Celebrating Milestones
BY PILA HANSON — Congratulations and mahalo to our hosts who have reached milestone years of service in the third quarter 2022!
40 Years of Service
Elvie Amor and Villamor Tolentino
Elvie Amor and Villamor Tolentino
35 Years of Service
Debra-Ann Chan, Donnella Frantz and Wendy Afuso
Debra-Ann Chan, Donnella Franz and Wendy Afuso
30 Years of Service
Ricol Akana-Phillips
25 Years of Service
Adrian Ching, Barry Chun and Victor Tong
20 Years of Service
Clinton Ogata and Violeta Carnate
15 Years of Service
Lauren Chow and Rodrigo Cabusas
10 Years of Service
Aulani Dusenberry, Daniel Spracklen, Helen Chen, Kory Takekawa, Larina Galla, Li Ping Lin, Miaoling Ye, Maika Benedetti and Restituto Aceret
5 Years of Service
Abigail Antonio, Cassandra Mercer, Cassandra Simpson, Ceci Hamao, Deemer Denning, Delmer Albano, Emil Rosaro, Jacob Cachola, Justyn Wee, Mike Shaff, Otto Tuao, Regine Dela Cruz, Richard Santos and Tanah Ritchie
1 Year of Service
Alicia Phillips, Avalon Vadimas, Bell Acacio, Crystal Kelly, Dennis Bonilla, Diana Gutierrez, Dolly Moreno, Edward Salvador, Erin Lum, Jeff Nashion, Jonah Magnenat, Joven Ramos, Kimberly Miranda, Maile Shaw, Mariah Hao, Mechael Tapanan, Melissa Francis, Peter Hunt, Reynaldo Corpuz, Ronald De Leon, Ryan McHugh, Samantha Jumawan, Sandy Lam, Seungmin Lee, Susan Fujikawa, Yanyan Zheng and Zorilyn Jose
Celebrating Star Standouts
Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk (ESH)
BY ROLAND KAM — Congratulations to our star standouts of the month!
September Host of the Month – SUE SIU
As guest services representative, Sue has been an instrumental and dedicated host of ESH for the past 11 years. She is a team player and always willing to help her peers whenever needed, and always with a smile. Sue takes the time to get to know our guests and enjoys celebrating and recognizing these special milestones by assigning a nice room or issuing a SUITE treat upon arrival. A hard worker, taskmaster and always completing her daily shift duties on time, Sue is counted upon by the managers to conduct quality work with a positive attitude.
As one of our top sellers, Sue was assigned as Team Captain for our ESH Upsell Challenge for the Third Quarter and has been tasked to motivate, drive and strategize with her fellow hosts to generate upsells. Needless to say, Bizzoz is ranked #1 and continues to hold this spot throughout the challenge. Sue continues to drive extra revenue for the hotel by finding the best suites available whether a Premium Ocean Corner Suite or 2-Bedroom Suite for maximum comfort. In the past three months alone, Sue has generated $38,860, or 24% of the total revenue captured at the front desk upon check-in. She’s always looking at the tape chart and moving around blocks to minimize gaps between stays and maximize revenue for the hotel. She also takes the time to learn about our product so she can “sell” it to guests upon check-in with confidence and ease. Without Sue, it would be a long stretch to meet our monthly forecast goals, so we appreciate the drive and motivation she brings to the desk.
– Nominated by Kaiana Lee, Front Office Manager
Manager of the Quarter – KAIANA LEE
Kaiana was promoted to front office manager in 2021, but she has already made a big difference in a very short time. She immediately jumped into the role and became a champion of OnQ, SALT, Hilton Honors, upsells and much more. Her ability to think big-picture and plan long-term has helped the front desk surpass its goals every month. YTD the front desk has achieved $97K above their forecast in upsell revenue and has a 15.5 % capture in Hilton Honor enrollments, which is 11.0% above the Hilton target. For SALT, the key metric for front office is “Feel Welcomed” and the team has surpassed their Hilton goal at 93.5, 4.9 points above brand YTD through August. Through this all, Kaiana remains committed to The Outrigger Way:
Caring for our Hosts – Of course Kaiana could not achieve all of this on her own. She has found the strength of her team and helped prop them up through this past year. Kaiana remains dedicated to our hosts, both for her department and the entire hotel. For the Malama the Host activity in May, Kaiana personally baked and bagged cookies for each host to show her appreciation. And, after some front office team changes, Kaiana jumped right in during August to help plan a Boba Bar with her guest services managers to congratulate all of our hosts for a great summer. Whenever there is a celebration or training, she always shows up to support.
