SpeediShuttle is on the move, expanding its Oahu service, transferring its headquarters from Maui to Honolulu, adding a frequent-rider program and persuading many people to change their travel habits on the four main islands. One of those people is Bill…
6:37 pm, Thursday Polynesian Cultural Center, Laie Photographer: David Croxford >> Wardrobe worker Aliecha Wilkenson assigns costumes before the show to the actresses of Ha: Breath of Life. More than 120 costumes are used in the performance. A…
Chinese visitors in their 20s and 30s. At least I assumed they were Chinese and, judging from their features, probably from the northwest provinces of China. But when we reached a security checkpoint, they pulled out their Mongolian passports. (Please,…
Mike McCartney President & CEO, Hawaii Tourism Authority McCartney, who served on the APEC 2011 Hawaii Host Committee, discusses the after-effects of APEC and HTA’s plans for 2012. How will APEC affect Hawaii’s visitor industry now and into the future?…
There are two ways to reach Molokai’s isolated settlement of Kalaupapa. You can ride a mule or walk along the 3.2-mile trail that descends the 1,700-foot cliff along 26 switchbacks, or you can fly. Those are the only ways to…
The expansive Hawaii Convention Centerhasn’t always lived up to its original billing as a regular gathering spot between East and West. It is rarely fully used and has often sat empty since it opened in 1998, squeezed onto the former lot…
When up to 20,000 guests attend the APEC 2011 Leaders’ Week in November, the local blue-ribbon committee promoting business investment here won’t be touting Hawaii’s old standbys. …
Millions of people visit Hawaii every year from all over the world and many speak little or no English. Many local companies offer foreign-language tours for those visitors, usually focusing on travelers from the big Asian markets of Japan, Korea…
With Christmas only three months away, many Hawaii residents are starting to plan their winter vacations in snow country. “Skiing and snowboarding are the flip side of water activities for people in Hawaii,” says John DeFreitas, product development manager for…
In some ways, construction and Waikiki go hand-in-hand. After all, the pleasure palaces along the beach have provided many of the largest recent private construction projects in the state. By some counts, more than $2 billion has been spent over…
And Kauai’s romance industry loves the money wedding couples and their families spend on the Garden Island On an April afternoon, Pamela Wen stepped off a plane in Lihue, 5,020 miles away from and 40 degrees warmer than her New…
Before boarding a flight in January for a six-week vacation on Oahu, Leilani and Stefen Reid of British Columbia rented online a crib, a high chair, a booster seat, adult bicycles and trailers for their 2-year-old son, Jackson, and daughter,…
The Japanese love all things Hawaiian – from hula to music to fashion – which makes Japan an attractive market for Hawaii companies. But Japan is a complex business environment. “That means a company must be serious about wanting to…
The Orchid Suite at the Halekulani is the ultimate luxury retreat. The 2,356-square-foot haven is separate from the main hotel and accessed by a private lift, offers floor-to-ceiling views of Diamond Head, a posh master bedroom, an expansive living room,…
Hawaii’s tourism industry blasted a sigh of relief as fierce as the strongest tradewinds as visitor counts rebounded and hotel rooms filled last year. Yet for one group, the recovery hasn’t come fast enough. Those are the owners of resorts…
The new chairman of the Hawaii Hotel & Lodging Association is Vice President in charge of Marriott’s hotels and resorts in Hawaii, North Asia and the South Pacific. Tatum says growing up in Hawaii has given him a valuable perspective on how the hospitality…
Tokyo, Japan — High on the stage of the Hawaii booth, overlooking the hubbub of Japan’s biggest travel fair, the musical group Manoa DNA launches into “Aloha You, Aloha Me.” It’s a catchy tune, sung mostly in Japanese, that has…
Helping guests in every way possible Guests usually ask the hotel concierge basic questions like, “What’s a great place for a romantic dinner?” or “How do I get to the North Shore?” But the request is sometimes more challenging, like…
The hotel owner waited patiently to chat with Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle in the steel-and-glass enclosed lobby of the Kai Wah Plaza International Hotel in Kunming, China. When they met, Chau Lai Kai thanked Lingle for staying at her property…
Waikiki and other resorts statewide are more crowded these days. Visitor arrivals are up while beaches, stores and restaurants are filling again with tanned people spending their money. But there is a cloud on the horizon: Union contracts covering most…
When Mitch D’Olier left Honolulu’s Victoria Ward Co. to lead Kaneohe Ranch, the largest landowner in Kailua, on Windward Oahu, he thought he would see few tourists on the job. “When I was at Victoria Ward, about 30 percent of…
It’s sometimes easy for locals to overlook Kualoa Ranch as just another visitor attraction. After all, the meat and potatoes of the Morgan family’s ranch are its horseback and ATV rides, and tours of film locations in the otherworldly landscape…
8:00 A.M., Monday Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Waikiki >> Lou Ellen Kaneshiro, director of housekeeping at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and her assistant, Si Jung Wong, hold a pre-shift meeting with her staff. The iconic pink hotel has 495 rooms and…
One of Oahu’s most popular breakfast and lunch restaurants has moved to a bigger location down the street in Kailua. With 60 seats, Boots & Kimo’s Homestyle Kitchen now has more room for all the locals and tourists who used…