA, in partnership with aio Media, want to reward those who make such invaluable contributions and continue to make our islands a premier destination. Please take the time to nominate your hospitality leaders.

Nominations can be made online at www.hawaiimagazine.com/hlta from now until October 16th, after which a blue-ribbon selection committee will review the nominations and vote on the winners of each category. The 2018 winners will be announced at an awards banquet to be held on March 1, 2019. Stay tuned for more details.

​In keeping with the theme of recognition, we are rapidly approaching that time of year again. Many of you have been inquiring, and HLTA is excited to announce that Na Po’e Pa’ahana nominations are being released on Monday, September 24th. Nominations for our perennial luncheon will be due on Friday, November 2nd.  Recognizing hospitality’s hard-working people is of vital importance to me, and I, for one, am looking forward to seeing all the finalists and awardees on Thurday, January 10th. Please mark your calendars now and be sure to join us at the Sheraton Waikiki for our 29th Annual Na Po’e Pa’ahana Awards.

​I would like to officially welcome Morgan Lopez to the HLTA Ohana as she steps into the role of Executive Director for our HLTA Kaua‘i Chapter.  As a former employee of major brands such as Marriott International, Radisson, HMSHost, and most recently the Koloa Landing Resort (Azul Hospitality), Morgan has accrued a breadth of experience working in Kaua‘i’s visitor industry.  Her skill set will bolster an already active Kaua‘i Chapter.  Through her acquired acumen in the field of hospitality, Morgan will help elevate the chapter’s events, educational opportunities, advocacy efforts, and of course to its philanthropic endeavors such as the Visitor Industry Charity Walk.  On behalf of the HLTA and its members statewide, we send a warm Aloha to you Morgan; we look forward to seeing to the continued growth of HLTA on the Garden Isle.

Yesterday, HLTA distributed monies raised from this year’s Charity Walk to 135 O’ahu non-profits. Grant recipients joined us for the allocation ceremony held at Roy’s Eating House 1849 International Marketplace, where they were awarded their highly-anticipated funds and partook in the evening’s festivities. The 40th Annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk broke another record this year, raising a total of $2.6 million statewide. That’s a cumulative total of $34.5 million since its inception; and it all benefits local charities across our islands who are working tirelessly to help our community.

I’d like to give a special shout-out to Youth for Christ USA for again finishing as the highest-raising O’ahu County nonprofit. This is their second year in a row, and they began participating in 2017. The admirable organization works with troubled youth via programs offered at public high schools throughout the island. Kudos for setting the bar and leading by example as you continue to work with and nurture our future generations.

Mahalo to Chef Roy and his team for hosting our allocation ceremony at Eating House 1849 and a special thanks to our emcee duo, Bulla and Lynette Eastman, for always bringing the aloha spirit to our Charity Walk festivities. And of course, a huge mahalo to all of our participants: walkers, volunteers, fundraisers, donors, and nonprofits alike, for your enthusiasm and participation year after year. Charity Walk would not be a success without your continued support; after all, we are all in this together. Here’s to next year: we’ll see you May 18th, 2019!

​For those who may have missed my previous message a few weeks ago, I have recently launched a new broadcast endeavor to highlight the importance of our exceptional industry. Like our ever-popular HLTA-sponsored radio show Tourism Tuesday, Tourism 101 showcases the diversity found in hospitality, and I invite guests to reflect this breadth. My first Tourism 101 guest was Senator Glenn Wakai, Chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Tourism, and Technology, on September 1st. If you did not get the chance to watch it, you may find it here.

Next on Tourism 101 will be guest Cha Thompson of Tihati Productions. Tihati is the longest-running entertainment company in the state, and will be celebrating 50 years of business in 2019. Cha and her husband Jack own Tihati together, and have an exceptional reputation for providing professional entertainment and quality stage productions.  Tune in at 10am on Tuesday the 18th to watch live via ThinkTech Hawaii’s website or Facebook page.

​As we wrap up the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association 2018 scholarship season, we are excited to announce that our 2018 Clem Judd scholarship went to Punahou alum Eden Te’o of Brigham Young University-Hawaii. Born and raised on Oahu, Eden, the sister of New Orleans Saints star linebacker Manti Te’o, is pursuing her degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management and is scheduled to graduate this May from BYU-Hawai’i.

Eden’s passion and commitment to her faith led her to successfully complete an LDS mission in Japan, where she continued to improve her verbal and written abilities in Japanese, a valued skill in the tourism industry. She adds that the importance of attentive listening and effective communication can help improve the visitor experience, which will enhance their stay. 

With such great determination and bright futures, we are proud of our 2018 scholarship recipients. Not only have they exceeded our expectations, but we are gratified to see these students strive to gain and diversify their experience in the workforce. Congratulations to all our deserving scholarship recipients, and a warm mahalo to all the contributors and donors who make our scholarship program such a resounding success.

