NUKOLI’I — When Hurricane ‘Iniki devastated Kaua’i in 1992, some of the employees of what is now the Kauai Beach Hotel & Resort remembered the massive Thanksgiving community feed that was made possible through the generosity of other people. When
NUKOLI’I — When Hurricane ‘Iniki devastated Kaua’i in 1992, some of the employees of what is now the Kauai Beach Hotel & Resort remembered the massive Thanksgiving community feed that was made possible through the generosity of other people.
When Hurricane Katrina smashed through New Orleans, the employees knew the victims of that storm needed help.
The employees knew that it was a challenging time for victims, and they felt they wanted to contribute to the recovery effort.
That set the stage for a meeting wherein the employees decided that, in lieu of their Thanksgiving turkey certificates from their managers, they would instead donate the value of those certificates to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
“In the spirit of Thanksgiving, and during these holiday times, the employees of the Kauai Beach Hotel & Resort wish to extend their aloha to families of those affected by Hurricane Katrina,” said Rob Gunthner, the resort’s general manager, during a special presentation to Alfred Darling, the director of the Kaua’i chapter of the Hawai’i branch of the American Red Cross.
That presentation Monday, the first day following the long Thanksgiving weekend, was done with representatives present from all the different departments of the resort that was formerly known as the Radisson Kauai Beach Resort, was once an Outrigger property, and opened several years ago as a Hilton property.
“We have collected $3,000 from the employees of the Kauai Beach Hotel & Resort who, instead of receiving a turkey certificate, chose to donate to the victims of the recent hurricane,” added Gunthner.
At his invitation, the employees helped themselves to punch and cookies before they adjourned to return to their respective chores at the resort, the light refreshments a token of appreciation for their spirit of aloha, he said.
The Kauai Beach Hotel & Resort is a 25-acre, deluxe, beach-front property centrally located on a three-mile stretch of beach on Kaua’i’s eastern Coconut Coast, off Kuhio Highway near Hanama’ulu.
The resort features 347 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.
Massive renovations have taken place at the resort, and, now, individual units at the hotel are being sold to individual investors.
For reservations or more information, please call the hotel at 245-1955, or visit the hotel’s Web site at www. kauaibeachhotelandresort.com.