Saturday Briefing

By Dr. Richard Kelley

At the end of the year, we will say mahalo and aloha to Aram and Rosie Melkonian, who are retiring after having represented Outrigger Hotels & Resorts in the eastern Canadian market for more than 40 years. It is always difficult to say farewell to long-time colleagues, especially when they have been such good friends and integral members of our Outrigger ‘ohana. Read the rest of this entry

By Luana Maitland
Each year, the Outrigger Reef on the Beach and Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach offer a wide variety of free activities and island-style holiday events ranging from Hawaiian Christmas Crafts to picture taking with Santa Claus. Two of the more popular events are the Outrigger Reef’s Tree Lighting Ceremony and the annual visit by Santa Claus. Read the rest of this entry

By Una Murray

Last Saturday marked the official opening of the Accident & Emergency Unit at Sigatoka Hospital. Minister of Health Dr. Jiko Luveni, members of the Fiji Island Hotel and Tourism Association – Coral Coast Chapter, and representatives from the Outrigger on the Lagoon – Fiji, the Hideaway Resort, The Warwick, The Naviti Resort & Spa, and Shangri La’s Fijian Resort and Spa were in attendance. Read the rest of this entry

Outrigger Hotels & Resorts is proud to be the only hotel sponsor of the inaugural XTERRA Trail Running World Championship to be held on Sunday, December 7, 2008, at Kualoa Ranch on the northeastern side of Oahu. The spectacular Kualoa Ranch will provide the perfect scenic backdrop for runners from all over the world as they begin this adventurous off-road course in Kaaawa Valley starting at 9 a.m.  Read the rest of this entry

By Kathy Sylvester

Each year, Denver television station 9News hosts a food drive, for individuals in need called 9Cares Colorado Shares. This year, Outrigger’s Central Reservations in Denver participated in the 9Cares Colorado Shares Corporate Challenge. In the Corporate Challenge, businesses are divided into three groups depending on the size of the business and the number of employees. The participating businesses then have a friendly

Marion Beverly, Kathy Sylvester, and Bill Peters

competition to donate the highest number of food items based on weight and cash contributions. Outrigger Central Reservations competed in the small business category, which included a variety of industries from day care centers to landscaping companies. Read the rest of this entry

By Kathy Hansberry

Outrigger Enterprises Groups’ Na Mele No Na Pua free concert series celebrates the holiday season this December with the Honolulu Boy Choir performing on Sunday, December 21, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., at the Embassy Suites - Waikiki Beach Walk® hotel’s fourth floor Grand Lanai. Read the rest of this entry

By Kathy Hansberry
Writers, pen collectors, and writing stationery aficionados now have a new shop to love. Bittner, The Pleasure of Writing, celebrated their grand opening with a traditional Hawaiian blessing last week at Waikiki Beach Walk. Located at the corner of Beachwalk and Kalia Road, Bittner is a leading specialist and retailer of fine writing instruments representing only the finest brands such as Cartier, Dunhill, Namiki, Stipula, Bentley, Porsche, Tibaldi, Faber-Castell, Elie Bleu, Michael’s Fat Boys, Disney, Conway-Stewart, William Henry, and Visconti.  Read the rest of this entry

By Kristen Ramos
Please join Human Resources in congratulating and commending Room Attendant Judy Soloman of the Outrigger Guam Resort’s Housekeeping department who was the recipient of this quarter’s Guam Hotel and Restaurant Association’s (GHRA) Beyond the Call of Duty INTEGRITY AWARD. Read the rest of this entry

By Joanna Demeo

Ten hula halau gathered on Saturday, November 22, in the Royal Gardens at Keauhou Beach Resort to celebrate the 2nd Annual E Mau Ana Ka Hula (The Hula is Perpetuated) — a tribute to King David Kalakaua. Read the rest of this entry

By Dr. Richard Kelley

It is Thursday evening. As I sit down to write my weekly message to the Outrigger ‘ohana, the news is grim. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed today at 7,552, the lowest in five years. The S&P 500 dropped to 752, the lowest since 1997. Leroy Laney, consulting economist to First Hawaiian Bank, predicts that visitor arrivals for Hawaii will be down 9 percent this year and will drop 5 percent more next year. Across the nation and all around the Hawaiian Islands, people are being laid off or having their hours cut back. Read the rest of this entry