As our 191st General Membership Meeting (GMM) rapidly approaches, HLTA staff and I have been hard at work developing the program and will continue to update the membership on our GMM Calendar of Events.

I am pleased to announce that Friday’s Lunch and Learn will feature HLTA-endorsed Lieutenant Gubernatorial candidate Senator Josh Green, and a featured panel on Hawaiian culture by Kumu Hulas Robert Cazimero, Vicky Holt Takamine, and Michael Pili Pang. Governor David Ige will address our membership at Saturday’s Lunch and Learn, and will be followed by a special visitor industry presentation from Jerry Gibson, Vice President & Managing Director of Turtle Bay Resort.

I hope that you are all registered to attend our GMM, and have confirmed your rooms at the Four Seasons Resort O’ahu at Ko Olina. Our special room block will close on Monday, September 10th, and with it will go our HLTA-exclusive rates. I would be remiss if I did not remind you all to book while you can.

To reserve your Four Seasons experience, please call 844-387-0308 and mention “HLTA.”
​

​On the subject of the hurricane, most of the state dodged the worst of the storm, but the Big Island and parts of Maui and Kaua‘i were not spared the heavy rains and windy conditions. With hotels indicating that reservation cancellations are continuing and businesses in general being down, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority needs to redouble its marketing and promotion efforts in our major markets, reassuring prospective visitors that Kaua‘i and especially Hawai‘i Island are open for business. Also, during the lead-up to the hurricane, my thoughts kept turning to the plight of Ala Wai Canal.

Since 2001, we’ve known that Congress appropriated $345 million for an Ala Wai flood mitigation plan, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local government leading the way. According to the corps, they’ve been warning of the flooding danger for years, and estimates that it could damage 3,000 structures, cost more than $1 billion in repairs, and jeopardize the Waikīkī visitor industry and tens of thousands of workers, not to mention the residents who would be placed in harm’s way. Now, more than ever, we need to develop a proactive canal flood mitigation plan with the corps, state and county leaders, and key stakeholders within the community getting involved to provide input. This long-overdue endeavor should be on the front burner of everyone’s to-do list.

Speaking of hurricanes: as we bid farewell to Lane and Norman, we foresee another threat headed our way.   “Olivia” is currently a Category 2 Hurricane traveling towards the Central Pacific Basin just over 1,300 miles away from our islands.  Olivia is expected to continuously weaken as it heads in our direction over the weekend and will likely approach us as a tropical storm by next week Tuesday. 

According to the National Hurricane Center, Olivia is forecasted to pass directly through our islands with anticipated landfall of Wednesday (September 12) morning.  We highly encourage you all to stay vigilant through the upcoming week, and to put into practice lessons learned from Lane.  We will keep you apprised of new information as Olivia shifts closer to our state.  

​As the leading industry in the state, tourism has had many great leaders. Few have had as much of an impact as UH TIM Dean emeritus Chuck Gee, who recently celebrated his 85th birthday. Last week, at a special reception in his honor at Dole Cannery , Dean  Nakasone ( a proud TIM alum ) and I were gratified to see so many of Dean Gee’s mentees, TIM School graduates and members of the industry assembled to celebrate the profound impact he has made on tourism here in Hawaii and the Pacific region. 

During his tenure as the longest-serving dean of the TIM School (from 1976-1999), his influence and contributions to travel industry management not only here in Hawaii, but internationally as well, has been incredible. I also have had the choice opportunity of working with him closely on a number of projects when I was wearing my government hat and shared some of my experiences that evening when I spoke to the group. He was a Pacific Asia Travel Association Gallery of Legends honoree in 2014. The reception proceeds were donated to the C. Yim Gee Sustainable Tourism Research Fund, a testament to Chuck’s lifelong commitment to tourism.

​Last night, the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association joined the Waikiki Community Center ( WCC) in celebration of their 40th anniversary at their Waikiki Lights Gala, which took place at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa.  I was honored on stage alongside many of our members as the Waikiki Community Center recognized organizations and businesses that have been in existence  for over four decades.

We were glad to have helped sponsor the event, which also featured music by Henry Kapono, and words from former Governor George Ariyoshi, who presided over the opening of WCC in 1978.Mahalo to the Waikiki Community Center for all your hard work and dedication through the years and continued best wishes in the years to come. 

The Hawai'i Lodging and Tourism Association officially announced its endorsements for state and county candidates in the 2018 General Election. The endorsement process encompassed a comprehensive review process by our endorsement committee, which included statewide representation, and a final vote of approval by the HLTA Board of Directors.  The following endorsement slate includes candidates that we supported in the Primary, as well as those that have been vetted for the current election:

(Click on image below for downloadable file)

HLTA prides itself on providing its members with the utmost value and quality, in advocacy and in all that we do. Please give these candidates your serious consideration, and be sure to vote in the General Election on November 6th.

For HLTA’s full press release please click here.