More and more travelers are seeking authentic, localized experiences—what’s your strategy for staying relevant in the marketplace?

Our strategy is to focus on culture and a sense of place. The main responsibility of our director of Hawaiian culture and community relations, Ku‘uipo Kumukahi, is to make sure we keep our cultural consciousness ever present in all that we do with our Hyatt ‘ohana and our visitors. Here at Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa, we have a rich history to preserve and communicate. This is a continuous journey, and there is always more to achieve.

How has Hawai‘i’s visitor demographic evolved over the course of your career? What are some initiatives you’ve spearheaded or overseen to reach and engage this new demographic?

We have continued to increase our mix of international clientele over the years. I go back to our initiatives that are based in creating authentic Hawaiian experiences as the foundation for engaging any demographic we try to reach.

What other trends and industry dynamics have you observed over the course of your career?

The hospitality delivery focus of our industry over the years has been increasingly difficult, as financial returns have become more challenging with the increased costs of doing business. Striking a balance between returns and service and product can be very delicate and precarious for our industry as a whole.

What does it take to be an effective leader? How would you describe your leadership style?

We were given two ears and only one mouth for a reason. The more we listen, the more empathetic we become, and the more we learn what our stakeholders need from us to be good leaders. I don’t have all the answers, so I enjoy collaborating with my team knowing we can all be comfortable sharing our points of view. Of course, at the end of the day, if no one agrees, it’s up to me to lead our team to the best decision.

Any predictions or new developments in the pipeline?

As we move forward, we fully know and understand that our Hawaiian and local community must be an integral part of our future plans and development. We have begun to develop a relationship with our neighboring Kaimuki High School, which has a Hospitality Academy with a Hawaiian-based curriculum.

To provide authentic content to the visitor industry, we are now home to the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame and showcase live performances by the inductees. We are also developing a sense-of-place curriculum for our contractors and are in the early talk-story stage of reforesting native Hawaiian trees in partnership with the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative.