HOST RECOGNITION + ACTIVITIES
Commercial Team for Fiji
Serious Fun in Fiji
BY BEN JOHNSON — In January, the Australia-based Commercial Team for Fiji traveled to Castaway Island, Fiji (FCI), followed by OUTRIGGER Fiji Beach Resort (FOR) to meet with the on-property teams to retrospectively look at an outstanding 2023 and what learnings and strategy could be taken away and implemented into 2024 to surpass budgets.
Part of the trip was to also take time out with the respective properties to thank the operations teams on behalf of the Commercial Team for an outstanding 2023, in which both FCI and FOR delivered record-breaking years and profits.
Team-building activities were held at FCI in an informal Town Hall meeting with Jenga on the table and many prizes won. At FOR, we embraced the new OUTRIGGER Adventure Park and geared up with paintball.
A productive and fun start to the year, aligning and setting expectations for an even bigger 2024.
Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk (WBW)
2024 Goal Setting Summit
BY KA‘IMI KALEI — On February 5, Embassy Suite’s management team took the day to bond and reflect on our 2023 performance and goals for 2024. We spent the morning in groups, participating in a scavenger hunt throughout Waikīkī, taking us to properties that are in our competitive set. This allowed us to gain more knowledge of our competitors and the scope of Waikīkī as a destination. After the friendly competition and bonding, we sat down and considered our personal goals as leaders and analyzed our property goals.
The theme of our summit was “Kindness Makes a Difference.” We took the time to discuss and understand ways to ensure kindness is reflected in all we do to care for our hosts, our guests and our place. This summit was a refreshing reminder for both our tenured and new leaders of how each of our roles plays a critical part in our team’s overall performance and in reaching our targets.
Malama Our Hosts
BY KA‘IMI KALEI — Thank you to Front Office Manager Kaiana Lee for providing our hosts with soft-serve ice cream for Malama Our Hosts. Kaiana thought it would be fun to showcase something local since many were not familiar with Taste of Paradise who took over the popular Samurai shop. She partnered with the shop to feature various Hawai‘i flavor twists for the hosts to try. We continually aim to appreciate our hosts for living The OUTRIGGER Way.
OUTRIGGER Kaua‘i Beach Resort (KBR)
ICare Card Recipients
BY ROBERT ANCHETA — Each month ICare Cards are tallied and the top 3 housekeeping hosts receive a $25 Walmart gift card. Congratulations to our January KBR Housekeeping Living The OUTRIGGER Way ICare Card recognition program award recipients: Joseph Baptista, Lerma Dalayap and tied Lilybeth Gorospe and Edna Guerrero.
Congratulations to host Honorable Mentions: Dennis Abella, Jamely Balaan, Cathy Cadiz, Cynthia Hernaez, Kajok Jabjoj, Mary Joy Mills, Pascuala Ramos, Crisel Talbano and Elsa Valencia.
OUTRIGGER Maldives Maafushivaru Resort (MAM)
BY AYAASHA ISHAAQ — We are delighted to announce our Host of the 4th Quarter of 2023. General Manager John Allanson gave a very special message of appreciation to all our hosts for their hard work in ensuring our guests have remarkable experiences at OUTRIGGER Maldives Maafushivaru Resort. And announced…
Host of the 4th Quarter: MOOSA RAMEEZ
Moosa has consistently been the TripAdvisor front-runner at Outrigger Maafushivaru as the most recognized host. He has also been recognized by guests on Unifocus for his attention and care and the wonderful experience he creates for them.
Moosa is also identified as being very cooperative with other departments and works well with his superiors and other team leaders.
– Comments by Ibrahim Mubarak, Director of Rooms
OUTRIGGER Reef Waikiki Beach Resort (ORF)
January Host of the Month: RENEE KIYONO-TANIGUCHI
Renee is a prime example of a team player and always sets up the front desk team for success. Among all front desk hosts, Renee has been with OUTRIGGER the longest and has been an invaluable asset to the team. She displays a great work ethic; for example, being flexible with her schedule and willing to cover sick calls. She organizes, restocks and ensures that traces are resolved promptly. She is detail-oriented and will correct mistakes before date roll. I think this is a great skill because it prevents problems from escalating, such as over-authorizing or not having a credit card on file. Renee also assists the manager on duty with reminders that certain supplies are running low which is imperative for smooth daily operations. In addition, Renee’s customer service is exemplary. Although she works the night shift, she ensures all guests she encounters are taken care of by activating the 4 Keys.
