Congratulations to our host standouts and mahalo to their nominators who took the time to recognize them!
Congratulations to Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort Host of Month, WALTER ALOIAU.
Walter is a front desk night auditor who has been an unsung hero of Outrigger Hotels and Resorts for 35 years. His humble personality keeps him out of the limelight, yet he shines with his record of technical expertise. Walter services guests daily and works closely with a small team of inter-department hosts to ensure everything runs smoothly during the graveyard shift. He is also passionate about practicing the 4 Keys to Creating Guests for Life – Warmth, Personalization, Awareness & Proactivity.
He is dedicated to making sure all is well with every single reservation and guest folio. While the task is time-consuming and requires a meticulous system of examination, Walter reviews bookings with a fine-tooth comb. He uncovers specific guest requests that have been hidden in comments fields, room-rate discrepancies, potential billing errors and room assignment inefficiencies. Without his diligent detective work and constant demonstration of Awareness and Proactivity, any of these issues would have resulted in a less-than-satisfactory guest experience. In September 2021, Walter discovered billing errors on 9 Japan wholesale reservations. He corrected the errors and notified management, so preventive action could be taken on booking procedures. Had Walter not made the discovery, 9 guests would have been charged in error.
Walter has shown care to his team members by taking extra vacation days to make work shifts available during periods of reduced occupancy for hosts with lower seniority. He has written and received thoughtful iCARE cards that are proudly posted at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort (OWK) front desk. From January to September 2021, Walter holds a record of perfect attendance. For these reasons and more, Walter Aloiau is deserving of OWK’s September Host of the Month award.
Nominator: Amy Honey
Congratulations to Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort Host of the Month RICK NOMURA!
Rick has been getting consistent recognition from our guests. His strong work ethic is a true testament of a host who embodies the 4 keys with every guest interaction.
Rick was recognized by name on recent Unifocus surveys:
I cannot remember his name [RICK], but the man that checked us in when we arrived on August 30th Monday around noon. We were early, but he helped us get checked in right away. We are recently married, and this trip was our first trip together as a married couple. We never expected any special treatment, but the man was very accommodating due to the fact that this was our honeymoon, and we couldn’t have been more happier with the service and the room
Please share with us the staff member’s name, department and experience. We would like to hear your experience so that we can recognize the employee.
Comment: I think his name is Rick. He went above and beyond to make our stay wonderful!
Rick always shows that he cares for the guest experience, especially with the current hotel situation. Mr. Hill, a previous guest, spoke to him of his dissatisfaction and immediately Rick understood his concerns, empathized with Mr. Hill, and took the initiative to resolve the issue. Mr. Hill said Rick immediately took care of the issue, did it with a smile and provided the best customer service he hasn’t experienced in a long while.
Front desk and hosts from other departments know that they can rely on Rick for any help. He goes above and beyond, not just for guests, but also for hosts. For example, he proactively prints Voyager 47 guest lists for the food and beverage hosts. He cleans the PBX office and organizes it for fellow hosts. He restocks the front desk office with supplies needed.
It is also worth mentioning that Rick is the point of contact for many Japanese return guests. He keeps in touch with them and communicates their needs to managers on duty. We can’t wait to welcome the Japanese guests back and know that Rick’s name mention on Unifocus and social media reviews will increase once the Japanese guests are back.
Rick deserves to be recognized for his dedication and excellence in demonstrating The Outrigger Way.
Nominator: Ronnie Barit
Two Waikīkī resort managers were recognized for their efforts in embracing The Outrigger Way. Congratulations to Managers of the Third Quarter, REY BAYSA and DUSTIN CHEN.
Having just come on board, REY was responsible for the re-opening of Kani Ka Pila Grille (KKPG) in a very short time frame. He methodically assessed, trained and positioned all hosts based on their strengths and skills. He is extremely dedicated and worked many long hours and days to ensure the restaurant’s successful reopening.
On the efficiency front, Rey made sure all kitchen equipment was in working order and organized the kitchen to ensure optimal productivity. For hosts, he provided the right tools and a safe environment for them to perform at their best.
Rey is very approachable, supportive and a team player. He is also a mentor to our hosts and junior manager.
On the financial and resourceful front, he manages consistent low-food cost and picks up food items from different sources to make up for supplier shortage.
Rey was “all-in” when asked to help plan and participate in this year’s Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival. The sold-out event, November 12, is at the property and will showcase Rey’s talent as he teams up to bring some home-cooked goodness to attendees of “Yo Mama Can Cook!”
Nominator: Markus Krebs
Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort (OWK) host DUSTIN Chen started with the Outrigger ‘ohana in 1990 and has been a loyal, engaged host every day. Dustin’s steadfast work ethic and ever-increasing knowledge in the engineering discipline have provided his superiors and co-hosts in all departments the pathways to success. Dustin is always willing to assist in all areas outside of his department and job scope which has developed bonding relationships and friendships beyond the work environment.
In 2021 Dustin was promoted from lead maintenance to engineering manager at OWK. He pulled himself together and attacked the position with confidence, commitment and a willingness to increase his knowledge. Fast forward to the start of the fourth quarter of 2021, Dustin has grown exponentially and shown his leadership proficiency by being directly involved in several substantial CapEx projects with successful completions. He continues to oversee the daily operations of the engineering department ensuring all guest and in-house requests are met quickly and efficiently.
Dustin is not only a great leader today but has always been a great Outrigger host who continues to love his job, the people he works with and the Outrigger organization.
Dustin continues to put in the long hours to assure the property is at its very best before leaving for the day and comes in the next day with a Can Do attitude. He exemplifies what Outrigger is all about; I am honored to be working alongside Dustin.
Nominator: Albert Kahalehoe II
Hokulani Waikiki by Hilton Grand Vacations celebrated Host of the Quarter SUSAN HORIKAWA. Not just for this past quarter, but Susan has demonstrated the values of caring for our ‘ohana, caring for our timeshare owners and guests, and caring for our place for as long as I have known her at Hokulani.
Thank you, Susan, for being so passionate for our guests and the ‘ohana of Hokulani; keep up the great work!
Nominator: Mitch Yokoyama