Company Services
Host of the Quarter: Leo Dai
Henry Schwartz, Leo Dai and Jeff Wagoner
Ritche Albano, Henry Schwartz, Crystal Salavea, Agathi Yap, Leo Dai, Jacky Lee and Peter Hunt
Leo started working for OUTRIGGER in December 2021 as network administrator and has shown in his brief time here, what an incredible asset he is to our IT team.
He didn’t need to be coached on “The Outrigger Way” as he has it ingrained in his persona. Leo comes to work every day with a positive attitude, natural sincerity in his interactions with others, eagerness to learn new things, always smiling and going that extra mile to assist.
He understands the importance of ensuring our corporate technology systems, network and hardware components are running as efficiently as possible. He shows up each day ready and willing to tackle whatever comes his way. Leo is always on the go, heading off to a property or another department, working tirelessly on reported tickets, as well as those ‘special requests’ since he’s there. You may see him at his desk, setting up or troubleshooting workstations or typically at the end of his day, ensuring all his actions and recommendations are noted on the tickets he has completed.
Leo eagerly wants to learn new things and wasn’t bothered about the 4 a.m. classes we sent him to on learning VMWare installation and configuration. He also had no complaints about visiting our neighbor island locations when needed.
Leo is a team player and has gained the trust of many of our fellow hosts in his short time with OUTRIGGER. We have received many comments and accolades for his assistance. His work and the trust he has gained have helped our team become more efficient as a department and we are all grateful to have him.
Leo is an excellent example of Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a and you will see it every time, every day.
– Nominated by Crystal Salavea, Senior Director, IT Operations
Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk (ESH)
Apprenticeship Kick-Off Celebration
BY KAIMI KALEI — On January 8, we kicked off our Maintenance Apprenticeship Training Program. Starting the new year, we registered two of our engineers and our engineering coordinator for the program managed by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. This program combines on-the-job learning with classroom education, allowing our hosts to advance their careers by earning college credit and industry certification. We are thrilled for Dennis Bonilla, Junie Palacpac and Tyler Castro to develop these skills and grow in their careers.
Glam Annual Host Party
BY KAIMI KALEI — January 18 ESH hosts gathered for our annual party. As we consistently recognized our hosts as superstars in 2023, a GLAM theme for our shining stars was only fitting. The management team encouraged hosts to come best-dressed in glitter and gold like Hollywood stars on the red carpet. We enjoyed delicious prime rib, lechon and shrimp, along with refreshing drinks. Hosts were spoiled with amazing prizes that were well-deserved. Later, we danced and sang the night away, discovering many hidden talents among departments. It was a great time to see our hosts fully enjoy themselves. Feeling valued and appreciated was the aim of the evening. Mahalo, ESH hosts, for all you do!
The gallery was not found!Host of the Year: DAVID ARAGONES
David & Simeon
Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk is proud to honor David Aragones as our 2023 Host of the Year. Across all departments, David is unanimously treasured. In his main position as houseman, David can be found in the lobby, around our Grand Lanai, walking through the offices and every other nook and cranny on our property. He is dedicated and self-driven to ensure every area he cares for is clean and maintained to perfection. But it is truly his heart and his smile that make the difference. David’s positive light radiates and is felt by every guest or host that he interacts with. He is a team player and many times when the room attendants are busy, he will come in early or stay late to pick up service suites or to lend a hand to a special project. Whenever there is an “accident” on property, David is known for being the one who will take action and address the situation without being asked and without complaining. He is a trooper who truly radiates the meaning of The OUTRIGGER Way. Most of all, he is someone who is humble and comes to work to do his best. One favorite story of the team is David’s support and encouragement of other hosts to participate in OUTRIGGERCares. He will personally share how the program has helped him in the past and hopes the foundation can continue to help others in the future. Once again, we are so thankful to have, not just an amazingly hardworking host, but one who truly exhibits The 4 Keys and makes a difference to all those around him. Congratulations and thank you for all you do David!
