Saturday Briefing

By Dr. Richard Kelley
The past 12 months have been most challenging for a number of reasons. During this time, our energy-dependant economy has seen the price of a barrel of crude oil nearly double to $145. That translated to higher airfares, airline stress, and extreme economic duress for our customers, our ‘ohana, and our company. A near-collapse of the world’s financial backbone and stock markets followed and has hurt almost everyone. The U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research has finally admitted what we have all known for some time: the U.S. economy has been in a recession all year. Read the rest of this entry

By Barry Wallace

The spirit of the holiday season is alive throughout the Outrigger family in ways as varied as our people. Here is a glimpse of a few of the holiday festivities to date. Read the rest of this entry

By Joanna Demeo

Santa Claus arrived via outrigger canoe at Waikiki Beach on Saturday, December 13, to a beach full of eager children and adults. Read the rest of this entry

By Dr. Richard Kelley

Once again the world is watching, appalled, as terror, riots, and violence disrupt Travel & Tourism around the world. There were the bloody attacks late last month on hotels and a train station in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and the closure by rioters of two airports in Thailand. Currently, Greece is enduring riots that have brought that country to a standstill. Read the rest of this entry

By Barbara Campbell

It is with pleasure that I share the exciting news that Waikiki Beach Walk has received a prestigious Design and Development Award from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). The award was presented on December 3 at the ICSC’s 32nd International Design and Development Awards gala ceremony in Phoenix, Arizona. I was honored to accept the award on behalf of Waikiki Beach Walk and Outrigger Enterprises Group. Joining me was Ron Altoon of the architectural firm Altoon + Porter Design Architects, LLP, who oversaw the overall design of the project. Read the rest of this entry

By Ka‘ipo Ho

It’s befitting that we end this year by recognizing and honoring the team of creative minds behind our Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a celebrations and the true navigators of our Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a Voyage of Discovery, Renewal, and Inspiration. I’m speaking of our team of Alaka‘i, or Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a leaders. Read the rest of this entry

By Jean E. Rolles

I recently traveled to Bali, Indonesia, to attend a five-day meeting of the East-West Center Board of

Jean E. Rolles

Governors, and afterwards, some of the attendees and I traveled to Laos for a quick look at that beautiful country. I had carefully planned to leave the group two days early (November 24) so I could enjoy Thanksgiving with my family in Honolulu. All my good plans went for naught, however, as I got caught in the Bangkok airport mess and was stranded for five extra days, trying every which way to leave Thailand and get home. Read the rest of this entry

By Kathy Hansberry

Aloha Sport Fans! Along with the holiday season festivities, two great sporting events also come about during the months of December and January.

This year, we are pleased to celebrate the longest-running, eight-team pre-season tournament in the country, the 45th Annual Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic being held December 27 through December 30, 2008. This year, the University of Hawaii’s Men’s Basketball team will host seven visiting teams from various schools on the mainland, including Colorado, Colorado State, Buffalo, George Washington, Coppin State, Pepperdine, and Vermont. Evening games will be played at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. throughout the tournament.

The 15th Annual Outrigger Hotels Invitational will be held January 8 through January 10, 2009, with the University of Hawaii’s Men’s Volleyball team facing off against USC, Ohio State, and Penn State.  Game times are set for 4 p.m., with the UH team playing each evening in the 7 p.m. timeslot.

As always, the Outrigger Marketing team will be present for both tournaments to excite the crowd with our ongoing popular on-court promotions.

Mark your calendars for what is sure to be another year of fun and exciting tournaments.

Hope to see you at the games.

By Conchita Malaqui

Waikiki Beach Walk welcomes another fun, casual, and very tasty dining and entertainment option to its selection of eateries, with the opening of Cheeseburger Beachwalk. The 6,000 square-foot restaurant opened to the public on November 20 after several days of preview evenings. Family and friends, along with some very lucky visitors who were just passing by, were invited to experience the restaurant, which provided the staff an opportunity to get acquainted with the service flow of the restaurant. Read the rest of this entry

By Dr. Richard Kelley

The Honolulu Marathon always amazes me, and this year is no exception. It is the third-largest marathon in the country — trailing only New York (85,000 applicants, although capacity allows only about half to be accepted) and Chicago (35,000) — and the sixth-largest in the world. Considering Honolulu’s small population, our Marathon’s popularity is phenomenal. According to the Honolulu Advertiser, it is Hawaii’s largest sporting event. Read the rest of this entry