Saturday Briefing

By Kathy Oyadomari

On behalf of Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, we salute our 2009 Third Quarter Years of Service Honorees for their dedication and hard work. Celebrating these special milestones are:

35 Years of Service

Laurie Hirata – Information Technology

Laurie Hirata

Laurie joined Outrigger in 1974 as a Commissions Clerk in the Accounting department. Four years later, she moved to the Data Processing department, the forerunner of today’s Information Technology department. Laurie remembers transactions recorded by a keypunch machine on data cards. Today, Laurie and her team work on Outrigger’s current PMS and reservations system, Stellex, which continues to evolve and change, making her job both challenging and exciting. When asked why she has worked for Outrigger for 35 years, Laurie says that Outrigger is a great company to work for, and she enjoys working with her team and everyone both in and outside of her department. She has been married for 34 years to her husband Donald, and they have a son and daughter. Laurie enjoys playing golf, making chocolate, and is very involved in various church ministries.

30 Years of Service

Hung Sheong Lau – Housekeeping

Hung Sheong Lau

Hung Sheong started working for Outrigger 30 years ago and has worked at many different properties around the company, including the OHANA Waikiki East, OHANA Surf, Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach, and the former Outrigger Prince Kuhio. She is currently working at the OHANA Waikiki West Hotel and says she loves her job and enjoys working with her friends. She has been married to her husband Victor for 30 years, and they have a son who is a teacher in Salt Lake and a daughter who is attending college on the mainland. On her days off, Hung Sheong helps her husband at their restaurant, Kaimuki Chop Suey.

Cristina Mamuad – Housekeeping

Cristina Mamuad

Cristina, who is currently working at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach, joined Outrigger in 1979 working in the Housekeeping department at the OHANA Reef Towers on Lewers Street. Since then, she has also worked at the OHANA Edgewater and the OHANA Waikiki Tower. Cristina says she enjoys working for Outrigger because it is a wonderful company that offers benefits, and her job has enabled her to help her family and friends. She also says that her co-workers have become her extended family. Cristina has been married to her husband Agapito Jr. for 35 years, and they have a son who lives here in Hawaii and a daughter who lives in Tacoma, Washington. During her free time, she enjoys watching Korean soap operas, shopping with her sister, and visiting her daughter on the mainland via Las Vegas.

Monica Wong – Housekeeping

Monica Wong

Monica joined the Outrigger family 30 years ago starting in the Housekeeping departments at the OHANA Reef Towers, OHANA Edgewater, and the OHANA Waikiki Tower. She is currently working at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach. In 2008, Monica was chosen as the statewide Nā Po‘e Pa‘ahana Housekeeper of the Year Honoree, an honor of which everyone at Outrigger was very proud. Through her job at Outrigger, Monica and her husband of 33 years, Hapmnen, were able to send their two children to college. Their son currently lives in San Francisco and their daughter lives here in Hawaii. On her days off, Monica enjoys watching T.V., shopping, and cooking. She is also learning Chinese dance and how to golf, so she can play with her husband when she retires.

Congratulations to all our employees who reached milestone years of service in the 3rd Quarter of 2009:

25 Years of Service:

Kimberly Agas, Doreen Corpuz, Julie Ha, Colleen Harada, Russell Helton, Yong Soo Kim, and Espirita Sumibcay.

20 Years of Service:

Chin Hung Chee, Guiyu Chen, Sek Chih Gong, Lori Ishiyama, Sandra Kaleohano, Wai Kit Lee, Eric Lewis, Meng Lun Li, Yu Mei Liu, Sophia Luo, Nilo Madarang, Elise Maddy, Ligaya Martin, Sandra Sakka, Gan Fei Su, Renee Takai, Han Qin Wang, Fu Chao Wong, Shao Yuan Xiao, and Run Qiu-Gao Zheng.

15 Years of Service:

Reuben Burke, Makamae Cacho, and Monica Fo.

