2.1 MB PDF - Saturday Briefing

October 11, 2008
Jazz Brunch
on the Beach at
Outrigger Serenity
Terraces Resort
By Panjama Leamsuwan
The development and hotel management
team at Outrigger Serenity Terraces, Phuket,
Thailand, recently celebrated the completion of
the first phase of construction. This part of the
project included the clubhouse, the infinityedge swimming pool, and the two-bedroom
beachfront pool suites. Formula 1 Champion
Kimi Raikkonen was the guest of honor along with
some 150 other friends and community leaders.
Continued on page 3
Outrigger Lodging Services
Celebrates 20 Years
Last week, I was home alone and was totally surprised when a knock
on the door announced the delivery of a beautiful bouquet. A card said
that John Fitts had sent the flowers to recognize and celebrate the 20th
anniversary of the founding of Outrigger Lodging Services. How time flies!
It all began a little over two decades ago when, like now, the economy
was going through a rough time. Across the country, there had been a great
deal of overbuilding, fueled by low-interest loans provided by the nation’s
savings and loan institutions. Like today’s financially troubled investment
banks, the savings and loan institutions in the 1980s had departed from
their original mission, which in that case was to provide a safe haven for
individual savings accounts and make mortgage loans to homeowners. In
that decade, they began to make large, risky commercial loans, issue credit
cards, and invest in real estate development ventures. When the tax laws
changed in 1986, it all came crashing down, and a total of 747 savings and
loan institutions failed, putting thousands of homes and real estate projects
into foreclosure across the continent and in Hawaii.
Continued on page 6
The Outrigger logo graces the patio on the beach
at Phuket, Thailand
Dr. Richard Kelley; Keri Thompson, Director of Sales, Hilton Garden Inn Denver Airport;
Martti Mannoja, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Outrigger Lodging
Services; and John Fitts, President and Chief Executive Officer of Outrigger Lodging Services;
at Hilton Garden Inn’s Annual Bonus Dinner, February 2008
Saturday Briefing
Page Employment
Opportunities
Oct 28: Jack Hao III and Zhi Liang Peng.
Oct 29: Elvira Sagucio, Narciso Cacal,
Silvia Ortiz, and Allan Chung Yeung.
Oct 30: Amber Hudnall, Michelle
Kelly, Laura X X Li, Xorda Laurin,
Nenij Mark, Jennilyn Sato, Elpidio
Salud, Bob T. Owens, Jim M. Heather,
Annette Creamer, Sean C. Ling, Jayson
C. Abut, Brett S. Soboleski, and
Danny I. Ojiri.
Oct 31: Robert Giggey, Jessica A.
Nagato, Ernesto Q. Yap, Robert L.
Casco, and Cheryl C. Suda.
Nov 1: Nestor P. Nacis, James Hodges,
Jr., Filomena Taylan, Thomas J. Fischer,
Imelda V. Martinez, Pam A. Cabrera,
and Doreen Nohara.
If you are interested in the positions listed below and meet the qualifications,
please submit your resume and apply online at outrigger.com. If you have any
questions, please call Eric Ishikawa at (808) 921-6989. Application deadline for the
following positions is October 17, 2008.
Director of Sales and Marketing
(Full Time)
We are currently looking for a Director of Sales and Marketing for a brand new
luxury boutique hotel in Waikiki. At least five years of hotel sales and marketing
management experience is required. Knowledge of hospitality sales, market
positioning, market segments, advertising and promotion, internal marketing, and
distribution channels is essential. Must be able to establish, monitor and maintain
all major booking channels, including Global Distribution System and related
websites. Must have excellent presentation skills and be effective in communicating
both verbally and in writing. Traveling to conferences and trade shows is required.
Guest Service Manager
(Full Time)
A minimum of two years Front Desk and supervisory experience is required. Must
have excellent communication skills, and able to speak in English and Japanese.
Must be flexible to work any shift and day.
Nov 2: Toshiko Iida and Lucy Laborte.
Nov 3: Tita E. Aquino, Lapule L.
Cummings, Kathy Hansberry, and Yuk
Doong Chee.
Aloha United Way
By Charlene Luning
Saturday Briefing is published
by and for employees of
Outrigger Enterprises Group.
