As a kanaka ʻōiwi, what does hospitality mean to you?
Hospitality is an extension of our natural way of life at home. In Hawaiʻi, hoʻokipa means welcoming someone into your home and helping them feel a sense of belonging. That shared sense of place is what moves everyone to give of themselves to the greater good in whatever capacity they can. He hoʻokahi wale nō lā o ka malihini a lilo he ʻohana—a visitor is a guest for a day and then becomes a part of the community that continues to thrive from giving back.
Who was a mentor to you in the hospitality industry and what did they teach you?
There are so many people who continue to teach me through examples. My ʻohana taught me that food brings people together, those making the food and those we invite to enjoy it with us. He ʻōpū aliʻi—having the belly of a chief means sharing what you have from the naʻau because it’s pono. ʻAnakē Teta and the uncles in the māla at school taught me about aloha ʻāina and how, in turn, the ʻāina provides for us.
My kumu, both in hula and at school, taught me the importance of traveling abroad and bringing what I learned back home to apply. I always admired my ʻanakē, Nāmaka Rawlins, and her kuleana of engaging with indigenous peoples from around the world through language and culture revitalization efforts.
Early on in my career, ua pōmaikaʻi au i (I was blessed with) the opportunity to huakaʻi (travel) with her, Kumu Kauanoe Kamanā, ʻAnakē Amy Kalili, and other prominent alakaʻi (leaders) in the Aukahi (Hawaiian language revitalization movement) to experience this exchange first hand, and how to bring that ʻike (knowledge) back to our kahua (foundation) to build upon.
From Hilo to Oʻahu, until this day, Daniel Ikaika Ito and my other hiapo continue to encourage me to check in with myself and the needs of my community. At Hawaiian Airlines, Aunty Debbie Nākānelua-Richards and Ann Botticelli taught me the strength of community relationships and how that pilina is the true waiwai (value) in operations.
My community within and outside of the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority continued to teach me this mea waiwai as our collective needs in Hawaiʻi shifted hospitality back to hoʻokipa. Now in my role at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa, I’m learning through meaningful pilina with colleagues, guests, and being in Waikīkī and in our broader community, the meaning behind alakaʻi a hahai (recognizing when to lead and follow).
My colleagues at the bell desk and valet, for example, always make me feel like I’m coming home when I arrive at work. And that aloha is a sense of belonging, which makes it easy to follow their lead and turn around to share that with others along the way.
When did you first start working in the hospitality industry and how have you seen the industry change since then?
My career in hospitality began in 2017, the day Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia returned home from the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage. This was the merging of all that I’ve learned up until that point as I was ending my chapter as a producer at ʻŌiwi TV and stepping into a new role at the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.
In much the same way that the homecoming of our waʻa kaulua brought Hawaiian culture, our way of life in Hawaiʻi, storytelling, and community together, the hospitality industry in Hawaiʻi was welcoming kamaʻāina back into spaces with our malihini/hoa kipa (guests) to mālama iā (take care of) Hawaiʻi in the ways we were raised to do so. This shift was the same sense of pride and kuleana that I imagine our alakaʻi (leaders) before us felt in the 1970s, with a reawakening of our mauli ola (who we are as a people) with the revitalization of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, hula, and so much more, including wayfinding with Hōkūleʻa’s maiden voyage to Kahiki and back.
Mahalo e nā alakaʻi for seeing the ʻāina from an uncharted path and bringing us along with you to appreciate our place in Hawaiʻi’s history through a Hawaiian worldview.
Why is authentic Hawaiian culture important in the hospitality industry today?
Beyond our shores, I’ve experienced hoʻokipa from First Nations peoples throughout the Continental U.S. and Canada, our ʻohana in Aotearoa, Kahiki, and Pago Pago, as well as Japan. What made these interactions so special was the shared sense of kuleana in the practice or way of life that is hoʻokipa and the innate reciprocation of respect, inclusivity, growth, and pure enjoyment that translates to great memories and positive impact.