Caring For Our Guests – “…On the 19th of January, my wife fell at the pool. The staff were most helpful and showed great concern for her welfare. Huge shout out to Kaiana Lee and the security guard who attended to my wife when she fainted.” – M. Phillips via SALT
“This was our 1st stay here at the Embassy Suites Waikiki and we are so IMPRESSED! The manager, Kaiana and guest service agent, Sue were fantastic and helped to make our stay a memorable one! The rooms were super cute; we are a family of 5 including a 20-month-old and the 2 bedroom was more than enough space for us. The breakfast the next morning was so much more than we expected. An omelet station, a pastry area, oatmeal, fresh fruit and so much more! The pool area was also super awesome, we got a cabana and it was perfect for our family. Thank you Kaiana and team! We can’t wait to be back!” – lairens6484 via TripAdvisor
Caring For Our Place – Kaiana always makes an effort when possible to give back. She gathered her team together and they helped contribute $800 in donations for Charity Walk and she also volunteered at the event to support walkers. She also volunteered to do mock interviews for high school students. Even when she is not fully involved in the back-of-house operations, she supports and helps the team with our Hilton LightStay and Green Seal initiatives.
– Nominated by Roland Kam, Hotel Manager
OHANA Waikiki East by Outrigger (OEH)
Edwin Torres, Angie Parangan and Denise Torres | Edwin Torres and Chul Soo Choi
September Host of the Month – ANGIE PARANGAN
Angie’s upbeat personality continues to create “guests for life.” Her warmth is translated through her care for others, and it is evident in all the praise and name mentions we consistently receive for Angie through our Unifocus mentions and scores. She definitely practices The Outrigger Way of caring for our guests.
She is willing to change shifts at a moments notice with no “set days off.” She is very flexible in caring for her fellow hosts, as well as jumping in as manager on duty when called upon to do so. Angie is willing to learn new things and has a great attitude throughout the shift, rarely missing a day of work. She comes in ready to “bring the day on.”
– Nominated by Denise Torres, Guest Services Manager
Mahalo also to Host of the Month nominee Chul Soo Choi.
Edwin Torres, Keith Yamane and Rick Alcai
Manager of the Quarter – KEITH YAMANE
OHANA Waikiki East by Outrigger recognizes Keith Yamane as the Manager of the Third Quarter for his outstanding performance in the maintenance department. Keith has been instrumental in boosting host morale and increasing productivity within his department. Keith does not shy away from a challenge, and this property has been in a giving mood the past several months. He consistently demonstrates a can-do attitude and will find a way to solve a problem. Keith is also a trusted member of the leadership team offering support and he is included in strategic staff discussions.
Congratulations, Keith!
– Nominated by Edwin Torres, General Manager
Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort (ORF)
BY CECI HAMAO — We hope everyone had a great time celebrating Outrigger’s 75th anniversary. Along with this milestone celebration, we honored our outstanding Host of the Month nominees, and announced our Host of Month, Manager of Quarter and ICare card winners.
September Host of the Month – ANDY ISHIMINE
Andy works diligently and exemplifies The Outrigger Way. He is very consistent and thorough with the bell team as supervisor. He makes sure everyone is on point and daily operations run smoothly. He is knowledgeable with front services and motivates the team to provide luxury service to all guests.
Another good example of Andy demonstrating The Outrigger Way is when we have group arrivals — he does his best to facilitate the flow of luggage and amenity deliveries. He helps direct traffic, helps guests with their luggage in and out and simply makes small talk with guests. He builds connection with our guests by personalizing their stay and remembering their special occasion. He attends our daily meeting, so he is always informed of what is going on with the resort and shares important information with his team. He provides feedback to front services leaders and bridges the relationship between the bell desk team and the rest of our Outrigger Reef ‘ohana.