Editor-In-Chief: Richard Kelley
Senior Editor: Marie Casciato
Assistant Editor: Lehua Kala‘i
Contributing Writers: Employees
of Outrigger Enterprises Group
Circulation: Marie Casciato
Visit us online at:
www.saturdaybriefing.outrigger.com
Submit suggestions, comments, and
news tidbits to Marie Casciato at
marie.casciato@outrigger.com
or via interoffice mail to
OEH/Executive Office,
or contact her at (808) 921-6601.
© 2008 Outrigger Hotels Hawaii
Saturday Briefing
Page An Equal Opportunity Employer
Each year, Aloha United Way (AUW), a nonprofit organization ask companies
and the general public to support their efforts in helping those with special needs,
reducing homelessness, increasing economic self-sufficiency, cutting crime & drug
use, improving early childhood development, and increasing volunteerism.
•AUW helps fund partner agencies like the Mental Health Association, Boy Scouts
of America, and Child & Family Services.
•AUW 2-1-1 is a confidential, free 24-hour, 7 day a week information and referral
service on all islands. Check out their database at www.auw211.org/ it includes
about 4,000 government and nonprofit programs and services.
•AUW Volunteer Hawaii enables groups and individuals to search online for
volunteer opportunities.
•Contributions are tax deductible.
If you would like to help Aloha United Way in
their efforts, please see your manager or supervisor
for a pledge form and more information. This year’s
campaign will begin on October 10, and end on
October 31. Participation is completely voluntary.
If you have further questions regarding Aloha
United Way, please call me at 921-6951, or you may
go to www.auw.org. Mahalo!
Joy to the World!
Jazz Brunch on the Beach
Looking
for a distinctive
way to celebrate
the Holidays?
Here’s a great
idea—embrace
the world’s
many cultures
at this year’s
Employee Holiday Party. Join the ‘ohana
on Thursday, December 11, 2008 at Ala
Moana Hotel’s Hibiscus Ballroom and
Garden Lanai, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Indulge in scrumptious hors d’oeuvres
from the seven continents around the
world while enjoying unique cultural
entertainment. You are encouraged to
dress in “cultural holiday attire,” as we
are celebrating all traditions on this
special night.
See your supervisor to sign up and
provide your $10 refundable deposit.
Sign-up sheets and monies are due
back to Char Luning/OEH/HR by
November 14.
Watch for more details about this
exciting event in upcoming issues of the
Saturday Briefing!
They gathered on the 200-meter beach in front of the resort and enjoyed brunch and
the sounds of a famous local jazz band.
Among the VIP guests were The Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand,
Southern Chapter, The President of Phuket Real Estate Club, The Chief Reporter
from the Phuket’s first English newspaper, Phuket Gazette, and many more.
By Heather Doeringer
Continued from page 1
front: Khun Lek, Khun Nate, Khun Gai, Khun Thai, and Khun Tangmo
back: Khun Liz, Darren Edmonstone, and Michael Cowan
Fiji Host
Local Government Association Convention
The Outrigger on the Lagoon – Fiji
had the honor of being selected as
the host hotel for the Fifth Annual
Fiji Local Government Association
Convention. About 120 delegates
including all the Lord Mayors,
their Deputy, Town Clerks, and
Councillors attended the event.
Here, Miss Outrigger on the Lagoon
– Fiji (Semaema Nasedra) places a
garland on the Lord Mayor of Suva
City Ratu Peni Volavola during the
opening of the Conference.
Saturday Briefing
Page Free Mammograms and
Prostate Cancer Testing
By Lauren Reis
Outrigger/OHANA Hotels & Resorts is committed
to helping our employees maintain their good health.
As part of this ongoing commitment, we are pleased to
announce the 2008 Mammography and Prostate Cancer
Project. This project offers our employees free screening
for Breast and Prostate cancer—two of the most common
types of cancer in the United States.
Free Mammograms
Breast cancer is the most common cancer (other
than skin cancer) among women in the United States.
In 2008, more than 250,000 women will develop some
form of this disease. Although we do not know how to
completely prevent breast cancer, there are steps that
women can take to reduce their risk of developing cancer,
and to find it early if it does occur.
