Awards Abound at Outrigger

Carol Lopes is Hawai‘i Women in Lodging & Tourism 2023 Woman of the Year!

Congratulations to our own Carol Lopes, executive housekeeper at Embassy Suites® – Waikiki Beach Walk ® for being recognized as Hawai‘i Women in Lodging & Tourism 2023 Woman of the Year!

General Manager Simeon Miranda shared some of the reasons why Carol is a statewide standout:

• International Executive Housekeepers Association Vice President and a member for 20+ years.
• Carol created and now cultivates the Embassy Suites housekeeping department. She continues to make positive changes and implements fresh ideas that contribute to our guest experience and efficiencies to the overall operation. At Embassy Suites, Carol developed and implemented housekeeping training regiments that incorporate Outrigger, as well as Embassy Suites Brand Standards.
• Carol holds two certifications: AHH designation for Certified Hospitality Supervisor and CEH designation for Certified Executive Housekeeper. She is also Vice Chair of the Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association Housekeeping Council.
• Housekeeping S.A.L.T (Satisfaction and Loyalty Tracking) scores have remained ahead of the rest of Embassy Suites-branded hotels. In 2022, Carol and her team  achieved a 78.3 in Cleanliness. Hilton considers any score above 72.0 to be Outstanding. This score was 13.1 points above brand and 2.6 points above the previous year. Carol is able to achieve such remarkable scores year after year by setting high standards of excellence for her team and then ensuring she is working with each individual consistently to help them be their best. Whether this is through her morning briefings, weekly refresh trainings or one-on-one coaching – Carol works with each member of her team to ensure they can be the best they can be which translates to our high scores in guest satisfaction.
• Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk was #1 for three years in a row, with housekeepers being ranked in the top 5 across the entire brand on multiple occasions.

Outside of work, Carol:

• Supported and assisted an all-girls hula hālau with their fundraiser to attend Queen Lili‘oukalani Keiki Hula Competition.
• Assisted our soldiers’ mothers (who did not know how to read and write) by writing letters to their sons in Afghanistan and providing care packages.
• Provided positive and influential mentorship to the executive housekeeper at Embassy Suites by Hilton Kapolei. She has grown tremendously in her role due to Carol’s mentorship.

Carol has identified key members of her team and works with them individually to help them develop and raise the talent bench for housekeeping leaders in Hawai‘i. In the last few years, she has worked with a previous food & beverage manager to help prepare her for an executive housekeeper role demonstrating her knowledge of the budget, labor and coaching skills. She also identified two recent housekeepers and trained them as assistant housekeepers; they are now able to supervise the team and work with housekeepers one-on-one in achieving 100% cleanliness scores.

In the community, Carol:

• Participates in the Annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk, blood drives and Aloha Festivals events. She stresses the importance of community and truly encourages her team to actively be a part of these events as well.
• Contributes her time and Aloha to Hawaiian Pentecostal Full Gospel Church, Next Step Shelter, Ronald McDonald House & PACT. In these organizations, Carol has hosted food drives and provided care packages for Military families at Tripler Army Medical Center and for sick children.
• Donates clothing, hosts book and food drives and creates care packages for families during Christmastime. These care packages have also been sent to third-world countries such as Ukraine and Africa. She most recently donated a significant amount of towels to HIS to help numerous shelters on the island.
• Supports Hilton’s Clean the World, often ranking #1 in the brand for recycling used amenities. In 2022, Carol helped her team collect 2,271 lbs. of waste, which contributed to 8,884 repurposed soap bars, 100 hygiene kits and 600 lbs. of waste recycled.
• As part of the Embassy Suites owner’s (American Assets Trust) ESG initiatives, the hotel has partnered with the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative with a goal of planting over 100,000 native trees on the island. Carol has been a personal steward of this initiative, with a personal connection to taking care of the place where we live.

Carol’s experience, dedication and heartfelt aloha help her care for her hosts and they, in turn, for our guests, our place and each other. Carol has been a positive role model to women, young leaders and colleagues in our organization and industry. We are proud of you, Carol!

Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards Night

BY ASHNEEL CHAND — The ANZ Fiji Excellence in Tourism Award is Fiji’s most recognized and prestigious award night. The annual awards are conducted by industry members and are overseen by the board of trustees to invite entries, organize judging and hold a gala event to honor those outstanding achievers of excellence.

Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort was awarded Silver in both Wedding Operator and SPA Operator of the Year 2022.

Outrigger Nominated for TravelAge West WAVE Awards!

Outrigger has been nominated for Best Hotel Brand, Hawai‘i and Best Hotel for Families, Hawai‘i. TravelAge West’s editoral team reviews travel suppliers and products and nominates the best of the best, then it’s up to our travel advisors to bring home the win.

Votes will now be counted from travel advisors throughout the U.S., not just in the West, so let’s reach out to our travel advisors to campaign and vote for us during the month of April. Here’s the link to share: www.travelagewest.com/wave/vote

The TravelAge West 2023 WAVE Awards event is June 8 at The Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey. It’s time to rally our supporters!