TUMON BAY, Guam -- Outrigger opened the 600-room Outrigger Guam
Resort in June at Tumon Bay, the island's main resort area.
Guam's third-largest hotel, and the third and largest of
Outrigger's hotels in Micronesia, features meeting facilities,
business and fitness centers, and a wedding chapel.
The 22-story beachfront hotel is in an area called Pleasure
Island, and is part of a retail and entertainment complex called
the Plaza. "We're dead center in the middle of all the activities,
and we feel good about that," said Dorsey Brady, the hotel's
general manager and Outrigger's vice president for the Pacific
region.
Also on hand at the complex is a Hard Rock Cafe (the second
largest after Orlando), which opened last year; a Planet Hollywood,
which opened two years ago, and a restaurant operated by Honolulu
restaurateur Sam Choy that opened the same time as the hotel. Other
dining facilities include a food court, a cafe, and several bars
and lounges.
A 9,000-square-foot Mandara Spa and Fitness Center opened at the
hotel Sept. 1. Retail facilities include apparel, sundry, logo and
duty-free stores, and car rental and travel desks.
Pleasure Island also has an Underwater World aquarium
attraction, which also opened June 1, and the Sand Castle
Entertainment Center, featuring high-tech games.
The hotel has six meeting rooms, including a 5,500-square-foot
ballroom, a pool, tropical landscaping and beach services. Rooms
have balconies, air-conditioning, in-room coffee and tea, a
refrigerator, electronic safe, and cable television with in-room
movies, and room service.
Brady said most business will come from Japan, Guam's primary
market. Japanese wholesalers come out with new brochures in March
and October, but because there was no solid opening date, the hotel
was unable to get into March brochures, he said. However, he said,
the hotel will be included in the Japanese wholesalers' October
brochures.
The hotel opened at a time when Asian markets were starting to
rebound. In June, Guam had a 5% increase in Japanese visitors, its
first monthly Japanese increase since September 1997. Also for the
month, Korean visitors increased 92%, and Taiwanese, 114%.
U.S. business will come mainly from business and corporate
markets, with some leisure dive travelers. "We'll also get stopover
business because of Guam being a hub for Asia travel," said
Brady.
He said Outrigger, with its experience as Hawaii's largest
locally owned chain, brings island-style hospitality to Guam. What
will set the hotel apart is the spirit of "inafa'maolek," a
greeting similar to "aloha," he said.
"We're introducing guests to the Chamorro culture with dances
and regular cultural events, which local people never really see,"
he said.
Through Dec. 27,Outrigger Guam's rates range from $240 for an
oceanview room to $290 for an oceanfront studio, with one-bedroom
suites priced at $500 and $700.
Rates for Outrigger's Voyagers Club rooms, with extra services,
range from $295 for an oceanview room to $735 for a one-bedroom
oceanfront suite.
Many of Outrigger's discount and package programs include
corporate, military and government rates, and car packages are
offered.
The hotel, which is managed by Outrigger, is owned by Guam's
Ysrael family. In the western Pacific, Outrigger also manages the
150-room Outrigger Marshall Islands Resort, which opened in 1996,
and, on Palau, the 165-room Palasia Outrigger Hotel, which opened
last year.
Outrigger Hotels & Resorts
Phone: (800) OUTRIGGER