Following breast cancer early detection guidelines,
such as those published by the American Cancer Society,
is very important because the earlier a breast tumor is
found, the easier it is to treat. The recommendations
include: self breast exam, clinical breast examinations
performed by a health professional, and yearly
mammograms starting at age forty.
Each October, in conjunction with the National
Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Outrigger assists
in coordinating FREE mammograms for those
employees who meet the American Cancer Society
guidelines for receiving a mammogram.
Mammograms can be obtained through Kaiser and
HMSA from October 19 to November 30, 2008. To
schedule your appointment please contact your health
care provider at the numbers listed below. Be sure to
mention you are an Outrigger/OHANA employee
when you call to receive
the full benefits.
•Members of our ‘ohana
covered by Kaiser
Permanente, please call
Kaiser at (808) 432-5100.
•Members of our ‘ohana
covered by HMSA
HealthLink, HPH Plus,
and PPP, please call the
Kapiolani Breast Center
at (808) 535-7000.
Saturday Briefing
Page Free Prostate Cancer Testing
There will be an estimated 186,320 newly
diagnosed cases of prostate cancer in the United
States during 2008. According to the National Cancer
Institute, prostate cancer is the second most common
type of cancer among men in this country.
The American
Cancer Society
recommends all
men over age fifty be
screened every year
for prostate cancer.
Screening includes
both a digital rectal
examination done by
a health care provider,
and a blood test called
the “Prostate Specific Antigen” or “PSA”.
Outrigger has arranged for male employees, over
the age of fifty, to receive FREE PSA blood tests to
detect hidden prostate cancer. The test can be obtained
through Kaiser and HMSA from October 19 to
November 30, 2008.
To schedule your appointment please contact
your health care provider at the numbers listed below.
Be sure to mention you are an Outrigger/OHANA
employee when you call to receive the full benefits.
•Members of our ‘ohana covered by Kaiser
Permanente, please call Kaiser at (808) 432-2274.
•Members of our ‘ohana covered by HMSA
HealthLink, HPH Plus and PPP, please contact
there PCP.
Outrigger/OHANA employees working outside
of Hawaii should check with their Director of Human
Resources to find out the benefits and facilities for
mammograms and PSA testing in their area.
These screening procedures are excellent and
may save your life if a cancer is detected early. Please
take advantage of this wonderful program—all you
have to do is schedule an appointment with your
healthcare provider.
For more information, please contact the Human
Resource Service Center at 921-6965.
By Kathy Hansberry
The venerable
vocal jazz performer
Jimmy Borges is
being joined by his
esteemed friends
and fellow awardwinning musicians
Gabe Baltazar and
Betty Loo Taylor at
Outrigger Enterprises
Groups’ next Nā
Mele No Nā Pua free
concert on Sunday,
October 26, from 4
p.m. to 5:30 p.m.,
on stage at the
Embassy Suites®
- Waikiki Beach
Jimmy Borges
Walk® Grand Lanai.
Jimmy Borges is one of Hawaii’s most iconic performers
with a musical career that has spanned 50 years. He’s
performed in nightclubs, showrooms, and concert halls
all over the world, including San Francisco, Vancouver,
Montreal, New York, Las Vegas, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro.
Whether it’s jazz,
Broadway, wellknown classics, or
contemporary tunes,
Borges does it all with
style and finesse.
Nā Hōkū
Hanohano Award
winner Gabriel
“Gabe” Baltazar Jr. is
recognized as one of
the world’s great alto
saxophone players.
He began his musical
career as a featured
soloist with the Stan
Kenton Orchestra,
with whom he
recorded 18 albums.
Gabriel “Gabe” Baltazar Jr.
He also collaborated
with other talented musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie,
Benny Carter, Cannonball Adderly, Howard Rumsey’s
Lighthouse All-Stars, James Moody and the Saxophone Stars,
and the Oliver Nelson Orchestra, among others.
Betty Loo Taylor, notable pianist and jazz musician,
became a piano prodigy at the tender age of three.
Betty Lou Taylor’s life story was featured in a short film
documentary entitled “They Call Her Lady Fingers,”
which won the Blockbuster Video Audience Award for
Best Documentary in the 2003 Hawaii International Film
Festival. In June of this year, she received a Nā Hōkū
Hanohano Award for Jazz Album of the year for “For All
We Know,” a special collaboration with one of Hawaii’s
distinguished singers Joy Abbott.
