Did you find the hospitality industry or did the hospitality industry find you?

I would say that it was just always there. My father worked at Paradise Cove Lūʻau and my mother works at Polynesian Adventure Tours (PolyAd). I worked at both companies. My start in sales and marketing was at PolyAd, when the president of the company saw me delivering food to my mother and told me that I would be their new salesperson. This was the first step in my career that eventually brought me to my home at Marriott International, representing our amazing properties in Hawaiʻi and French Polynesia.

I did not aspire to enter the hospitality industry. However, I am tremendously grateful I did. Hospitality has taken me to different countries and all over the U.S. I have met many interesting people and gained lifelong friends. I’ve grown closer to my culture and developed an even deeper sense of pride for my community. I will be eternally grateful for the Aloha and generosity I have experienced in my career and I only hope to pay it forward to others.

What do you think is the importance of the hospitality industry and how do you feel you fit in?

The hospitality industry is not only our main economic driver but can also provide career opportunities for our local keiki to build their lives here in Hawaiʻi. I’m proud to be born and raised in Hawaiʻi and grateful for the opportunity to progress through a career that allows me to remain here in our islands. I take seriously my kuleana in ensuring our local talent is recognized and seen. I am also acutely aware of my role in promoting a work environment in which women can enjoy motherhood and pursuit of a career. I feel tremendous pride in the way my peers are doing the same—bringing innovative ideas to not only hospitality but business in every form and finding ways to drive financial success with a rooted sense of community.

Are there any aspects that excite you the most about the hospitality industry and invigorate your team?

I have always found that having a higher purpose provides motivation that goes beyond upswings and downturns and binds a team together to reach a similar goal. My personal mission at work is to care for my team and ensure the success of our properties on Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi Island, and Bora Bora. When our properties do well, our people have jobs.

They send their children to school. They build their own family memories and perpetuate the Aloha with which we are raised. This has been especially apparent in our mission to help our Maui ʻohana recover from the fires. It’s shown by caring for our associates in a personal and genuine way through individual involvement in Lahaina’s rebuilding and by our sales and marketing teams’ approach to economic recovery efforts, pushing forward with tenacity and purpose.

What do you feel are the most serious challenges facing the hospitality industry and how might they be resolved? What is the industry doing well?

Funding is our industry’s most serious challenge at the moment. To identify and appeal to the type of traveler Hawaiʻi wants, it will take more sales and marketing dollars than we are currently receiving. To build infrastructure and utilize technology that creates a sustainable and cyclical system of regenerative tourism, we need financial investment from the state and federal governments. We should then use a portion of the tax dollars gained from tourism to invest in diversifying our economy.

I think the industry is finding ways to support local businesses and become more community-minded. Our resorts are sourcing local businesses for promotional items, amenities, and services. For example, the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani hotel’s transformation of its Ainahau Tower was led by The Vanguard Theory, a local design firm. The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikīkī Beach sources delicious treats from A Touch of Heart, a non-profit that provides vocational training to those facing barriers to employment such as incarceration and houselessness.

What do you envision will take place in the hospitality industry in the years ahead and how might the local industry adapt or change?

I think we will continue to see an evolution in the way government policies and local sentiment drives business decisions in hospitality. As activism efforts from our local and Native Hawaiian communities strengthen, our industry has the opportunity to proactively identify new ways of doing business and promoting travel. Pressure from various viewpoints is needed and essential to evolution. We have already seen successful regenerative tourism models—Hāʻena on Kauaʻi is an excellent example. I encourage everyone in our industry to explore ways to consider our community first, which in turn can build value for our customers, resulting in a fruitful and profitable enterprise.