Local Industry for Sunday – October 30, 2005

NEWS & NOTES

My back pages

. A Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative executive said KIUC workers were afraid to go to the supermarket for fear of what might happen due to published reports on the spending habits of their board of directors. No need to go hungry. Just authorize yourself a plane ticket, fly to Alaska, buy some salmon and hot dogs, fly home and cook it up on that nice $700 gas grill. The grill is about the only thing at KIUC that does not run on oil.

. What is U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Neighbor Islands-rural O’ahu, waiting for? At least 2,000 U.S servicemen and women have died in the Iraq conflict. Does the noncommittal, future-oriented (read ambitious) Case like going to the Mideast so much to “talk story” with Hawaiian troops that he has somehow failed to denounce the war publicly and recognize the best way to safeguard the future of these young men and women is to get them home, back in school and in jobs, and out of danger?

Cruise ships calling on Nawiliwili

. Tomorrow, Monday, Oct. 31, the Pride of Aloha, 850 feet long, calls on Nawiliwili Harbor, arriving at 7 a.m. and departing Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. This Wednesday, Oct. Nov. 2, Norwegian Wind, 754 feet long, arrives at 8 a.m., and departs the same day at 5 p.m. This Thursday, Nov. 3, the Pride of America, 965 feet long, arrives at 8 a.m., and leaves Friday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m.

Presidio Group arranges financing

. Officials with the California-based Presidio Hotel Group announced they have arranged $43 million in mini-perm financing for their 311-room Courtyard by Marriott at Waipouli Beach, near Kapa’a. The loan was provided by leaders of Wachovia National Bank, and negotiated by Edward DeLorme, co-founder and principal of Presidio.

Presidio leaders acquired the property two years ago, and recently completed an extensive renovation of the entire hotel. The property is the first full-service Courtyard by Marriott resort in Hawai’i.

Built in 1978, the property was operated by officials with Sheraton Hotels during the 1980s. The four-story, concrete structure sits on a 10.5-acre beach-front site. It is centrally located near Kapa’a, 10 miles from the Lihu’e Airport that is served by direct flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco. The full-service property features the Voyager Grill Steak and Seafood Restaurant, and Captain Cook’s Lounge, a Travel Traders gift shop, Kauai Coffee Bar, the Pua Spa, a sport/tennis court, and the Hiva Pacifica Lu’au.

Presidio leaders are managing the property under a franchise agreement from Marriott International. “Kaua’i is an extremely strong tourist market, with high barriers to new hotel development. Our project has been extremely well received by the travel community, and continues to gain market share,” said Sushil Patel, a Presidio principal.

Deren among those promoted at CB Richard Ellis

. CB Richard Ellis Hawaii, Inc. (CBRE Hawaii) officials have promoted Jay J. Schalow and Rebecca J. Deren to real-estate managers, Framil Valdez to senior analyst, and Heather Clark to assistant real estate manager.

Schalow was promoted from assistant real estate manager. He manages a portion of the Kamehameha Schools Kaka’ako portfolio and the Kaka’ako Commerce Center, a six-level warehouse/office building, located at 875 Waimanu St.

Prior to joining CBRE Hawaii, Schalow was a real estate coordinator for the Food Pantry, Ltd. where he was responsible for maintaining the financial records. He also previously served as senior accountant at a local real estate company.

Schalow earned a bachelor of science in business administration with a major in accounting from Hawaii Pacific University and an associate degree in liberal arts from Honolulu Community College.

Deren was promoted from marketing director. She manages Kaua’i Village shopping center in Kapa’a, Kukui Marketplace in Lihu’e, and the Grove Farm Company portfolio on Kaua’i. She has prior management experience with the asset services team at Kukui Grove Center.

Deren earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in accounting and international business from Central Washington University. She also earned an associate’s degree in business administration from Highline Community College in Des Moines, Wash. Deren is a resident of Koloa.

