Pleasant Deal

Aloha Kakou:

Pleasant Hawaii Vacations is featuring the Outrigger Maui Eldorado on their Hot Deals Maui webpage. We're the only condo property featured with the "condo" banner, even though Lahaina Shores is also listed - hey, I'm not complaining!

http://www.pleasantholidays.com/PleasantHolidaysWeb/Vacation-Deals-Hawaii-Maui.html

Island Wide Occupancy Drops For October

Aloha Kakou:

The Maui News today reported a 20% drop in occupancy for October, 2008, versus October, 2009. Hotel occupancy was 56.8% for the month, the largest drop of all the islands.

Interestingly, the last paragraph of the story adds some perspective: "Hawaii's third-quarter occupancy of 72.7 percent was fourth behind Los Angeles and Miami, its average daily rate of $205 was second, and its RevPAR of $149 was also second." So, even at at the state's current levels, we're still doing better than most other US destinations.

http://mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/510583.html?nav=10

Liberty Travel Ad

Aloha Kakou:

This ad appeared in August in Newsday newspaper, one of the country's largest regional newspapers, serving Long Island and other parts of New York.

This is a co-op ad, meaning that Outrigger pays a share of the advertising cost along with Liberty Travel. Liberty Travel is one of our larger wholesale partners.

The Outrigger Maui Eldorado appears under the $1215 price heading. If you click on the ad, you'll be able to see a larger version.

Alaska Air To Start ANC-OGG Flights

Aloha Kakou:

Alaska Airlines today began thrice-weekly nonstop service between Anchorage and Kahului.

The flights, which operate three days a week, continue through April 25. The flights run on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Each flight has a capacity of 157 people.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081031/BREAKING03/81031058

D108 Updates

Aloha Kakou:

Thanks to the owners of D108, today I'm sharing some photos of their just updated unit.

A few things to note:

- The dropped ceiling in this first floor unit eliminates the popcorn and has a cleaner, more up-to-date look. Additionally, the ceiling change also allows for recessed lighting in this first floor unit, again updating the look.
- The cabinets are a natural finish cherry in a Shaker-style door design. The natural wood tones and the simple door design lend themselves to a more timeless, classic look.
- For the sake of modernity and durability, granite was used as the counter material.
- Walls in the kitchen and bathroom are covered in a grasscloth-look commercial vinyl. While I am not a fan of residential grade wallpaper, this wall covering is both durable and appropriate for this type of use.
- Living room fabrics are the poly/acrylic/cotton blend that works so well in our rental environment. Most owners get tired of the fabric before it wears out.
- The master bathroom of this unit was converted from a tub to a shower. The tub remains in the second bathroom. This is an ideal arrangement for a two-bath unit; tubs are generally out of favor in hotels these days due to safety and comfort concerns. Retaining the tub in the second bathroom allows for a more family-friendly unit.
- The colors and materials say "tropical" in a very understated way. The owner did not use pastels, large floral prints or any of the other cliche decorating devices. The entire look at once says "updated Hawaiian".

Now is the ideal time to update your unit. Please contact us to get the ball rolling so that you too can be ready when the tide turns.

D108 Kitchen

D108 Newly Upholstered Living Room Furniture

D108 New Master Bathroom Shower

D108 New Master Bathroom Vanity

Been Down to Urinetown?

Aloha Kakou:

Check out the latest review:
http://mauinews.com/page/category.detail/nav/5015/Backstage.html

I saw the show last Saturday. Great music, great acting and an interesting story - "South Pacific" this isn't!

The show runs three more weekends. Go see it - "Don't be the bunny!"

Definition of Hospitality

Aloha Kakou:

There are many definitions of hospitality. Some definitions are more simple, some are complex. I'm afraid that, today, the concept of hospitality is in danger of becoming extinct as hotels focus soley on the bottom line and guests are concerned only about star ratings and hotel amenities.

We are familiar with hospitality that is granted to guests but, again lost in our modern world, is the guest's responsibility to receive hospitality gratefully, even if it is offered by the host in a manner that is different than what was expected by the guest.

Here on Maui, we look to the word "aloha" as a definition of the Hawaiian spirit of hospitality. I always think of hospitality as the welcome the guest receives upon arrival and the attention they experience throughout his stay.

Jean Keijdener, Country General Manager, Executive Office, Somerset Palace, Seoul, South Korea, defines hospitality thusly:

H = home: the original ‘Public House’ was exactly that: a house where the inn- keeper welcomed strangers to stay with him: at a (fair) rate
O = openness: a place where one is welcomed with openness: genuine and caring
S = secure: where you are ensured that you can indeed sleep without a worry
P = peaceful: in order to be refreshed upon departure
I = intelligent: a place where they have given your stay more than a good thought
T = trust: the re-assurance that you are ‘not taken for a ride’
A = able: where there are ‘able’ men (and women) there to serve you
L = listen: where one is being listened to
I = informative: where you can gather news and information as well as share it
T = together: in the sharing warmth of other travelers and providers
Y = YOU: are our Number One: the Guest

What do you think? What does hospitality mean to you?