Ala Moana Hotel

6 7 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 9 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 9 from any blips that we see across the globe in terms of hospitality and travel. I think it has shown again that people want to come here. It’s a great destination. People generally feel quite safe in Hawaii. Despite having minimal international business, the visitor numbers have been very strong coming into the island, certainly the last few months.” A recent refurbishment of the hotel’s public areas has created a brand-new experience for guests of Ala Moana. “The arrival experience to the hotel has completely changed. The lobby area and reception desks, up to our conference space and our level three pool area, all underwent a major refurbishment that’s really brought the hotel to life. We’ve received some fantastic feedback from people who are really seeing and feeling the differences,” Barnard recounts. Currently the exterior of the hotel is receiving what he describes as “a bit of a facelift”, which includes patching, repair, and a fresh coat of paint. When that project is complete in 2023, Hawaii’s Largest Coffee Supplier We are dedicated to providing the highest quality and variety in our blends and avors in the most sustainable way possible. In 2019, we opened Half Here Half There LLC in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Half Here Half There LLC is set up with the goal of selling and servicing regional and national accounts. We take pride in being Hawaii’s eco-friendly, socially responsible co ee company. 2176 Lauwiliwili St #1 Kapolei, HI 96707 808-682-4422 info@euraminc.com www.hawaiianparadisecoffee.com ALA MOANA HOTEL there’s opportunities for learning. These are all things that we promote. I believe that the company really cares. There’s a lot of time and investment spent in the development of people and giving them the tools that they need to do their job.” Part of this investment includes Accor Academy, a training institute offering both online and in-person learning opportunities, which are open to all of the hotel’s team members. Employing approximately 350 people, Barnard reports that during COVID, staffing issues have been one of the challenges Ala Moana Hotel has faced. He explains, “We went from a period of no business in hotels, where it was very hard to give staff hours, to bouncing back very quickly. When you look across the tourism industry as a whole and certainly hotels, restaurants, and bars, there’s now more of a challenge to actually find people to work. Whereas, previously, we were finding it hard to find work for people.” Supply of items like linens and toweling have also been problematic, with Barnard reporting that it was difficult to source these items as the industry started to experience a come back. He shares, “Of course, everybody wanted it at the same time. As we got busier, we knew we needed to replenish linen and toweling in the hotel, so we contacted our suppliers and we pretty much bought everything that we could on island. Anything that needed to be manufactured on the mainland or elsewhere, it was 9 to 12 months before we could receive it. That proved a challenge.” Adding that the strain was on the cleaners, who had to increase turnaround times to get sheets back on beds, he reports, “Thankfully, that has settled down now. Hawaii tends to bounce back