Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk (ESH)
BY ROLAND KAM — What a busy and fun start it has been in 2023! Although a little late, we wanted to make sure to share our recent recognition of our hosts and leaders these past few months.
November Host of the Month – PONO KAHILI
Through COVID-19, Pono was consistently someone all departments could count on whether it was coordinating their deliveries or even helping out housekeeping or food & beverage with their trash pick-ups and so much more. The help to the rest of the team made a huge difference in ensuring all departments could continue to drive our guest satisfaction and Hilton quality audit performance. Even in a typically “back-of-house” position, Pono is dedicated to our guest experience. For example, this past month, Pono was connected to a guest who was celebrating their wedding. She had requested someone to assist in translating her vows into the Hawaiian language within 24 hours. Without hesitation, Pono jumped in and even shared with the guest the importance of each word he was using in the translation. We are thankful for the leadership Pono delivers at the hotel and are happy to share that he was recently promoted to loading dock supervisor.
– Nominated by Scott Kazunaga, Director of Engineering
December Host of the Month – SAMANTHA JUMAWAN
Samantha is a hard worker, respectful, self-starter, team player and is a natural leader on the Embassy team. Outside of her normal duties, Samantha always take the time to setup and clean the host break room. She takes the time to update the housekeeping communication board to ensure the rest of the team has important information for the day. And she is always full of the aloha spirit whether she is a room attendant, pool attendant or any position. She always greets our guests warmly and ensures they feel welcomed. When the opportunity arose, Samantha took the initiative to learn how to be a supervisor and room coordinator and has developed a good relationship with all the other departments through her communication and skills. We are truly grateful to have such an amazing asset to the housekeeping department.
– Nominated by Carol Lopes, Executive Housekeeper
Manager of the 4th Quarter – JAY RAQUINIO
Jay has truly grown with ESH, starting as a sales coordinator in 2018 and promoted to sales manager during the pandemic. Jay has stepped up to the occasion to really build relationships with our partners and drive business, despite the challenges COVID-19 presented. He is consistently pursuing new business, while also always remaining a team player to ensure we are building the best guest and host experience possible.
– Nominated by Roland Kam, Hotel Manager
Host of the Year – JOE GUIEB
As our October 2022 Host of the Month, Joe was recognized as our “Amenity Champion” and for his dedication to The Outrigger Way. In recent months, we have been fortunate to have an increase in banquet events. With no chef on our team, Joe has been the go-to cook to help design and execute menus to ensure we still deliver exceptional and memorable experiences for our event attendees. Joe was also a significant contributor to preparing for the Hilton Ecosure audit which we passed with the highest scores in recent memory. His culinary knowledge and skills, along with his quiet, but consistent leadership for the food & beverage team is critical to our operations, and we are happy to recognize our champion as the 2022 Host of the Year.
Manager of the Year – SCOTT KAZUNAGA
Due to Scott’s dedication to keeping the hotel in top condition and being a team player for all departments, he was recognized as the 2022 Manager of the First Quarter. His commitment is reflected in his accomplishments throughout the entire year. From power outages or pool closures, our hotel or Wyndham, 2 a.m. or 9 p.m., Scott constantly is on overdrive making sure not only Embassy, but the entire Waikiki Beach Walk Association is operating 100%. He is always making sure the engineering and loading dock teams are doing their best, so that the rest of the team can deliver excellence for our guests. We are thankful for all Scott does to support the hotel and team and happily recognize Scott as our 2022 Manager of the Year.
4th Quarter Luncheon – Winter Wonderland
With a busy December, we made sure we still gathered to celebrate a wonderful 2022 and holiday season. We shared highlights of the year — from guest satisfaction, to safety and security trainings — and, of course, also served some tasty food for everyone to enjoy. We also got to do some team building with fun activities like the wrap game and were delighted with a visit from Santa! Thank you to Simeon, Jay and Maya, our fourth quarter planning committee, for putting together a wonderful end-of-year event for our hosts.
The gallery was not found!Host Annual Holiday Party – Disco Night
After wrapping up 2022, we boogied into 2023! From a fashion show, a dance-off and so much fun – our hosts were able to celebrate together in 80s fashion. We hope all of our hosts had a great time and look forward to another fun-filled year. Special shout-out to our decorations, activities and food & beverage committees for putting on a great event. Cheers to the next!
