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

The very land on which ‘Alohilani resides is the site of Queen Lili‘uokalani’s summer cottage, so our property is dedicated to Queen Lili‘uokalani and her love and passion for Hawai‘i.

Our goal is to honor her legacy by presenting a modern-day ahupua‘a to a global audience. For example, we’ve partnered with the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative to add a one-time five-dollar tree fee to each guest stay in direct support of HLRI’s initiative to plant 100,000 indigenous hardwood trees and restore Hawai‘i’s natural ecosystem.

Our core values of being gracious, authentic and bold were designed to keep us locally rooted yet foster an internal culture of taking risks. By being bold, we will always find success. When a new program works, we thrive and build upon it. If we fail, we fail forward and evolve. Our associates are bringing a service swagger yet to be seen in Waikiki.

Highgate is at the tip of the spear in utilizing technology and data collection for revenue management. Can you share any findings that have been applied to operations at ‘Alohilani?

Technology has played a pivotal role in Highgate’s growth and success through the years and given us a head start over our competitors, particularly through our revenue management and trend-predicting proprietary software. We have tremendous respect for our online travel partners and continue to invest in technology so that we’re the easiest to do business with, including offering direct connectivity to our reservations system.

From a guest-experience standpoint, we are welcoming the first Relay robot to Waikiki. It’s a robot programed to deliver items to guest’s rooms upon request. This is an amazing guest experience powered by technology that we’re very excited about.

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

After 21 years in the industry, working primarily in New York City and the Hawaiian Islands, the biggest shifts I’ve seen have been the advances in communication and technology. Hotels are now challenged to keep things personalized even with technology, and that trend will continue.

What’s very interesting to me is the evolution of guest’s tastes and expectations. Where before it was about brand loyalty, now it’s all about the unique experiences and offerings at specialty resorts.

‘Alohilani is set up perfectly to capitalize on this. Not having the restrictions of large brand guidelines allows us to be extremely nimble. Even with Airbnb expanding our industry, the guest desire to be pampered and serviced has actually grown in our favor.

Today’s travelers value experiences and opportunities to seize the moment. They don’t wait for the weekend to enjoy life. Offering exciting and unexpected gathering places allows them to capture those social media-worthy moments.

The one constant in the industry is that it’s all about people. Take care of them and they will deliver on all levels.

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

I only know one way to live—with passion. That goes for every aspect of my life, from my family and friends to my faith and profession. Living each day with passion and focusing on why I do what I do allows me to overcome any challenge and bring a high level of energy to the operation. It’s a big motivator for your team to see that passion.

And even though our business is very demanding, I also respect the need for work-life balance and do my very best to ensure my team members have it. Life is short, so my approach is to work hard and live hard.