Saturday Briefing

By Barry Wallace

Barry Wallace

This is the first in a series of eight articles written by Outrigger’s executives in support of our Value of the Week program. Every other week one of our company’s executives will introduce the value of the week and share what that value means to them. This week’s author Barry Wallace is Outrigger’s Executive Vice President of Hospitality Services, and this week’s Value of the Week is: Kina‘ole (Flawlessness) — We do the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, in the right place, to the right person, for the right reasons, with the right feeling, the first time. - Ka‘ipo Ho

Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a is the eight values that define The Outrigger Way. These values guide us in daily management and execution of our jobs; they are what distinguish us from the other guys, from all the other hospitality companies in the industry. This week, let’s give some consideration to the first value of Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a, the value of Kina’ole, which translates into Flawlessness.

This might be a good point at which to say that Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a, in general, and Kina’ole, in particular, are aspirational goals. They are what we want to be, what we strive to be every day, and what, I am happy to say, we often achieve. One reason we are so open about our values is that we want to create discussion around issues or situations that seem at odds with our values or where values come into conflict. In this way, we learn how to be better at what we do.

Managers are all trained to react to the unexpected; this, is what we do on a daily basis, it is the background music of a managers life. We always try to respond with excellence, with Kina’ole, but if something has already happened, we have lost an opportunity. Exercising Kina’ole requires planning. In my role at Outrigger, I have three major constituents. These are our employees, our guests, and our owners. Kina’ole requires thinking about these constituents and anticipating what would exceed their expectations and putting that into effect before it is requested. For our employees, this means making sure the rules are fair, the tools are there, and the path to success is clear of obstacles. For our guests, this means radiating friendship and hospitality at every touchpoint. For our owners, this means managing their expectations through careful budgeting and then delivering those results.

To achieve Kina’ole, we do the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, in the right place, to the right person, for the right reason, with the right feeling, the first time. This is the essence of operations in our business. We create memorable hospitality experiences, and when we are successful, we exceed expectations. We leave our guests with unforgettable memories and our employees realizing, once again, how fortunate we are to be part of the Outrigger ‘ohana.

Consider Amy Honey, Guest Services Manager. Amy implemented an Anuhea program where, at check-in, each guest is offered a cold, rolled towel to refresh while they are seated. Amy implemented the program from start to finish, including writing standard operating procedures, so every employee knows exactly what to do to deliver this well-received enhancement to our check-in experience.

We can also achieve Kina’ole through consistently flawless execution of routine processes. In Guam, Nena Ratuita was the Executive Housekeeper of the Guam Hilton for 27 years until she retired. She earned a reputation in the industry, as an energetic, diligent, inspirational leader. Ten years ago, she came out of retirement and has led our Housekeeping team in Guam with the same excellence and flawless execution.

We easily could have selected Mandy Cruz, Chief Engineer, as the recipient of the Po‘okela Award for Kina’ole. While the largest renovation Outrigger has ever managed was in full swing, Mandy also kept up excellence in managing the finances of his department. He negotiated issues with third parties with skill and effectiveness on Outrigger’s behalf. The list of achievements is long, demonstrating again and again how to do the right thing at the right time.

Every year, as we collect nominations for Po‘okela Awards, nominees for Kina’ole abound, and their stories are both inspiring and humbling. For 2008, we had eight nominees, and it was challenging to choose one to whom we gave the award. Despite the eight remarkable stories, we selected Nena.

One beauty of our values is that they travel well. We use Hawaiian words here, but the values carry well in Fiji, Guam, and Australia. In Fiji, Charlotte Steele, Reservations Manager, demonstrated Kina’ole in her performance. We mentioned Nena from Guam previously, but we also recognized Kina’ole in the performance of Bronwyn Marshall, Financial Controller in Australia. Her work was flawless, so we asked her to help us set up accounting in Bali and Thailand.

Kina’ole was evident with Grace Nakamura, Revenue Manager, who did so well managing our inventories and revenue for two properties, that together, they had a record year. As a result, Grace was asked to help do the same excellent work at another property in Waikiki.

It is not just in hotel operations that we see Kina’ole. Kat Reese, our Renovations Manager, managed renovations at the
OHANA Waikiki Beachcomber so well that the operations team not only nominated her for the Po‘okela award, they also adopted her and made her an honorary member of the Beachcomber team.

Last, but by no means least, LiLi Hallett, Corporate Director of Human Resources, embodies Kina’ole  in one of the most demanding roles in our company. She manages labor negotiations, handles staff adjustments, as we open and close hotels, and always has a listening ear to hear about employees’ personal situations and to lend a helping hand.

Kina’ole thrives at Outrigger: We need only look around to see it. Here is one final example described in a letter from one of our guests.

Dear Mr. Yeoman:

Sandra Jamora