SEA WATER dripped from ti leaves as the kahu, or
Hawaiian priest, untied a maile lei and blessed the new Spa at the
Four Seasons Maui at Wailea in January. The $3 million renovation
resulted in a 21,000 square foot state-of-the-art spa and a nearby
healing garden filled with taro, noni and aloe vera plants.
"Everybody else has the lava rocks," said General Manager Radha
Arora. "We actually went for contemporary with a Hawaiian twist."
HEADING FOR MAUI? Skip the round of golf with
your buddies and watch how it's supposed to be done. The ConAgra
Foods Champions Skins Game and LPGA Skins Game will take place Jan.
24 to 26 at the Wailea Gold Course. Spectator tickets are $10 for
the Pro-Am and $25 for the Skins games. Children under 12 are
admitted free. Call (800) 332-1614 or visit www.seniorskinswailea.com.
TRAVEL AGENTS who attended the ASTA 2002 World
Travel Congress in Honolulu gave it the highest rating among ASTA
Congresses during the past five years, according to a report from
ASTA. It received a score of 8.7 out of 10. Agents were especially
pleased with the sightseeing events, general sessions and social
opportunities in Hawaii. In addition, 81% of attendees said they
preferred ordering brochures electronically rather than lugging
them home. About 90% indicated they made significant new business
contacts at the trade show, where exhibitors rated higher than
those at previous New York and Las Vegas shows.
CUTBACKS in air capacity between the Hawaiian
Islands are likely to impact tourists who decide to visit other
islands after they arrive in Hawaii. According to research by the
Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, 10.6% of
visitors from the state's core U.S. West market decided to visit
the Big Island after arriving in Hawaii.
THOUGH SERVICE between the islands has been
reduced, visitors from the Mainland can look forward to more
nonstop flights to neighbor islands. Aloha Airlines will launch
service from Burbank, Calif. to Maui beginning Feb. 14 with four
flights weekly and expanding to daily service one month later. In
April the flight will originate in Sacramento, beginning a
Sacramento-Burbank-Kahului route. In June, Aloha will supplement
its Oakland service with four flights per week to Lihue, Kauai. In
addition, the four-times per week flight from Oakland to Kona on
the Big Island will expand to daily at that time.
HOWEVER, Aloha Airlines will reduce service on
its Vancouver-Kahului (Maui) route from daily to four flights per
week through mid-March due to insufficient demand. Aloha's daily
Vancouver-Honolulu flights remain unchanged.
HAWAIIAN AIRLINES enhanced its service between
Honolulu and Las Vegas, adding nonstop flights three days per week.
On Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, Hawaiian will fly nonstop
between Honolulu and Las Vegas on 767 aircraft. The other four
days, the trip to Las Vegas includes a stopover in Ontario, Calif.
Nonstop service to Las Vegas will increase to daily during the
summer, June 13 through August 31.
PLEASANT HOLIDAYS offers direct service with
American Trans Air to Oahu five days per week and Maui six days per
week. Five-night air and hotel packages start at $788 for Oahu and
$898 for Maui, per person, double. For details, call (800) 448-3333
or visit www.pleasantholidays.com.
IN AN EFFORT to increase its flexibility, San
Jose-based SunTrips switched from Ryan International Airlines to
North American Airlines, flying Boeing 757-200s from Oakland,
Calif., to Oahu and Maui.
MEANWHILE, SunTrips "1 for 14" free seats
awards program has been extended to bookings by Jan. 30 for travel
through Feb. 28. For every 14 roundtrip air seats from Oakland or
Denver to Hawaii or Mexico booked with SunTrips, travel agents
receive one roundtrip air seat. Good news: SunTrips pays 14%
commission on packages and groups, and 10% on air-only bookings. To
book, call (800) SUN-SALES or visit www.suntrips.com.
CULTURAL HAPPENINGS
• Parker Ranch Museum and Visitor Center Theatre will host a
photographic exhibit through March 15 entitled "My Heroes Have
Always Been Cowboys," with work by Hilo native Gladys Suzuki.
Admission is $6.50 for adults. Call (808) 885-7655 for
information.
• Parker Ranch will participate in the Cherry Blossom Heritage
Festival, a celebration of Japanese culture, on Feb. 1 in Waimea on
the Big Island, offering the Ranch's Historic Homes for events like
the ancient Japanese art of fabric assemblage and paper making.
Parker Ranch's Historic Homes are open to the public Monday through
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $8.50 for adults. For
details, call (808) 885-7311 or log onto www.parkerranch.com.
• On a semi-cultural note: According the Hawaii Visitors and
Convention Bureau, Fox Television will move ahead with the
production of "The Break," a police drama series set on Oahu's
North Shore. Filming for the pilot is scheduled to begin in
March.
PACKAGED GOODS
• Clients earn double Hawaiian miles now through Feb. 28 for stays
at the Easy Escapes rate at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach
Resort & Spa, the Hilton Waikoloa Village on Hawaii's Big
Island or the Doubletree Alana Hotel-Waikiki. In addition, Honors
Bonus Points are available with the Perfecting Paradise Package.
Call Hilton at (800) HILTONS or visit www.hilton.com; contact
Doubletree at (800) 222-TREE or www.doubletree.com.
• America West Vacations is offering $200 off seven-night Hawaiian
vacations, with a selection of 60 hotels and resorts on five
islands. Bookings must be made by Jan. 31 for travel through June
19. To book, call (800) 356-6611 or visit www.americawest.com.
• Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort, which recently finished a $60
million renovation, created packages including daily breakfast for
two and a rental car. Rates range from $199 for city-view
accommodations to $289 for deluxe oceanview rooms. To book, call
(800) 367-5370 or visit www.marriottwaikiki.com.