– Written by Roland Kam, Hotel Manager
Leader of the Year: ROLAND KAM
Roland & Simeon
Roland Kam, hotel manager, has been with ESH for over two years. In addition to his OHANA Waikiki East by OUTRIGGER experience, he has grown and experienced what it is like to be in a Hilton-branded hotel and work with the owners of ESH, American Assets Trust, to bring the property to another level. His smile and positive attitude are reflected in the successful results for ESH: 1) He led the team to achieve an Outstanding Quality Assurance inspection in 2023. 2) Month after month ESH has hit our GOP numbers as Roland worked with all department managers to achieve their budgeted revenues and maintain or lessen their expenses. 3) He helped with the transition and worked very hard with OUTRIGGER management in transitioning the newly acquired hotels on Maui and Kaua‘i. 4) He has motivated hosts in every way ensuring we celebrate them monthly with outstanding Hosts of the Month, Leader of the Quarter and quarterly luncheons. 5) He oversees front office management and has worked very hard in meeting our service scores, Hilton Honors memberships and upsell programs to improve ADR and room revenues. Not only is Roland a productive and successful leader, but he also has a kind heart and makes sure our hosts come first. He deserves to be Leader of the Year for 2023.
– Written by Simeon Miranda, General Manager
OUTRIGGER Fiji Beach Resort (FOR)
Farewell Afternoon Tea for Rod Kutwaroo and Rajesh Chooroo
BY SANJALICA PILLAY — On December 8, the FOR team bid farewell to Rod Kutwaroo and Rajesh Chooroo. Rod (front office manager) and Rajesh (food & beverage outlet manager) are from OUTRIGGER Mauritius Beach Resort and joined the FOR vuvale in June for cross-exposure. It was a great opportunity for both properties to learn and share knowledge about their respective resort operations.
It’s not a goodbye for Rajesh, but a sota tale, see you later. He will return as a full-time member of the FOR team while we bid a fond farewell to Rod who returns to MOR.
Afternoon tea was enjoyed with lovely pastries followed by the singing of the OUTRIGGER Isa Lei song.
Vuvale Year-End Afternoon Tea
The gallery was not found!OUTRIGGER Kona Resort & Spa (OKR)
Flashback Friday Holiday Party
BY FRANCINE MOLINA — Our hosts enjoyed an evening of karaoke, disco and delicious food at our holiday gathering. Everyone came dressed to impress, inspired by a decade of their choosing.
The gallery was not found!OUTRIGGER Maldives Maafushivaru Resort (MAM)
BY AYAASHA ISHAAQ — We are delighted to announce that we held our All-Host Meeting on January 18 where Host of the Month Service Provider and Host of the Month for December for both Heart of the House and Front of the House were revealed. The meeting began with a special message from General Manager John Allanson, followed by certificate presentations by Director of Finance Jaison Poulose and a special tea party celebrating December birthdays.
December Host of the Month Front of the House: NGUYEN KIM YEN
Kim is one of best GSAs and a reliable performer. She finishes all her tasks on time and does exceptionally well in looking after our guests. She is also very capable and handles and deals with any problem that might arise. Proactivity is one of her greatest strengths. Kim is passionate about her job and a great driving factor for more Unifocus Surveys and reviews from our guests. We are proud to have Kim on our team.
– Comments by Shimaau Thaufeeg, Assistant Front Office Manager
December Host of the Month Heart of the House: ALI ADAM
Ali consistently goes above and beyond in his role and completes all of his assigned tasks. His innovative ideas and proactive approach have significantly contributed to the success of the engineering department. His strong work ethic, exceptional technical job skills and positive relations with team members make him an important asset to the team.
– Comments by Ismail Aseel, Maintenance Manager
December Host of the Month Service Provider: PRINCE BHARDWAJ
Prince has been collaborating with us since April 2022. He is a hardworking officer, sincere, friendly and adaptive. Internally, Prince is a leading shift team and does an amazing job. Without a doubt, I can give him any task and he will complete the task on time.
Prince always motivates and helps his colleagues. As a security department, we take responsibility for our guests and hosts and their safety in addition to making sure the property is safe. Security Officer Prince understands that very well and does his job well. In the past few months, he has done extraordinary things including rescuing one of our guests who was struggling in the water.
– Comments by Fareed Abbas, Safety and Security Manager
The gallery was not found!OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beach Resort (OWK)
iCare Card Recipients
Mahalo, Henry Kaholi, Lauren Li and Nelson Vaquilar for the special care you provide to our guests.
OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel (OBC)
International Thank You Day
The OBC ‘ohana celebrated International Thank You Day. General Manager Ceci Hamao got the team off to a great start with a heartfelt “Mahalo” to our housekeeping team and a sweet treat of chocolate bars with “Thank You” printed in Hawaiian, English, Japanese, French and Tagalog. The celebration continued throughout the day with Spanish rolls from Guest Services Manager Angelica Arao and more chocolate for all of our hosts.
Mahalo to all of our OBC ‘ohana . We could not accomplish all that we do without your hard work.
The gallery was not found!