Renee does a great job connecting with guests. Her name is mentioned on TripAdvisor and UniFocus explaining how she goes above and beyond to accommodate requests. One review reads, “Renee at the front desk was awesome, very accommodating which made our check-in flawless.” I have witnessed guests waiting to personally thank Renee for the recommendations she provides. She represents The OUTRIGGER Way professionally and with the Aloha Spirit.
– Joy Ravina, Guest Services Manager
Congratulations to Host of the Month nominees: Dayle Hoopai, Roger Labtingao, June Meheula, Laureto Mina Jr. and Rey Orpilla.
ICare Card Recipients + TripAdvisor Name Mentions
Mahalo and congratulations to our ICare Card recipients and to Rick Nomura for Most Name Mentions on TripAdvisor.
Malama Our Hosts
BY RENEE SPEAR — Our housekeeping team celebrated our hosts, Human Trafficking Awareness Month and Compliment Day for Malama our Hosts this month!
The department leaders, clad in blue to bring awareness to human trafficking, shared blue frosted cupcakes with compliment stickers with all hosts.
Luana Celebrates Anniversary + Promotion
Luana Maitland celebrated 22 years with OUTRIGGER; it was our pleasure to recognize her for her dedication and her recent promotion!
OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beach Resort (OWK)
Host of the Month: BENJAMIN CHENG
I can’t say enough how much we appreciate Benjamin’s work as a pool attendant and everything he does every day to make our guests’ stay enjoyable and memorable.
Ben interacts with every guest with sincerity, pleasantness, kindness and with a smile. We recently received a letter from a guest who mailed a thank you card from Japan and addressed it to Ben. She appreciated his directions by drawing a map and showing her how she could get to Ala Mona to purchase special cookies to bring home for her family. Ben also received a guest comment from the Unifocus survey that said his service was great and warm. Another guest comment was that all the staff were absolutely wonderful and helpful with Ben’s name mentioned.
Ben is flexible with his schedule and willing to work whenever we need him, even if he has to work 7 days straight. Whether on the day or night shift, Ben keeps the pool deck clean and constantly sweeps, removing trash under the chairs and wiping bird droppings on chair covers.
Ben’s care for our guests and our place is consistently above and beyond expectations.
– Nominated by Carol Ly, Housekeeping Manager
Congratulations and mahalo to our Host of the Month nominees: Ric Damo and Jiale Lei.
Manager of the Quarter: MARY LOY
Although I have only had the pleasure of knowing and working with Mary since April of 2022, I don’t know any OUTRIGGER hosts who do not know her and know her well. Mary has led the charge in driving leisure business into OWK; most notable are the Costco and Luxury Escapes business, which (together) have totaled over 21,000 room nights (over 55 rooms per day) in 2023, which is an increase of 70% over 2022! I have witnessed the strong relationships Mary has built with our top clients over the many years she has worked with them and you can tell they are excited to see her — like seeing a best friend after a long time. Her genuine care and tireless efforts to ensure our success are greatly appreciated by our entire team!
– Nominated by Steve Miller, General Manager
Amazing Years of Service Celebrated
Jody (Malamalama) Suyat: 44 Years
Congratulations to Jody (Malamalama) Suyat who celebrated 44 years with OUTRIGGER on January 31!
Yue Yan Lau Retires with 37 Years of Service
Yue Yan began her journey with OUTRIGGER 37 years ago as a housekeeping host. The positive impact she has on the team was evident in the room – there were a lot of hugs, thoughtful words being exchanged and a line of hosts waiting for their chance to gift her a lei. Although she will miss our OUTRIGGER Waikīkī ‘ohana, she is excited to enjoy her retirement by traveling the world (first stop, Japan!) and spending more time with her family. Mahalo and congratulations, Yue Yan, for your many years of service and your dedication to OUTRIGGER. You will surely be missed!
Malama Our Hosts
Mahalo to our housekeeping team for coordinating this month’s Malama our Hosts. The team dressed in blue and handed out blue cupcakes to bring public awareness to the Blue Campaign and our efforts to combat human trafficking. January 24 was also Compliment Day. During our host meeting, we were each asked to take a cupcake, pass it to the person on our left and share a compliment. What a feel-good moment for our team!
OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel (OBC)
BY JENNIFER YAMADA — Please join us in honoring our wonderful Host of the Year and Manager of the Year 2023. Please congratulate them and our January honorees when you see them.