The gallery was not found!Honua Kai Resort & Spa (HKM)
BY BRETT BALLINGER — We recently celebrated our Homeowner Relations Manager Roberta Kamakawiwoole (aka Bobbie) as she retired with 14 years of service at Honua Kai. Warmest wishes, Bobbie!
OHANA Waikiki East by Outrigger (OEH)
Denise Torres and Melissa Sao
December Host of the Month: MELISSA SAO
In a short amount of time, Melissa has grown to be one of the best examples of Aloha to our guests. Her decision-making skills and insight allow her to be a strong member of this team.
As a backup night auditor, she has shown true leadership when it comes to incidents that occur overnight. Her quick decision-making and empathy allowed her to assist a guest in a medical emergency in a timely and compassionate way. Here is a small excerpt of the guest’s statement:
This is just a short list of examples of her excellence.
“The person on reception, whom I later found out was Melissa Soa, listened to my request and organised EMS help quickly. In the meantime, she had contacted security to assist me as well. I think she may have thought someone hurt me, because I had a compress over my eye. The security man, I’m sorry to say I do not know his name, made me comfortable in my room again, then went to wait for EMS and brought them straight to my room. From my first contact with Melissa and leaving in the ambulance seemed to be no time at all. I was made to feel safe, I was having trouble seeing, and cared for in a professional manner. When I got back from the hospitality, Melissa was there with a smile and a welcome back. She assured me that she would leave a message for her manager about what happened, that I would need to extend my stay…”
– Nominated by Jason Nagamine, Guest Services Manager
Lin Heung Lo and Louise Nua
A special mahalo and congratulations also to nominee Lin Heung Lo.
Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort (FOR)
Security and HR Team Bonding
BY ASHNEEL CHAND — Family is an important motivator and drives us to do our best work. This motivator is the backbone for human resources and security who held their first team bonding on January 24, 2023.
It is important to many of us to surround ourselves with family and friends for support and comfort in times of joy and distress. After an extraordinary year, the two departments focused on family first, recognizing team members for giving everything at work but not neglecting their responsibilities to their loved ones at home.
We honored the efforts of Ramanu Solimoce, security manager, for receiving the Manager of the Year 2022 award and Sanjalica Pillay, assistant human resources manager, as 1st Runner-up Supervisor of the Year 2022, in addition to welcoming new hosts into our team bonding. New team members, Mesulame and Nemani, both security officers, were recognized, as well as bidding a fond farewell to Security Officer Adriano who transferred to the finance department and welcoming Ponipate, our human resources trainee.
Year-End Event
The most successful event is one that achieves your goals and exceeds your expectations. In celebrating achievements, our hardworking management team enjoyed a Captain Cook Dinner Cruise on January 20.
General Manager Darren Shaw thanked all the executives and managers for their hard work, dedication and commitment in 2022 which enabled FOR to achieve its property goals. The 2022 manager of the year winners were also announced:
Congratulations to:
- Manager of the Year: RAMANU SOLIMOCE
- 1st Runner up: TAINA TAUYAVU
- 2nd Runner up: PRAVEENA DEWAN
The team also bid a fond farewell to our award-winning Pastry Chef Vikash Chetty for 10 years of excellent service.
The gallery was not found!Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa (OKR)
BY VICTORIA AKANA — OKR celebrated our 1st annual Host Holiday Party on January 20. Hosts enjoyed a Winter Wonderland-themed dinner party with amazing food. There was dancing, a photo booth and a chance to win a prize out of the 130 prizes that were donated from businesses in the community and hotels from O‘ahu, Maui and even Kaua‘i. 250 was the headcount! Wow! It was so nice to see our hardworking hosts enjoy the evening while management hosted them.
We are grateful to our management team and the holiday party committee who served, bussed, replenished, set up and cleaned up after the party.
During the party, OKR announced our 2022 Host of the Year, SIULIN PULUOLE, and our Manager of the Year, SALLY ALING. Congratulations, Siulin and Sally!
The gallery was not found!Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort (ORF)
BY HANNAH BURKMAN — Congratulations to our shining stars at the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort!
January Host of the Month: FENG PING LAU
Feng Ping is being recognized as our host of the month for her genuine hospitality, making her guests feel welcomed and at home. She most recently received a number of guest comments regarding her WARMTH and PERSONALIZATION but I’ll let the comments speak for themselves!