Betty Loo Taylor
Outrigger’s Nā Mele No Nā Pua signature concert series
is held bi-monthly on the final Sunday of the scheduled
month. Each concert is held from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on
the Grand Lanai of the Embassy Suites - Waikiki Beach Walk
hotel. Since its inception, some of Hawaii’s most prominent
and legendary entertains have taken the Na Mele No Na Pua
stage, including Eddie Kamae, the late Aunty Genoa Keawe,
Ledward Kaapana, Jerry Santos of Olomana, and Willie K.
Concerts are free and open to the public while seating
allows. Elevator access to the Grand Lanai is located on
Lewers Street ground level. Valet parking is $6 for up to
four hours at the Embassy Suites - Waikiki Beach Walk
(201 Beachwalk) and the Wyndham at Waikiki Beach
Walk® (227 Lewers Street), with any same-day purchase
from any Waikiki Beach Walk® merchant.
Saturday Briefing
Page Outrigger Lodging Services Celebrates 20 Years
Continued from page 1
Two such properties were
the Waikiki Hobron Hotel and
the Maile Court Hotel. My
father, Outrigger co-founder
Roy Kelley, and I decided
jointly to put bids in to buy
these two properties at the
bankruptcy auctions, believing
that we might get one. As luck
would have it, our bids were
accepted for both properties
and we were suddenly faced
with the challenge of staffing
and operating two more hotels,
each with 600 rooms. We were
already stretched thin managing
our existing hotels in Waikiki!
I was scrambling to put
things together when John Fitts
walked into my office at the
Outrigger Prince Kuhio Hotel
and introduced himself as head
of the management company
that had been operating the
Maile Court Hotel. “Do you
need any help?” he asked. “I
Dr. Richard Kelley; Gian Gandolfo, General Manager, Hilton Garden Inn Denver Airport; John Fitts, President and
sure do,” I told him.
Chief Executive Officer of Outrigger Lodging Services; and Martti Mannoja, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial
Continued on page 7
Officer of Outrigger Lodging Services (back); at Hilton Garden Inn’s Annual Bonus Dinner, February 2008
OUTRIGGER LODGING SERVICES
Properties Currently Managed
Property Name
Location
Category
Lihue, HI
Las Vegas, NV Orlando, FL
Burbank, CA
West Hollywood, CA Aurora, CO
Jackson Hole, WY
West Hollywood, CA
West Hollywood, CA
Corte Madera, CA
Lihue, HI
Timeshare/rental
Timeshare
Hotel Boutique Hotel
Boutique Hotel
Hotel
Boutique Hotel
Boutique Hotel
Boutique Hotel
Boutique Hotel
Condo Hotel
Banyan Harbor Resort
The Carriage House
Clarion Hotel – Universal
Hotel Amarano Burbank
The Grafton on Sunset
Hilton Garden Inn Denver Airport
Jackson Hole Lodge
Le Montrose Suite Hotel
Le Parc Suite Hotel
Marin Suites Hotel
Best Western Plantation Hale Suites
Saturday Briefing
Page Keys
148
155
308
99
108
157
60
135
154
100
160
Outrigger Lodging Services Celebrates 20 Years
Continued from page 6
what to expect for the coming week and how that compares
to budget. The managers are on the hot seat and better have
the right answers! John and Martti hate surprises.
Another secret weapon is John’s lovely wife, Toni, a skilled
interior designer who has led beautiful and cost-effective
renovations in many OLS properties.
By sticking to its solid hotel management principles, this
team has created excellent results. No hotel owner has ever
fired OLS as a management company for poor service or
disappointing results.
Unfortunately, that kind of success is a double-edged
sword. Improved management leads to improved profits and
higher property values. That in turn motivates owners to cash
in the increased value by selling the property. New owners,
however, often have their own management company or one
they customarily work with on other deals. To put it another
way, thanks to the great job OLS does, it often finds it has
worked itself out of a contract!
No matter; it has been a great run. To John, Martti, Toni,
Julie, and all the staff at OLS, congratulations and thanks for
being part of the Outrigger ‘ohana.
