By Dr. Chuck Kelley
(Dr. Richard Kelley is traveling. His column will return next week.)
It was around 10 o’clock Friday night, February 26, when I received an unexpected call from Jerry Dolak, Director of Security. He was informing everyone on the emergency call list that there had just been a severe earthquake in Chile, and that Hawaii was in the path of what might be a devastating tsunami. This meant we had roughly 13 hours to prepare. Thank goodness for the previous years of effort and planning! We were ready with a written and practiced plan in place. Everyone already knew their assigned roles and responsibilities, which would consume every waking hour from that moment forward.
As it turned out, we were all extremely fortunate that the tsunami turned out to be not much more than a curious surge that sloshed around the islands for a few hours. Little, if any, damage was done, and no lives were lost. There was no way of predicting this lucky outcome, however, which is why it was necessary to prepare for the worst (a Chilean quake in 1960 spawned a tsunami that killed 61 people in Hawaii). The actions of our team throughout the ordeal were outstanding in every way, and I would like to highlight just some of the wonderful cooperation and team spirit throughout our organization that I either experienced or heard about.
Jacky Gong, Ivy Kwok, Barry Wallace, Barbara Lam, Cindy Castillo, Ray Cheng, Kelvin Shiu, and Doris Chu reporting for duty
Good preparation is always a key to success. To prepare us for just such an emergency, Jerry Dolak, along with Neal Nakashima (Corporate Director, Risk Management), maintains an active Crisis Management Team, an Emergency Command Center, and a detailed list of responsibilities and actions for many types of emergencies – all spelled out in our Crisis Manual. Now more than ever, we appreciate those annual drills!
When Jerry first heard of the threat, it was already the end of a long workday. He immediately sprang into action and began alerting everyone. Then he stayed at the Command Center helm, coordinating actions throughout that night and the following day, going without sleep for many long hours. In the Waikiki area, our Wackenhut Security Officers immediately reported to work and throughout the situation kept in close contact with Operations at all properties. They did a commendable job, reassuring guests and answering their questions. Many times I saw anxious guests approach the Security Officers and after a brief conversation, walk off looking calmer and more relaxed.
The hotels and condos within the potential flood zones had the longest list of emergency tasks. Not only did they need to evacuate all guests from the danger zones, but they also had to move anything valuable and in danger of being damaged. That included getting cars out of garages, a job that was done astoundingly well, thanks to the help of our Bell Staff and vendors, such as Elite Services who came in early and started shuffling cars around at 3 a.m. It was no simple matter – they had to remember where they moved the cars to, which key went to which car, and how to find a specific car later when a guest asked!
A rare sight ~ a deserted Waikiki Beach
Our Front Desk agents everywhere were swamped with guest inquiries. I observed that the most urgent requests came in the wee hours of the morning. That’s when mainland relatives who were already awake and watching the national news, called our guests on their cell phones and told them “You gotta get outta there!” The general alarms had not yet gone out in Hawaii. Our poor sleepy and frightened guests immediately called or came down to the Front Desks. I watched our Front Desk agents skillfully and calmly reassure people and answer questions. As the day wore on, guests continued to flood the Front Desk with questions like: Where can I eat? What stores are open? Is my activity still on? Will my flight be cancelled and should I go to the airport? Our agents never showed fatigue or frustration, as they kept answering the same questions over and over.
Guests who didn’t speak English needed special help. To assist, Ritsuko Tsunashima-Kukonu came in at 5 a.m. and, working together with Gina Reeves, the Front Office Manager, got important messages out in Japanese and handled requests for information updates from the Japanese media.
Another rare sight ~ a deserted Waikiki street
In addition to handling guest requests, our Front Desk agents were also working through a long list of emergency preparations such as copying files, moving computer equipment and transferring cash to secure locations. They made announcements over the PA systems, and posted up-to-date bulletins in the lobbies. Guests appreciated these efforts, as demonstrated by this thank-you note from a Canadian guest at the Outrigger Regency on Beachwalk: “From the bottom of our hearts, we wanted to thank the girls at the reception that morning because they were truly lifesavers: reassuring, supportive, giving us the necessary information of what to do and our choices.”