Guest Karen Allbright commented, “The lady that took care of my room was a gem! Loved her!”
Guest Amy Jones commented, “So impressed by housekeeping staff personal attention to our names and the room was immaculate.”
Guest Cynthia Charles commented, “Feng Ping our wonderful housekeeper. Ms. Feng Ping did an outstanding job and took wonderful care of our room. She greeted me by name every time we met in the hallway.”
Guest Patricia Melnyk commented, “Feng Ping was kind and extremely helpful and thoughtful! Always friendly and always called us by name. If I asked for something once, she made sure it was always there throughout our stay.”
This is such a testament to Feng Ping’s hard work and determination to live The Outrigger Way and embrace the 4 Keys and the values of our company. As English is not her first language, it is a challenge for her to even try to pronounce, much less remember, her guests’ names. The comments above also recognize her keen sense of AWARENESS in providing for her guests’ needs.
Feng Ping keeps a neat and clean cart which is reflective of her work in each guest room that she cleans. If at any time she needs correction, which is not very often, she willingly accepts her responsibility and makes the corrections immediately. She always greets you with a hearty laugh and great big smile and is so respectful of everyone she encounters.
Thank you, Feng Ping, for all your efforts to use the 4 Keys every day and represent our department, our resort and Outrigger in the most excellent way. We appreciate all your hard work!
– Nominated by Jo-Ann Yonamine, Housekeeping Supervisor
Dayle Hoopai, Alohalani Alapai and Nicky Niau
Congratulations and mahalo to nominees: Dayle Hoopai, Alohalani Alapai and Nicky Niau.
iCare Card Recipients
Congratulations to our iCARE card recipients Leo Tuazon, Nena Liang and Teresa Salting! And also to Frank Poei for being our most mentioned host in January on TripAdvisor and for all of his wonderful service at Voyager 47 Club and the front desk.
Malama Our Hosts
For Malama Our Hosts this month, our housekeeping department made fortune cookies with special messages relating to our 4 Keys!
The gallery was not found!
New Year’s Eve
On New Year’s Eve, our hosts celebrated with hats and party favors! Voyager 47 Club lounge guests also got in on the action.
The gallery was not found!
Aloha Friday Breakfast
Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort leadership attended an Aloha Friday breakfast at the corporate office. Mahalo to our corporate team for all the hard work that went into sharing their Aloha and breakfast with us.
The gallery was not found!KKPG Overnight!
Kani Ka Pila Grille (KKPG) hosts overnighted at the Reef, were briefed on the resort and got to share a delicious meal with our managers!
The gallery was not found!Cultural Activities in Housekeeping
Cherwin Meheula-Solomon and our cultural activities hosts will be sharing awareness with all departments on our cultural activities. Every department will have opportunities to learn about and participate in our activities so they can share and direct our guests to the A‘o Cultural Center. Here, our housekeeping hosts prove they are stellar lei-makers.
Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort (OWK)
BY HANNAH BURKMAN — Please join us in congratulating and recognizing our star standouts for January:
January Host of the Month: WENDY KO
For January, we would like to nominate one of our 4 Keys champions, Wendy Ko, who earned the most positive comments from Unifocus and TripAdvisor with a high score of Strongly Agree.
Although the day may be busy, Wendy finds the time and goes out of her way to get to know her guests, greet them by name and interact with them.
For January, we received several guest Unifocus Surveys mentioning her:
- Wendy, our housekeeper, was amazing! Very Friendly. Greeted us every morning by names! Our rooms were always nice and clean.
- Thank you to Wendy who took the time to get to know us by name. Very impressive.
- Wendy was our housekeeper and she was fabulous.
A guest posted on TripAdvisor: This was our first time to Hawaii. The staff was very friendly, always greeting you when you walked by. Our housekeeper Wendy was absolutely amazing! She greeted us by name every morning making sure we had everything we needed.
Besides her charm and being a 4 Keys champion, Wendy always strives for the best in the upkeep of her station on the 16th Voyager Club floor. Her rooms are spotless, her cart is always neatly organized and she is well-prepared for the next day.
Mahalo, Wendy! We sincerely appreciate all you do and your contribution to achieve our Unifocus score goals and TripAdvisor ranking.
You’re a model 4 Keys champion, and well-deserving of this recognition
– Nominated by Carol Ly, Housekeeping Manager
Mahalo and congratulations to nominees Kayann Bassarath and Liang Liang.
