​Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Salvation Army Gift Distribution
Mahalo to all our volunteers who helped distribute gifts through the Salvation Army Angel Tree program this morning. I am always in awe when I see the hundreds of gifts packed for distribution and the line of people outside the Salvation Army center waiting to receive their presents. It is truly great work that the Salvation Army does for those in need, especially during this season of giving. We look forward to extending our support again next year! 

​Tourism Tuesday
Thank you to HLTA’s 2017-2018 Chairperson Gregg Nelson and 2016-2017 Chairperson Scott Ingwers for being guests on Tourism Tuesday, a new radio show in partnership with HLTA and Salem Media Hawaii. Both Chairs did a fine job of representing HLTA and the tourism industry. There will be no Tourism Tuesday next week on December 26, as the station will be closed, but we will return on January 2, 2018 with guest Jessica Lani Rich of the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii (VASH) and the following Tuesday on the 9th, Rick Egged of the Waikiki Improvement Association (WIA) will be front and center. 
 
Aloha United Way
There are a few days left of 2017 which means there’s still time to make your donation to Aloha United Way (AUW). As many of you know, AUW and HLTA have partnered once again for their Fall giving campaign to rally the visitor industry in giving back to our communities. If you haven’t contributed already, or would like to give even more, please consider donating. You can download a pledge form here: https://www.auw.org/sites/default/files/2017Pledgeform.pdf and support a specific partnering agency by looking up their code here: https://www.auw.org/sites/default/files/pictures/AUW011703dcbook.r5.pdf.
Enjoy your holiday season!! 

Mahalo to all who attended HLTA's Holiday Party at SKY Waikiki! We hope you all had a merry and joyful night. Congratulations to all of our holiday costume contest contestants and especially to our first place winners, Karen and Dallas Fowler!

Mahalo to all our members who donated gifts for the Salvation Army Angel Tree Project, and an extra shout out is in order for our generous prize donors for helping us spread the holiday cheer:

• Our friends at Interstate Restoration Hawaii – Rachel Lii, David Heard, and Raymond Gould for providing (4) $25 VISA Cards.
• J.P. Cercileaux, HLTA Board Member and General Manager of The New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel,  for providing two $50 Gift Certificates for Lunch at Hau Tree Lanai.
• Glenn Vergara, HLTA Chairperson Elect and General Manager of the Waikiki Resort Hotel for donating two $100 gift certificates to Seoul Jung Restaurant.
• Fred Orr, HLTA Board Member and GM of the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Gift for donating a certificate for a Dinner Buffet for Two at Pikake Terrace Restaurant.
• Gerald Glennon, HLTA Board Member and General Manager of The Kahala Resort & Hotel for providing a one night in an Ocean View Lanai Room with buffet breakfast for two at Plumeria Beach House, as well as dinner for two at Hoku’s.
• Scott Ingwers, 2016 HLTA Chairperson and General Manager of the Trump International Hotel Waikiki, for donating a two-night stay in the Deluxe Studio Run-of-House at the Trump International Hotel Waikiki.
• Robin Graf, HLTA Board Member and VP of Operations at Castle Resorts & Hotel, for providing a two-night stay in an Ocean View Room at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.
• Rob Robinson, HLTA Board Member and Managing Director of the newly renovated 'Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach, for providing a one-night stay with breakfast for two at the 'Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach.

Island Air Job Fair:
Mahalo again to all who participated in the Island Air Job Fair last Thursday at the DKI International Airport’s interisland conference center. HLTA members that participated included Aqua-Aston Hospitality, Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, Kyo-Ya, Hilton Hotels, Marriott Ko Olina, Aulani Disney Resort, Enterprise Holdings, Securitas Security Services, Roberts Hawaii, Gourmet Events, Hawaiian Cool Water, Central Pacific Bank, Ritz Carlton Residences Waikiki, Waikiki Beach Marriott, Paradise Beverages, Oahu Transit Services, Servco Toyota, Hertz, Elite Parking and  ABC Stores. Over 100 former employees of Island Air attended the job fair, and several of them received interviews and job offers that day. Mahalo to Denise Blas-Phillips of Island Air for voluntarily helping us coordinate this event. 

There will be another job and resource fair today, Dec. 5 at Dillingham Shopping Plaza, being held by the Oahu Workforce Development Board and the Department of Community Services American Job Center Hawaii. Many of our members will once again be participating.

Maui Holiday Mixer:
Last week I had the pleasure of attending Maui Hotel & Lodging Association’s Holiday Mixer at the Andaz Maui at Wailea with HLTA Chair Gregg Nelson. We were greeted by HLTA Vice-Chair and the GM of this beautiful Wailea Resort Mike Jokovich, as well as MHLA Executive Director Lisa Paulson. Throughout the evening we mixed and mingled with dozens of our hard-working hospitality industry colleagues. We were able to pay tribute to the fine work of MHLA  through the years, convey remarks on the 70th anniversary of our organization, and wish everyone a Mele Kalikimaka! 

​HLTA Holiday Party:
Speaking of holiday mixers, we hope you plan to attend HLTA’s Holiday Party next week on December 14! Get into the Holiday spirit and come in your most festive attire. We will even be holding a costume contest for the most spirited, most creative, and funniest outfits. As some of you know, I have over 50 Christmas-themed aloha shirts so you can bet I will be saving my best one for this event.  As a reminder, the party will be held on Thursday, Dec. 14 from 5:30-8pm at SKY Waikiki. Make sure you register for the event on our website here.

Attack Warning Signal:
As many of you are aware, last week the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency began conducting a monthly test of an Attack Warning Signal. While the chances of an attack against Hawaii by North Korea are very slim, it is still imperative that we understand the protocols for the unlikely event of any nuclear attack. The Hawaii State Department of Defense has issued a public guidance summary for a nuclear detonation, including instructions to stay or go indoors, remain sheltered, and tune in to a local AM-FM radio station for information. Click here for a detailed FAQ and here for the guidance summary provided by the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

Mahalo to Malia Kahale:
We are sad to announce that our administrative assistant Malia will be leaving HLTA to accept a position with one our member organizations The Orchid Lei Co. During her time with HLTA, Malia has been an integral member of our team and as many of you know she was a constant fixture at all our events and activities. One of the main takeaways is that as she assumes her new professional endeavors, she intends to remain active with HLTA and the hospitality industry- a plus for us indeed!  ​