Business View Magazine | September 2022

189 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 9 ALA MOANA HOTEL 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, there are plans to refurbish the guest rooms – refreshing these areas and further updating the look of the hotel. “It will complement the public areas that have been done already, and I think it’s really going to be well received by our guests coming into the hotel,” says Barnard. Investment in technology is ongoing at the Ala Moana Hotel, including updating all guest rooms to a new RFID locking system. “We are always looking at what is best practice,” Barnard asserts. “The next thing that will be introduced is new CCTV. People feel more comfortable when they see that around a hotel. It gives them that sense of safety and security. Upgrading that system by having a lot more cameras and much more functionality is going to be a great addition for the safety of the hotel.” In other technology upgrades, Smart TVs will be brought in as part of the room refurbishment, bringing