Mufi's Message, September 21st

Are You Registered for GMM? 

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.

Announcing the 2nd Annual aio Media HLTA Awards

​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.

Na Po'e Pa'ahana: Nomination Forms Coming Monday

​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.

HLTA Kauai Chapter Welcomes New Executive Director, Morgan Lopez

​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.