Our Housekeepers also had more than their fair share of work that day. When they woke up and heard the news, they came in early, many missing their breakfast and family time. Throughout the day, they not only cleaned rooms and kept things orderly, as guests were shuffled onto higher floors, but they also took the time to talk with guests and provide information. Later, at the end of the long day when they would normally be winding down, there was a mad rush to clean the rooms that had been occupied way beyond the normal checkout time. Many stayed late, without complaint, getting the job done in time to welcome new arrivals.
Frequent return guests Selma and Edgar Davis survived the Hawaii tsunami
The Engineering and Maintenance departments were charged with a long list of vital safety functions. Smiling and working quickly, they prepared emergency equipment, shut down electrical equipment, and made sure no one would be stuck in elevators.
One of our guestʻs primary concerns was, “Where am I going to eat?” Our vendors teamed up with our staff and kept guests happy. Duke’s restaurant employees came in at 3 a.m. and started cooking. By the time the tsunami finally hit, they had already prepared and served almost 500 meals to guests and employees. While many other convenience shops in Waikiki were closed, Outrigger Shops (Ku‘ai Markets) stayed open and served guests who were anxious to stock up on drinks and snack foods. Owner Steve Norstrom was seen personally handling the cash register! I also heard that Nippon Bento and Pai’s Deli worked around all the inconveniences and obstacles to successfully prepare much-appreciated lunches for employees.
Because all previously scheduled guest activities would be cancelled that day, Outrigger Activities Sales Agents came in and worked extra hard handling cancellations, refunds and re-bookings.
In every hotel, guests had many urgent questions, and everyone did an outstanding job of answering them as quickly as possible. Our Denver Reservations department impressed everyone, acting as “Communication Central,” distributing consistent and timely updates to all properties and around the world. Reservations Agents also handled many individual questions from customers by phone and e-mail. Lois Shore, VP, Distribution, contacted our Outrigger Hospitality Specialist Travel Agents to keep them in the loop. This earned many compliments from our travel partners.
In the new world of electronic communications, many guests sought information on the Internet. Nancy Daniels and our PR team were there for them, sending out information through social media channels, telling people what was going on minute-by-minute. Thanks to their efforts, guests who wanted to know which shops were open at Waikiki Beach Walk® quickly found the answer on Facebook and Twitter.
At the condominium properties, our teams did an outstanding job of not only ensuring guest safety, but also reassuring the condo owners their units were in the most capable of hands. Many owners took particular interest in the situation and got personally involved. At the Outrigger Royal Sea Cliff, one owner even called to see if he could relocate the guests renting his room to his private residence on higher ground! At the Outrigger at Lae Nani and the Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort & Spa, several owners reported to Vicki Valenciano (Lae Nani’s Resort Operations and Owner Services Manager) that they were impressed with the way Outrigger handled the situation and felt secure in their decision to participate in the Outrigger rental program.
Everywhere, our hotel Management Teams did a truly exceptional job of handling the situation. They provided the experience and leadership that made the whole event safe and uneventful. At the Embassy Suites® – Waikiki Beach Walk®, General Manager Bob Yeoman used the Pavilion and Grand Lanai as a safe gathering place for guests to mingle, enjoy a beverage, and watch the news on the large-screen TV. Both Chuck Okazaki (General Manager, Kanaloa at Kona) and Paul Horner (General Manager, Keauhou Beach Resort) expressed the feeling of unreality they experienced, as they finished going through their emergency checklists, turned off the lights, locked the gates, and walked off the property. Like the captain of a ship, they coordinated all activities and stayed to the very last safe minute.
Thankfully, in the end, there was no great tsunami inundation, but the exercise did prove that our team is organized, motivated, and prepared. Mahalo to everyone who came in early, missed meals, brought in food, took on extra responsibilities, worked long hours, and pitched in. We enormously appreciate everything you did. Well done, team!
