Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Chapters >
      • Oahu
      • Maui
      • Hawai'i
      • Kauai
    • HLTA's Committees >
      • Engineers Advisory Council
      • Golf Tournament
      • Hospitality Housekeeping Council
      • HR Council
      • HYPE
      • Membership
      • 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

HLTA Blog

Mufi's Message - August 27, 2021

8/27/2021

0 Comments

 

Governor Ige Meeting

Aloha,

Yesterday, our coalition of tourism, business, nonprofit, and labor groups met with Governor Ige, HTA President & CEO John De Fries, DBEDT Director Mike McCartney, and members of the Governor's team to discuss his recent request for nonessential travel to halt. We went into the meeting with the hopes of stressing the need to strike a fine balance between slowing the spread of COVID-19 while continuing to recover our economy, and we offered some ideas and initiatives on how we can achieve that delicate balance. All in all, it was a productive discussion with Gov. Ige, and we are looking forward to continuing these sessions with the Governor and his team on a regular basis. 

Gov. Ige also shared data about the current COVID-19 surge that you may find of interest:
  • Eight percent of new infections are occurring in local residents returning from travel.
  • Non-local, trans-Pacific travelers account for between one and two percent of cases.
  • 87% of hospitalizations are unvaccinated individuals.
  • 70.7% of the local population has started the vaccination process.
  • Between 90%-95% of people who get the first shot do take their second dose.
  • The State expects to hit the 70% vaccination rate in the next month.

This data highlights much of what we have been saying for months: We need to continue to push vaccination, abide by public health mandates regarding large groups and social distancing, wear masks, and protect each other. Additionally, as anti-tourism sentiments and misinformation continue to grow, we must keep pushing back with the facts and data above. ​

COVID Guest Policy

A handful of situations have arisen over the past couple of weeks regarding hotel policy for guests who are COVID-19 positive. While I understand that every COVID case is ultimately unique and requires individualized customer service, the current State emergency proclamation makes clear that lodging operations are obligated to honor any existing reservation a guest may have and must house said guest for isolation purposes or find them alternate accommodations. 
 
"A hotel property’s COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan shall address all applicable guidance from the CDC and it shall be the responsibility of the hotel operator of each property to accommodate guests who become positive for COVID-19 or are identified as close contacts of a person who is positive for COVID-19, either by accommodating these guests at the property or by securing alternative accommodations."

This was enacted after consultation between industry stakeholders and Governor Ige, and we must try our utmost to abide by this policy. As the Delta variant makes its way through our population, hospital beds are in short supply, emergency responders and medical professionals are being taxed to their limits, and the various departments and organizations tasked with addressing the pandemic are stretched precariously thin. We must—if at all possible—try to accommodate these guests without foisting them on any other agency that is currently being overwhelmed by new COVID-19 cases.

If you would like to discuss further please feel free to contact myself, Jared Higashi (jhigashi@hawaiilodging.org) or Jared Ellis (jellis@hawaiilodging.org).

Mahalo, 
​Mufi
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Stay in the know

    Keep up with HLTA through our blog! Let us know what you think in the comment box below each post.

    Archives

    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Hawai'i Lodging & Tourism Association.  All Rights Reserved.
2270 Kalākaua Ave, Suite 1702  |  Honolulu, HI 96815
Phone: (808) 923-0407 | info@hawaiilodging.org
MemberClicks
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Chapters >
      • Oahu
      • Maui
      • Hawai'i
      • Kauai
    • HLTA's Committees >
      • Engineers Advisory Council
      • Golf Tournament
      • Hospitality Housekeeping Council
      • HR Council
      • HYPE
      • Membership
      • 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