Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel
BY BRITNEY ONG – Please join us in congratulating our standout hosts!
June Host of the Month – ESTRELITA UNTALAN
Edwin Torres, Estrelita Untalan and Janice Ng
Estrelita has a cheerful tone of voice and a warm smile when greeting her guests. She is driven to ensure all her guests are happy with her cleaning and exceptional service, making them feel as if they are in their home away from home. Her warm, friendly and upbeat personality outline her exceptional character.
As our occupancy was in the high 90s and we were short-staffed, housekeeping was tasked with cleaning back-to-back arrival rooms. Estrelita was always willing to work 6 days a week and most days 9 to 10-hour shifts, if needed. She is one of our strong team players who always supports the department to complete small and big projects. Estrelita maintains an excellent attendance record, is always punctual and has never called in sick since 2014 — eight consecutive years of perfect attendance. Wow!
Estrelita is well respected by her peers and her supervisors. With her great personality and willingness to learn and share her knowledge, she was the only one who stepped up to train our new-hire hosts (3 total in 2 months). Training new hires with no housekeeping experience at all is not an easy task. It requires a lot of patience, understanding and caring for the trainees during the process. Estrelita had to explain and demonstrate all housekeeping routines: stocking/organizing a maid’s cart correctly; using the color-coded microfiber cloths with the corresponding chemicals for specific areas; making a bed professionally and impressively; folding towels neatly; scrubbing shower walls; SOPs and using HotSOS to order supplies; creating work orders and updating room status during the course of the shift, to name a few.
We are grateful that Estrelita has taken the responsibility to teach, train and develop our new hosts with the right attitude and work ethic. We know we’ll have more responsible and reliable hosts in the housekeeping team when the trainings are complete.
Mahalo, Estrelita, for all the things you do to make our department stunning.
– Nominated by Janice Ng, Area Director of Housekeeping
Mahalo and congratulations to nominees Kyle Kawabata and Noel Gamiao.
Kyle Kawabata and Edwin Torres | Milton Kami, Noel Gamiao and Edwin Torres
OHANA Waikiki East by Outrigger (OEH)
July Host of the Month – JESSIE ACIO GRUSPE
Kiana MacDonald, Jessie Acio Gruspe and Edwin Torres
In the month of July, Jessie was instrumental in the overall operation of the hotel. With record-high occupancies, RIMPAC in town and departmental transitions, Jessie managed to do it all with a smile.
We welcomed a new host this month. Since Jessie is one of our strongest all-around hosts, she took it upon herself to guide and train our new hire. With her support, as well as the assistance provided by her fellow coworkers, our new hire has managed to catch on at a rapid rate. Jessie sets a shining example through all she does. She takes time and care into whatever she is doing, training new hosts or resolving guest conflicts. We are extremely proud of her elevation as a manager on duty and love seeing the growth in her confidence.
Several call outs were received in July, both at OEH and OBC (Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger). Not only did Jessie help us to cover these shifts, she even volunteered to work before being asked! All throughout July, she worked various shifts at both properties. Her versatility and flexibility deem her an invaluable asset to the entire company, not just OEH.
Even with working several extended shifts, extra days and inconsistent scheduling, Jessie still managed to go above and beyond by being mentioned on Unifocus. Jessie’s resilient nature and upbeat personality continue to create “guests for life.” Her warmth is translated through her care for others, and it is evident in all the praise we consistently receive for her. We are thrilled to nominate Jessie Acio Gruspe for OEH July 2022 Host of the Month.
– Nominated by Kiana MacDonald, Area Director of Front Services
Mahalo and congratulations to nominees Chul Soo Choi and Floranta Ravago.
Rosita Rosete, Chul Soo Choi and Edwin Torres
Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort
BY CECI HAMAO AND MARKUS KREBS — The Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort’s (ORF) Shave Ice Malama our Hosts event was a success. We had an opportunity to recognize our Host of Month and ICare winners while showcasing the Voyager 47 Club Lounge and Diamond Head Terrace Rooms to our hosts and fellow Outrigger colleagues.
We received positive feedback from Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk, Waikiki Malia by Outrigger and our corporate hosts and leaders who were able to stop by that day.
Congratulations to:
August Host of Month – JENNY WU
Jenny Wu | Ceci Hamao, Jo-Ann Yonamine, Pila Hanson, Jenny Wu, Markus Krebs and Myra Kuboyama
Jenny has been with the ORF for over 36 years, always has a positive attitude about changes and has been a champion to adapt to the many changes we’ve had over the years.
Jenny goes about her day unassumingly and never seeks attention; however, you can always hear her engaging with her guests as you walk through the hallway. Using the 4 Keys is now part of her nature and is evident in the guest comments we receive. This month, we received two Unifocus guest surveys that specifically named Jenny as being a host that made their stay special. She attained “Highly Agree” on the 5 housekeeping questions: “Jenny was our housekeeper. She was excellent.” And, “Our Jen was very friendly and engaging.” She also, received an Expedia social media comment:
Jenny is very conscientious in her work, making sure to do detailed cleaning in her rooms and to report discrepancies in her rooms and hallways.