Clark was promoted from property accountant. She assists the senior staff at Koko Marina Shopping Center. Clark earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix, and a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Valdez was promoted from property manager and analyst. He serves as a senior team member of the retail group, where he is responsible for transitioning properties by providing specialized data and oversight of lease administration. He also conducts all the due diligence for the retail group’s clients. Valdez earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. He is a resident of Kapa’a.

For more information, please visit www.cbrehawaii.com.

KVB appoints travel-industry sales manager

. Leaders of the Kaua’i Visitors Bureau (KVB) announced the appointment of Maile Horner as travel-industry sales manager.

Horner is responsible for the North America travel trade, as well as managing KVB’s wholesaler contracts and relationships, and the Kaua’i Destination Specialist (KDS) program.

Most recently, Horner was with Primm Valley Casino Resorts in Nevada, where she held positions since 2000, including convention-sales manager, tour-and-travel sales manager and sales coordinator.

Born and raised on the Big Island, Horner graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern Colorado.

The Kaua’i Visitors Bureau (KVB) is a private, nonprofit organization charged with marketing and promoting the visitor industry on Kaua’i. The KVB is a division of the Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau, with operating funds derived from the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.

For more information, please call 245-3971, or visit www.KauaiDiscovery.com.

New horseback business opens

. Aloha Horseback Rides officials have opened their stable doors on Kaua’i, offering morning, afternoon and sunset rides on trails that meander through 200 acres of private land on the South Shore. Through Thursday, Dec. 15, owners are offering 10-percent discounts on Sunday rides.

Aloha Horseback Rides operators specialize in personalized attention and small groups. There is one guide for every five riders, and groups are generally no larger than seven riders. There is no minimum number of riders required. If one person is signed up for the tour, the ride will go on, operators said.

Aloha Horseback Ride’s trail guides are highly-experienced local guides. During the ride, they will discuss the history of the South Shore, from ancient days to present, and point out native plants or those that are significant to Native Hawaiians.

The rides take place on private land that has been owned by a local family for over 150 years. Much of the land is a working cattle ranch, so riders will see cattle, as well as the historic Koloa sugar mill, and serene inland lakes.

Riders must be at least 8 years of age, and maximum weight for a rider is 230 pounds. Aloha Horseback Rides is open seven days a week.

Aloha Horseback Rides’ stables are just off Po’ipu Road in Koloa, less than five minutes from all of the Po’ipu resort area’s accommodations. Advance reservations are required. For more information, please call 742-2010, e-mail riding@alohahorsebackriding.com, or visit www.alohahorsebackriding.com.

Kaua’i property announces special resort rewards

. Kauai Beach Hotel & Resort (formerly the Radisson Kauai Beach Resort) leaders are offering a special reward for guests, valid for stays now through Jan. 10, 2006.

For a three-night stay, guests will receive a $50 resort credit, and a $100 resort credit will be offered for stays of four nights or longer. The credits can be used by guests at any of the resort’s facilities, including restaurants and lounges, spa services, the lu’au, “South Pacific” dinner show, beach services and other activities offered by the hotel. In addition, all guests staying at the hotel during this period will receive a gift certificate for a one-night, complimentary stay for a return visit.

In addition to the special rewards, all guests at the Kauai Beach Hotel & Resort are invited to enjoy complimentary transportation to and from Lihu’e Airport and the Kauai Lagoons Golf Club; free, in-room, high-speed Internet access; complimentary nightly manager’s cocktail party; nightly torchlighting ceremony and Polynesian dance show in the pool area; and shopping discounts as well as complimentary tennis on the hotel’s four courts.

The Kauai Beach Hotel & Resort is no longer affiliated with Radisson Hotels & Resorts, and is in the process of finalizing arrangements for a new brand affiliation expected to take place in the first quarter of 2006, hotel officials said.

The hotel currently features 340 rooms, seven suites, complete meeting and banquet facilities, three restaurants, a boutique spa and fitness center, and a “super pool” complex made up of four swimming pools set amidst waterfalls and grottoes.

For reservations or more information, please call the hotel at 245-1955, or visit the hotel’s new Web site at www.kauaibeachhotelandresort.com.