We are appreciative of Andy and his commitment to Outrigger Reef!
– Nominated by Ronnie Barit, Guest Services Manager
Congratulations and mahalo to our nominees: Elizabeth Aguinaldo, Joseph Sonoda, Kanani Paclib, Rey Orpilla and Ron Terado.
Manager of the Quarter – RONNIE BARIT
When our sister hotel had to relocate 99 rooms to the ORF due to a fire alarm, Ronnie was the manager on duty. Ronnie followed our emergency procedure, which is to send a LINE message to ORF Leaders. His message was not alarming, so most of us did not think anything of it. The following day, we all found out that the incident was on the news. The line was all the way to the entrance of the resort. Ronnie and the three hosts on duty handled the incident very well, took care of the affected guests calmly and efficiently and did their best to help our sister property.
This incident reflects Ronnie’s leadership style. He is always very calm, yet efficient. He is quiet but he always get projects done and handles all guest issues to the best of his availability. He gives clear direction to our hosts and supports them whenever needed.
We have seen Ronnie grow from guest services representative to front desk supervisor to guest services manager. His commitment to The Outrigger Way is evident in his daily action at work. Besides his daily responsibilities, Ronnie volunteers his spare time to attend community events and encourages the team to do the same. He knows the ins and outs of front desk operations and is always available to assist hosts and other leaders. He works with hosts on their schedule requests while balancing operational needs. He follows through on emails and makes sure the front desk runs smoothly. He takes the time to train new hires while also continuing training with the other hosts. The team relies on Ronnie as he is very dependable. We are thrilled to recognize him as Manager of the Third Quarter!
– Nominated by Ceci Hamao, Resort Manager
ICare Card Winners
Congratulations to Alohalani Alapai, Billy Manlansing and Joenny Banez.
Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort (OWK)
BY VICTORIA TAPICERIA — Mahalo to our hosts recognized for exemplifying The Outrigger Way.
Qi Xue Fang (Lili)
September Host of the Month – QI XUE FANG (Lili)
Lili has worked for Outrigger for over nine years. She possesses a friendly personality and always arrives on time with a smile and a happy greeting for her co-workers.
Lili is a very caring person: she cares for our hosts, our guests and our place guided by our values. The most recent example of this caring act is on our Unifocus survey:
On September 8, 2022, a guest wrote excellent comments on Lili, scoring all ‘strongly agree’ in all the housekeeping survey questions. He commented that “Lili was PHENOMENAL! She works hard and the room was always so clean. I know that it has been a while since the hotel has been renovated but our room was so well maintained it didn’t seem necessary to upgrade. Lili’s standard would work great as a floor supervisor or something much higher because she not only understands the importance of cleanliness but also hospitality because every time we saw her in the hallways She made it a point to greet us with a smile.”
At the part in the survey where the guest was asked to share with us the staff member’s name, department and experience, the guest commented: “Lili in housekeeping should be seriously recognized for her work and warmth. My husband and I are moving out of the country and we had some very long and stressful days during our stay but every time we come home, we were so excited to hop into a made bed with our things tidied up and fresh towels. She really took care of us and we both would like to thank Lili for her fantastic care.“
Lili get things done at the right time and has the physical stamina to perform all her tasks cautiously and attentively. She follows instructions, remains loyal to her work and is always eager to improve herself.
It is with great pleasure that I respectfully submit this nomination for Lili to be recognized as the OWK Employee of the Month for September 2022. She is so deserving of this honor.
– Nominated by Mechael Tapanan, Housekeeping Manager
Congratulations and mahalo to our Host of the Month nominees:
Barry Chun (Bell Desk), Jimmy Zhang (Maintenance) and Mae Lampitoc (Front Desk)
Rowena Colling (Guest Services Manager)
Manager of the Quarter – ROWENA COLLING
The Outrigger Way. What does that mean? When I looked in up in the google dictionary, there was a picture of this person, waving back at me and asking me “How can I help you?”
The Outrigger Way.
