VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE: Hawaii's nine harbor pilots
are in Alaska this summer, practicing on some of the largest new
cruise ships to determine whether they can maneuver the vessels
into Kauai's Nawiliwili Harbor, where they are scheduled to call in
the autumn. The pilots have twice turned away Celebrity Cruse
Line's 91,000-ton Infinity this year for a number of reasons,
including bad weather; a port that's too small for a ship its size,
and pilots who lack experience on larger ships, according to Hawaii
Pilots Association president Dave Lyman. Norwegian Cruise Line's
Norwegian Star, Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas and
Carnival's Carnival Spirit all plan to make port calls on Kauai in
the fall. All are in the 87,000-ton range.
SURPRISED? Join the club. Most of the industry
was stunned when news broke on Travel Weekly Crossroads June 20
that the Automobile Club of Southern California had two years ago
acquired a majority stake in Pleasant Holidays. The purchase, for
an undisclosed amount, includes the tour operations under the
Pleasant Holidays brand, including the widely known and popular
Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays. Ed Hogan, chairman and chief executive
officer of the 42-year-old West Lake Village, Calif., company, said
that despite the Auto Club's investment, he still "runs the company
and [makes] the decisions." Why the secrecy? "I've always worked
like a Swiss banker," Hogan said. "I have confidentiality
agreements with almost everyone I deal with." The investment was
uncovered when two former candidates for the Auto Club's board of
directors reviewed the club's financial statements from 1999 and
2000.
SUNTRIPS is offering a $99 roundtrip air fare
for kids ages 2 through 17 from San Francisco to Honolulu or Maui
through August. The fare is good on Tuesday and Wednesday
departures.
MARRIOTT sold its 356-room Kauai Marriott
Resort near Lihue to Hospitality Properties Trust but will retain
the management contract, said Stan Brown, vice president of
Marriott's pacific island's division. The property's name will not
change. Marriott also is in the process of selling its Waikiki
Beach Marriott Resort while retaining the management contract. The
hotel company's next big move in the state will be on the Kona
coast of the Big Island, where Marriott wants to put one of its
upscale brand names on a luxury hotel as soon as the opportunity
arises, said Brown. In the more affordable category, Marriott plans
to put its name on a Courtyard brand hotel on Maui, near the
airport, and wants a Courtyard brand hotel on Oahu, said Brown.
THE KEA LANI RESORT on Maui was officially
renamed the Fairmont Kea Lani Maui even though word of the name
change has been on the street since Fairmont bought the hotel Feb.
1. The hotel is offering a free upgrade on its 413 one-bedroom
suites from Aug. 27 through Dec. 20 from a gardenview suite to an
oceanview suite or from an oceanview suite to an oceanview deluxe
suite.
"PEARL HARBOR," the movie, which has
disappointed its investors at the box office, has nonetheless been
a boon to Hawaii tourism. Filmed on Oahu last year, the movie
helped bring filming revenues to a record $136 million in Hawaii,
according to the Hawaii Film Office. The figure includes filming
permits for television and movies made in Hawaii and spending
related directly to production costs, the office said. The $136
million topped 1999 spending of $98 million. Other movies filmed in
Hawaii in 2000 were "To End All Wars," "Windtalkers" and "Jurassic
Park III." Films being made this year include "Dragonfly," "Planet
of the Apes," "Final Fantasy" and "The X-4 Project," according to
the office.
AT THE REAL PEARL HARBOR, meanwhile, Naval
memorials are reporting an increase in visitors since the movie
came out in late May. While figures for June were not yet available
for the most popular site at Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona
Memorial, the wait to get in has gone from about two hours to three
hours in some cases, said Kathy Billings, superintendent of the
memorial, which charges no admission fee. The Arizona gets about
1.5 million visitors a year. It's open from 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m.
daily, and includes a 23-minute documentary and a boat ride out to
the sunken vessel. The Battleship Missouri Memorial also has seen a
12% increase in daily visitors since "Pearl Harbor" was released,
and its Web site, at www.ussmissouri.com, reported a 300% hike in visitors
the first week after the movie came out, said a spokesman. At the
USS Bowfin Submarine and Museum, the number of daily visitors has
increased from 1,200 to 1,500, said Bob Burt, director of
operations.