10 Years of Service:

Jaymar Acidera, Sean Ajimine, Prescila Constantino, Cynthia Feng, Brian Kunimune, Diane Lau, Leona Mcdermott, and Abraham Pinehaka.

5 Years of Service:

Karli Anbe, Sarah Bernabe, Patricia Blezard, Saitutuila Brown, Eva Bumagat, Merlin Cabading, Jill Carruthers, Gary Correia, Diane Cox, Helen Delatorre, Thomas Fischer, Mary Geroy, Nicholas Hall, Jinfeng Han, Xuecong He, James Huang, Celestina Lazo, Kelly Lewi, Feng Mei Li, Xili Liu, Victor Macabio, Irene Masterson, Teresa Morrison, Marianormita Pabro, Maria Romero, Yoke Sasaki, Anabelle Smith, Epifania Taaca, Bryan Tumacder, Edmundo Villanueva, Josephine Villar, Shao Fei Weng, and Rocio Zamudio.

By Una Murray
On Friday, July 3, 2009, the Outrigger on the Lagoon – Fiji held its monthly celebration to honor its outstanding employees and to recognize members of the vuvale (family) who have celebrated birthdays. In addition, the winners of the “Biggest Loser Competition” were announced. Read the rest of this entry

By Michael Cowan

Outrigger Serenity Terraces Resort (TST) in Phuket, Thailand, held its soft opening on April 2. TST is a private, luxury beachfront, mixed residential resort located along the southeast coast of Phuket island. The resort features one- and two-bedroom suites and several penthouses. Guests may enjoy a variety of amenities, including butler service, a total spa and wellness experience, and gourmet dining. One of the most unique amenities TST offers its residents and guests is ‘Serenity Toys’ — a collection of catamarans, kayaks, and a speed boat. Read the rest of this entry

By Karen Villarmia

Sei Mui Vong, Karen Villarmia, Mew Hing Wong, Clarita Esmeralda, and Hipolita Rosete

It was a multicultural celebration at the OHANA Waikiki West, as guests and employees greeted the Year of the Ox on Saturday, January 31. Read the rest of this entry

By Dr. Richard Kelley

In his inaugural address this week, President Barack Obama listed some of the major challenges our nation faces today and touched on a topic close to my heart when he said, “Health care costs too much.” He’s absolutely right. Read the rest of this entry

By Darren Shaw

As many of our ‘ohana would have read in the media, Fiji has experienced the worst floods in 50 years. The flooding has primarily affected the northern and western regions of the main island of Viti Levu, including Nadi, where the main international airport is located.  A number of outer islands have also been affected.Starting last weekend, a deep low weather system generated monsoonal rains over a short time, which was worsened by high tides, leaving many local villagers and business operators with severe losses to their livelihoods and homes.

A large-scale clean-up operation has now begun, as the weather starts to improve.

Fortunately, the Outrigger on the Lagoon - Fiji’s location on the Coral Coast, which is approximately 40 miles (80km) south of Nadi, has left us relatively unscathed, with no flood damage recorded.

We have extensive flood mitigation systems in place, including a large seawall and our primary concern has

been ensuring the safety and comfort of our guests and staff. The main issue we have faced, together with all Coral Coast resorts, has been transferring guests to and from Nadi International Airport, due to road access cut by the floods.

A dedicated weather briefing centre was set-up in our boardroom, providing guests with three daily weather updates, phone and Internet access to travel agents, airlines and latest news, together with updates from local tour and transfer operators regarding traveling conditions.

Transfers took place at times deemed by authorities to be safe for guests, and the worst seems to be over, with roads now open.

The past few days have been a challenge for Outrigger and our sister property at Castaway Island, and we are very concerned for the welfare of our staff and their families, many of whom have experienced loss of property and possessions from the floods.

Both Outrigger on the Lagoon - Fiji and Castaway Island Resort will be providing assistance to our staff affected by the floods in every way possible, and I would like to personally commend them all for their unwavering support provided to our guests over these challenging past few days.

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