Kayann Bassarath and Liang Liang
Congratulations to all of you for this well-deserved recognition and mahalo for your exceptional service!
Happy Retirement!
Warmest wishes and congratulations to three OWK hosts on their retirement — Chiu Tai Wong, Yan Qiao Gao and Marvin Shin! All have been with the Outrigger ‘ohana for more than 30 years and are looking forward to spending more time with family. Celebrations included a cake, lei, a certificate and gift card from our HR corporate team and a tote bag filled with Outrigger remembrances. Congratulations Chiu Tai, Yan Qiao and Marvin on your retirement and your wonderful career; mahalo for your years of service!
iCare Card Recipients
Thank you for your acts of hospitality and living The Outrigger Way!
- Fiona Hong: “Our housekeeper was Fiona. She was so friendly and sweet. On days that we forget to remove the Do Not Disturb sign and just needed towels and remove trash, she was very fast to take care of things with a smile and a cheerful disposition. The housekeeping staff works so hard and have such pleasant dispositions, their service is so essential to a pleasant hotel stay. I think they should be shown the appreciation that they deserve.” – Guest comment
- Malamama Suyat: “Malama made us feel so welcomed. Super informative too.” – Guest comment
- Yue Yan Liu: “She does an excellent job taking care of my room during my 14 day stay!” – Guest comment
Malama Our Hosts
The gallery was not found!A big mahalo to our housekeeping department for sponsoring Malama our Hosts and providing the team with personalized Fortune Cookies. Each cookie contained a special quote related to our 4 Keys: Warmth, Personalization, Awareness and Proactivity – what a nice little touch and a great way to remind our hosts how to create an experience for our guests in The Outrigger Way. Our Project Life Students, Dominic Hailey Brandon and their teacher Patty were also happy to take part in this celebration.
Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel (OBC)
Manager of the 4th Quarter: Kiana Beimes
Ruthann Yamanaka, Kiana Beimes and Edwin Torres
Kiana radiates positivity and professionalism. There is not a moment, while with her fellow hosts or our valued guests, that she does not have a smile on her face. She confidently tackles any and all difficult situations and has proven to be a remarkable example to the hosts she manages – while simultaneously nurturing a culture of caring and consideration within her department.
Kiana’s work ethic is beyond reproach. She leads her department with dedication and heart – she has been known to answer phone calls at 2 a.m. to assist hosts for hours, while still coming in early with a smile to ensure that the operation is running smoothly.
During the last quarter of 2022, Kiana helped secure the property’s Green Seal Certification and the Safety and Security audit, where the hotel received the highest score of all of our Waikīkī properties.
Congratulations, Kiana, on this well-deserved accolade. You continue to make us proud!
– Nominated by Edwin Torres, General Manager
December Host of the Month: INOCENCIO AGLIAM
Edwin Torres, Cencio Agliam and Janice Ng
Housekeeping is proud to nominate Inocencio Agliam as our Host of the Month for December. Cencio came on board on November 14, 1992. He is well-liked by his peers and supervisors. Cencio never stops working, from the moment he clocks in to the time he clocks out; he works an honest 8-hour shift. His top priority is providing guest satisfaction and comfort by making sure the public areas have curb appeal at all times. The superior quality and cleanliness of the public areas are consistently well-maintained when Cencio is on duty. One of his duties is cleaning the trash chute first thing in the morning; it requires a strong stomach, but Cenio never complains or grumbles. He maintains the sitting areas and escalator handrail ensuring they are hygienically and aesthetically clean all the time.
This December, he took over Poldo’s responsibilities for a month while on vacation. Cencio once again proved that no matter what his job description, he’ll carry out his responsibilities with pride and compassion.
Cencio maintains his modest character. He never shows off when being complimented about his exceptional cleaning or set-up of the ballrooms. He never takes sole credit for something he did himself. Cencio never complains about extra duties given him, even at the last minute of his shift. Cencio is just the opposite — very kind, dependable, reliable, cooperative, willing to learn, taking directions well and striving to always improve. He is self-motivated and not afraid to voice his concerns or present ideas for the betterment of the department and his peers.
Thank you, Inocencio, for all the things you do; all are being appreciated.”
– Nominated by Janice Ng, Area Director of Housekeeping
Steve Hasegawa
Mahalo and congratulations to nominee Steve Hasegawa.