By Ka‘ipo Ho
Here’s a trivia question. What has been the most popular way to launch Paddle 2 – Celebrating Where We Come From? FOOD! And lots of it! And a lot of desserts!
The hosts of the OHANA Waikiki Malia celebrated Paddle 2 with a dessert contest and a wide selection of sweet cultural confections. Human Resources Directors LiLi Hallett and Kathy Oyadomari and myself were invited to judge the competition, which included seventeen different ethnic dishes. Of course, demonstrating Outrigger’s value of Kaulike (Equality), we sampled all seventeen. I appreciate a good dessert, but have you ever tried to eat seventeen of them in one sitting?
Yuan Ni Lei, Agatha Kim, Amy Lee, Nanee Oh, Hyang Suk Yi, and Xiao Tzu Yeao at the OHANA Waikiki Malia
The Wyndham at Waikiki Beach Walk® also celebrated Paddle 2 in a sweet and fashionable way and turned their Housekeeping department into an international dessert café. Managers brought in more than a dozen ethnic dessert delicacies, each representing a different culture. The talented team of managers also went to the extent of researching and sharing highlights of their respective cultures. At Wyndham celebrating where we come from is a daily occurrence. Each Wyndham host proudly acknowledges their diverse heritage and wears a nametag that notes their hometown, province, or state.
Elda Kolone and Tara DeSantiago check out the ‘Ohana Board at the Wyndham at Waikiki Beach Walk®
Both hotels also added a bit of eye-candy to their events with ethnic dress and costumes. At the OHANA Waikiki Malia, Housekeepers dressed in their traditional cultural wear, and at the Wyndham Waikiki Beach Walk managers greeted employees wearing cultural outfits.
Surrounded by flags from different countries, the Outrigger Kiahuna Plantation Resort celebrated Paddle 2 with a variety of activities including, an innovative name that flag game, a “Cultural Bingo” game, and learning to say ‘hello’ in different languages. Did I happen to mention that they also celebrated with an international buffet and—you guessed it—a dessert contest!
Nenita Vigilia and Liza Ramos (foreground, Fe Esposo (far left) and Thelma Ramos (standing) at the Outrigger Kiahuna Plantation Resort
Speaking of sweet stories, the management teams of the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach and Outrigger Reef on the Beach were recently featured in the ‘Aha‘i ‘Olelo segment of the morning show Sunrise on KGMB 9. In addition, the Outrigger Beachfront Managers are attending a 10-week Hawaiian language class offered by Kapiolani Community College’s Interpret Hawai‘i program. Oh, how we anticipate the unique island experience of the sweet and melodic sounds of the Hawaiian language echoing through the lobbies and corridors of our beachfront hotels.
Do you have a sweet story to share about how your hotel, department, or even an individual is celebrating Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a? Send a brief write-up and a photo if one is available to me at kaipo.ho@outrigger.com or to Ka‘ipo Ho OEH/HR. We would love to share them with the Outrigger ‘ohana!