Being one of the most senior hosts, Jenny has a regular schedule and a regular day off; however, she is always willing to change her days off to help operations. The most recent example that shows how much Jenny cares is that she didn’t walk in Charity Walk even though she was excited about participating. The day prior to the walk, we found that we needed another housekeeper to work. No one, except Jenny, was willing to work instead of walking in the Charity Walk. This is a perfect example of how Jenny is so special and dedicated.
Jenny is a special host who deserves recognition as Host of the Month.
– Nominated by Sandy Lam, Housekeeping Manager
Mahalo and congratulations to nominees Franklin Hinds, Randy Freitas and Regine Dela Cruz.
Franklin Hinds, Randy Freitas and Regine Dela Cruz
Congratulations also to our ICare Card winners: Ambrose Parangan, Jie Li Liang and Rey Orpialla.
Ambrose Parangan, Jie Li Liang and Rey Orpialla.
The executive office took charge of Malama Our Hosts for the month with a cool shave-ice treat.
September will be an eventful month with International Housekeeping Week and Outrigger’s 75th Anniversary Founder’s Day. We can’t wait to celebrate with all of you!
August was full of fun celebrations! We hope you enjoyed it!
Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort
BY VICTORIA TAPICERIA — We are pleased to announce our Host of the Month winner/nominees, and our ICare card winners for the month of August.
August Host of the Month – MILA ROBINIOL
Mila Robiniol and Steve Miller | Mila | Myra Kuboyama, Mila and Carol Ly
Congratulations and mahalo to nominees: Jamison Kirk (bell desk), Marvin Shin (maintenance) and Mikala Chang (front desk).
Jamison Kirk and Clinton Ogata
Congratulations also to OWK ICare Card Winners: Rommel Vaquilar (bell desk), Shao Rin (housekeeping) and Vivian Chen (housekeeping).
Rommel Vaquilar, Shao Rin and Vivian Chen
A huge shout out to our maintenance department for showing appreciation through special treats as part of our Malama Our Hosts program.
Congratulations to all of our amazing hosts!
Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk
August Host of the Month – YUYING “ANNA” LIN
Yuying Lin
For the past 12 years, Anna has been a loyal member of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk (ESH) team. From the moment she greets you to the moment she bids you farewell, Anna has always done an extraordinary job in exhibiting the Aloha Spirit to everyone she meets. Her warm encounters and consistency to provide excellent service to our guests speaks volumes; so much so that Anna was ranked #1 in catches received on property for this year’s Catch Me At My Best program.
Year after year, she has received a great deal of catches, being one of the top leads in the housekeeping department. On their fifth night staying with us, a guest shared via Catch Me at My Best: “… Anna Lin has made our stay that more special. She goes above and beyond to make sure our stay is comfortable. She greets us with the biggest hello, always happy and services our room 150%. Anna Lin is an asset to our hotel.”
In addition to serving our guests with great enthusiasm and finesse, Anna is always eager to serve her fellow hosts. When other housekeepers or housemen are in need of assistance, they can always count on Anna for help. Whether it be because a host is short of sheets, towels or other supplies, Anna will not hesitate to answer the radio and lend a helping hand, all while maintaining the quality of the service she provides for her own assigned suites and guests. Anna is a natural leader who leads by example. She is also an amazing mentor who delights in imparting her wisdom to her colleagues, empowering them to be their best. Whenever given the opportunity during her department’s daily briefings, Anna shares with her team best practices in greeting guests to ensure a positive and memorable encounter.
Anna’s remarkable work ethic and upbeat personality has made such a great impact on the housekeeping department’s productivity, guest satisfaction and loyalty, host commitment and morale and to our hotel as a whole. We are truly honored to have Anna as a part of our ESH ‘ohana. Congratulations to Anna for this well-deserved recognition!
SUITE Treat from Our Front Desk Team
After another summer month of hustling and bustling, the Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk had yet another successful month thanks to our spectacular hosts! Our front desk team, Kaiana Lee, our front desk manager, and Sandra Kama and Maya Jenkins, our guest services managers, had the opportunity to organize a SUITE treat for our hosts in celebration of the amazing work they have done over the past few months, as well as the completion of our “Catch Me at My Best” host recognition program.
Kaiana coordinated a “Build Your Own Boba” Bar that consisted of a variety of refreshing milk tea flavors, as well as a selection of boba toppings. From the famous matcha flavor to the classic milk tea and even a choice of plantation iced tea, the array of flavors put a great big smile on each host’s face!
Mahalo to our ESH team for all you do; we look forward to exciting things ahead!
Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort | August Hosts of the Month