Host of the Year: ANITA CABULERA
Anita, one of our beloved room attendants, has 26 years of service. She is very consistent in all she does in the guest room. Her top priority is providing 100% guest satisfaction. She makes sure her rooms are clean and well-maintained. In 2023, she was honored as February Host of the Month and was nominated two more times within the year. She leads the housekeeping team with the most Unifocus and TripAdvisor name mentions. Besides doing an exceptional job cleaning the rooms, Anita writes personalized notes to her guests, greets them by name and provides recommendations on things to do in Hawai‘i. With her open mind and positivity, she willingly takes on new challenges. Anita truly treats her guests as her own family; she makes them feel comfortable and secure by providing a clean and safe room. Her care for our guests is reflected in the numerous guest commendations she received.
TripAdvisor comments:
- Anita kept my room in perfect shape and made sure I had everything I needed. Very personable as she greeted me by name every morning. Thanks Anita!
- Anita on floor 20 was amazing. She was accommodating to our needs for housekeeping, an absolute pleasure, great work and it was a comfort to know she was attending to us in what was now our personal space. We felt very safe with our belongings with her.
- The Beachcomber was amazing and super accommodating. Anita is a housekeeper who deserves an amazing raise with her hospitality, friendliness, kindness and love; she made the experience that much better.
Anita genuinely cares for her co-workers. During our Housekeeping Week luncheon, Anita donated her time and bought things for the event. She enjoys making homemade special desserts to share with hosts during OBC events. Anita is extremely gracious and offers carpooling for other hosts who need a ride. We are proud to recognize Anita as OBC Global Host of the Year 2023. Her consistent excellence, care for our hosts, guests and place shine daily. She has dedicated many years of hard work to the OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel, making it a special place for our guests and fellow hosts. Anita is the type of host who extends her warmth, not only within her department, but to our entire OBC ‘ohana. She is the epitome of a host who truly lives The OUTRIGGER Way.
– Nominated by Cecilia Hamao, General Manager and Janice Ng, Area Director of Housekeeping
Manager of the Year: EVELYN GARCIA
Coming in as the new general manager of OBC, Evelyn guided me on many projects. I admire her positivity and care for hosts, guests and place. She truly embraces The OUTRIGGER Way and her care goes beyond our OBC ‘ohana. She is also a strong supporter of charities and local nonprofits. Many leaders at OUTRIGGER are inspiring, as we all embrace our values and The OUTRIGGER Way; Evelyn is one of the leaders who may not be at the forefront, but she proudly works hard to support everyone. We are honored to nominate her as the Global Manager of the Year for OBC in 2023!
– Cecilia Hamao, General Manager
She works hard to ensure daily operations are running smoothly. She handles all the supply ordering/invoicing and weekly schedules for the biggest department. September was a busy month filled with events like Maui Relief, a full week of fundraising activities and our annual Housekeeper’s Week celebration. Evelyn committed her time and effort to help every single project and activity. She is a caring and hardworking leader and leads her team by example. Regardless of how busy or how heavy the workload, she always tries her best and does it with a SMILE.
– Janice Ng, Area Director of Housekeeping
January Host of the Month: JENNIFER YAMADA
As operations admin, Jennifer supports operational needs for every department. She has a strong relationship with return guests, takes care of VIP requests and makes sure guests receive outstanding service. She keeps the team informed of property events, connects with the dining and retail partners on operational updates and keeps us all aligned with property and OUTRIGGER events. Jennifer is an expert at front desk operations and assists front services by covering manager-on-duty shifts when needed. She is responsible for responding to all guest reviews with appropriate follow-up, books guest reservations, tracks name mentions on TripAdvisor, Revinate and Unifocus surveys and leads host motivation programs, including ICare and safety monthly programs. She is available to hosts and makes sure there is effective communication between departments. With a focus on guest service, Jennifer has been a big help in providing top-notch proactive service to all guests. She also shows care for fellow hosts by sharing her passion for baking. She loves surprising us with freshly baked pastries and desserts. She initiated the Clutter to Calm OBC event, making sure leaders take the time to clean their respective areas. Thanks to Jennifer, operations at the OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel are smooth for guests and hosts. We are thrilled to recognize her as Host of the Month!
– Nominated by Cecilia Hamao, General Manager
Mahalo and congratulations to our Host of the Month nominees: Michael Feng (front desk), Ariel Guittu (engineering) and Xiaofeng Huang (housekeeping).