Caring for our Guests. “Rowena checked me in, she deserves 5 stars! She was the best by far I have encountered. She really helped me and made me feel welcome. Thank you!” – OWK Guest, Sept. 16-17
Caring for our Hosts. How do you show your commitment to our hosts? Passionate, coming to work every day with great enthusiasm. Team Player, working side by side with her team on the front lines. Develops Others taking ownership with our onboarding process. Dedicated, doesn’t leave until the job is done and her team is set up for success, sometimes that means being here until after 1 a.m.
Caring for our Place. This is all about taking ownership. Anticipating needs by formulating a game plan. Getting involved and staying in communication with all departments both in the moment and with thorough MOD reports to let all of us know how the shift went and what we need to know for the next day. Loyalty, maybe being with Outrigger for 25 years, 4 months and 16 days will support that.”
– Nominated by Steve Miller, General Manager
ICare Card Winners
Dustin Chen (Engineering), Cheyne Yamaguchi (Bell Desk) and Kayann Bassarath (Front Desk)
Dustin Chen – “I don’t know how you do it! Thank you for always staying on top of things even though you have to oversee so many projects. We appreciate all of your hard work.” – Victoria
Cheyne Yamaguchi – “Thank you for staying till midnight and working 10 hours during the street closure.” – Clinton
Kayann Bassarath – “Kayann and another lady did our check in and were very welcoming, professional, and friendly.” – TripAdvisor comment
Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger (OBC)
BY BRITNEY ONG — Please join us in congratulating our shining stars!
Edwin Torres, Angelica Arao, Katherine Allen, Joy Ravina and Kiana Beimes | Bibiana Taylan
September Host of the Month – KATHERINE ALLEN
Katherine is one of our new guest service representatives; she has demonstrated a consistent distinguished performance. She’s very warm and genuine and displays a positive, friendly and relaxed attitude towards her fellow hosts. Her positive attitude shows her true commitment and is very inviting to hosts and guests. She is extremely dedicated and takes pride in her job which is a positive influence on others. Katherine continues to seek and accept responsibility. She uses her time effectively by finishing her tasks on time and taking more in order to help her team. She is an excellent team worker which demonstrates her exceptional care for others. Katherine is also willing to take on extra shifts in order to help out the team, which truly displays a hard work ethic. She also likes to share her ideas and techniques at the front desk with her fellow hosts and the managers to contribute to the success of the department.
Katherine demonstrates excellent care for our guests. She has been mentioned on TripAdvisor and on Unifocus surveys. Here’s one review that really stood out:
“We stayed in Hilton Waikiki and an airBnB, and then moved to Waikiki Beachcomber. Not only that this hotel has an outstanding room and facilities, but also their customer service is top notch. Katherine who helped us throughout the day we checked in is by far the best hotelier that I’ve ever met in the whole wide world. I’ve been to New York, Paris, Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul, Nice and Katherine made my stay in Waikiki one of the best experiences with her thoughtfulness. I’m definitely recommending to everyone that I know Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger.”
Katherine also volunteers to attend the concierge events, where she enjoys networking and meeting new people both in and outside Outrigger. Her spirit of determination and high motivated inner drive really shows how she continuously finds ways and welcomes opportunities for improvement and to succeed.
This is a well-deserved nomination for Katherine because she truly exemplifies The Outrigger Way. She is an important contributor to the success of the department and with her eagerness to learn and displaying exceptional performance, she’ll be able to accomplish a lot more. Great job, Kat! We are so proud of you!
– Nominated by Angelica Arao, Guest Services Manager
Congratulations and thank you to our nominee Bibiana Taylan from our housekeeping department.
Edwin Torres, Mary Atkinson and Keri Brown
Manager of the Quarter – MARY ATKINSON
Mary Atkinson has become an integral part of our team since joining us in February. She is the consummate professional in all of her duties and then goes above and beyond our expectations to support our team, our customers and our mission. One of Mary’s key accomplishments has been to optimize the OTA and direct channels where the property has struggled in the past. As a direct result of her efforts, Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger was able to achieve the highest revenues for the months of July and August and we are on our way to beat October and November. Mahalo and congratulations, Mary!
– Nominated by Edwin Torres, General Manager