Toni and John Fitts, circa 1988
Beginning that day, a great friendship arose which led to
the formation of a hotel management company, Outrigger
Lodging Services (OLS). It has been quite a ride. Starting
with an inventory of just four hotels, OLS has been the
management company for a total, over the years, of 83
different properties, most of which have been in the western
United States. OLS has operated hotels with well-known
brand names such as Hilton, Marriott, Sheraton, Doubletree,
Best Western, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, etc. Many are oneof-a-kind boutique hotels with names such as Hotel Amarano,
The Grafton on Sunset, Le Parc, and Le Montrose.
OLS currently has 11 properties under management.
It has a very stable, talented staff in its Encino, California
offices; many have been with OLS for 15 to 20 years. That
includes John’s assistant, Julie Messa, who has been with the
company since it was formed in 1988.
OLS is a select, boutique management firm. It will
only take on the management of a hotel if it feels the
property is up to its standards and/or has the potential,
with strong management, to do so. A quality relationship
with the property’s owner is vital. OLS must feel that it can
significantly improve the results for any hotel it commits to.
Once a property is under OLS management, it monitors
progress very carefully. OLS is famous for its Monday
morning call-ins. CEO John Fitts and Chief Financial Officer
Martti Mannoja personally telephone each hotel manager and
quiz him or her on what happened during the previous week,
Martti Mannoja, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Outrigger
Lodging Services and Julie Messa, Assistant to the President of Outrigger
Lodging Services at OLS’s Leadership Conference, July 2008
Saturday Briefing
Page Outrigger & OHANA Hotels to Celebrate the Birthday
of Princess Ka‘iulani with Lei Draping
By Kathy Hansberry
Outrigger Hotels & Resorts and OHANA Hotels & Resorts
will commemorate the birthday of Princess Victoria Kawēkiu
Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Ka‘iulani Cleghorn (1875-1899)
with a special lei draping ceremony on Thursday, October 16,
from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., at the Princess Ka‘iulani Traingle
Park across from the OHANA East hotel. The ceremony
will begin with a conch blowing and Oli (chant) followed by
acknowledgement of various Hawaiian Societies, including the
‘Ahahui Ka‘iulani. This event is free and open to the public.
The Princess Ka‘iulani statue was commissioned
in 1999 by Outrigger Hotels & Resorts and the Kelley
family as part of their commitment to restoring Waikiki’s
history and honoring the life of the princess. The bronze
statue of Ka‘iulani was created by artist/sculptor Jan
Gordon Fisher, and was formally dedicated to the people
of Hawaii and Waikiki on October 16, 1999. It stands
7.5 feet tall and weighs 800 pounds. The Princess is
featured wearing a Victorian dress and a lei of her favorite
flower, the pikake (Chinese jasmine). Ka‘iulani, who
adored peacocks, is shown feeding a peacock at her feet.
Princess Ka‘iulani was born in 1875 to Princess
Miriam Likelike, the sister of King Kalakaua and Queen
Lili‘uokalani, and Governor Archibald Scott Cleghorn.
She was the only child born to the last ruling dynasty
of the Hawaiian Kingdom. During the 19th century,
Ka‘iulani and her parents acquired 12 acres of land in the
vicinity of where the OHANA East hotel now stands in
Waikiki. After the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy,
Ka‘iulani returned to Hawaii from her schooling in
Europe and fought for the return of the throne to her
aunt, Lili‘uokalani. Distraught over the loss of the
kingdom, Ka‘iulani visited with friends on the Big
Island of Hawaii. After riding her horse in a rainstorm,
Ka‘iulani took ill and never fully recovered. The
princess died on March 6, 1899, at the age of 23.
This event is sponsored in part by the Mayor’s
Office on Culture & the Arts and the OHANA East
hotel as part of Outrigger’s ongoing commitment to
preserving and sharing our islands’ contemporary and
ancient culture.
Princess Ka‘iulani statue
at the Princess Ka‘iulani Traingle Park across from the OHANA East hotel
Princess Victoria Kawēkiu Lunalilo
Kalaninuiahilapalapa Ka‘iulani Cleghorn
Saturday Briefing
Page