For its top sales team, the President’s Club, Supernus Pharmaceuticals chose Maui for their incentive trip. Courtesy of Grace Jan

From idyllic beaches to rugged mountains, from the sway of a hula dancer to the swoon of palm trees, what meeting attendee could resist Hawaii?

“For every group, you’re looking to raise the bar — you’re looking for that next incredible experience,” says Nikki DeSantis, CMP, PCA, a senior account executive with Maritz. “Hawaii is all the things you think of — macadamia nuts, pineapples, the beaches, volcanoes, snorkeling, and the people are so warm. It’s truly paradise, and one of my personal favorite destinations to host a program in.”

Hawaii’s largest industry is tourism, and the last few years have presented new challenges. But nothing delivered a bigger blow than the Maui wildfires, particularly in the historic town of Lahaina. AP reports the fires killed 101 people and destroyed housing for 6,200 families. With housing already at a premium, a number of Maui resorts were temporarily closed to visitors in order to house displaced residents.

Meeting planners considering an exotic location like Hawaii for a meeting or incentive program can be forgiven for asking: Too soon? Are we welcome? Can we leave Hawaii better than we found it?  In fact, a culture of “giving back” — the Malama Hawaii Program — has been present in the state for years, providing visitors a fourth or fifth night free at more than 50 resorts after participating in a beach cleanup, wetland or reef restoration, or an agriculture project. These efforts will be especially embraced in Maui.

“We welcome back guests to support our fishermen, our farms, and the locally owned businesses and activity operators,” explains Naomi Cooper, interim executive director of the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association. “They all depend on tourism and they’re eager to welcome guests.  The meeting business is our bread and butter — it is what helps us between the ups and down of independent travelers. Most of the corporate and incentive activities are done on the resort property, and many of them give back to the community.”

Maui

“Maui is a magical place,” suggests Rebecca Rogers, PMED, CMM, CIS, director of meetings and events for Sentry Insurance. “It’s the ideal setting to host business partners and customers for a week.”  The company serves as title sponsor for The Sentry, the first tournament of the PGA Tour season, basing 150 attendees at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka’anapali this year.

Although the tournament gives back to local charities annually, this year’s event, held just five months after Maui’s fires, was auspiciously timed.

“We wanted to take every opportunity that we could with our guests to help those affected by the [Maui] fires,” says Rogers.  Sentry’s group packed bags for keiki (children) at the Boys and Girls Club. Group transportation was arranged to the Maui Swap Meet to support local business owners, and they delivered a meal to the volunteers and staff at the Maui Humane Society. “There are so many great organizations that are helping rebuilding efforts. Responsible tourism should always be at the forefront when planning your event.”

The 770-room Westin Maui Ka’anapali features 56,340 sf of indoor and outdoor meeting space, including the 8,760-sf Honoapi’ilani Ballroom.  “The Westin has a great space, the Aloha Pavilion, that they use for their luaus,” notes Rogers. “It can accommodate a big concert just steps from a waterfall façade and the ocean, and we were able transform this space for a theme party with headliner entertainment.”

Other Maui resorts have been hard at work with additions and improvements. The 794-room Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, opened the island’s newest and largest spa this year, a $55 million facility that sprawls across more than 50,000 sf and features 40 treatment rooms. The spa features a new type of “sound healing,” a blend of harmonic sound therapy with traditional Hawaiian chants. Grand Wailea features over 100,000 sf of meeting and event space.

Pam Rodrigues, sales administrator and events specialist for the cybersecurity company SentinelOne, Inc., says that Maui offered a range of resorts and DMCs to cater to their group for a Presidents Club gathering last year. “Cost also played a part for us,” Rodrigues explains. “We had a budget to stay within and yet we wanted to be sure the overall experience was not impacted. Maui won us over with its accommodations, activities, cultural experiences and that stunning scenery. It’s well connected with non-stop flights, which was important since we are a global company, and we wanted a luxurious experience.”

Rodrigues looked at resorts on the Wailea side, but Kapalua offered a more secluded and upscale experience, he says. When she and her group drove into The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, they felt like they had arrived.

“It was less touristy, and the resort’s creative and supportive team worked with us to fit our budget.  Our attendees were none the wiser: They enjoyed a premium getaway — a ritzy experience with the variety and ease of activities, from golf to beach and water activities, to the spa and fitness, and the cultural considerations offered at the resort.”

An outdoor dinner event had to be moved indoors when rain was forecast. “I was nervous because my attendees are indoors all the time working,” explains Rodrigues. “But by the time everyone arrived, they had an amazing time. The hotel came through to provide a top-notch experience where the attendees did not care that they were indoors. My compliments to The Ritz-Carlton team for their creativity and collaboration on short notice.”

In all, The Ritz-Carlton has 289,440 sf of indoor and outdoor event space, including a 14,915-sf ballroom. The 470-room property also unveiled a $100 million renovation last year.

For its top sales team, Supernus Pharmaceuticals chose Maui for its combination of relaxation and activities. Grace Jan, CMP-Fellow, CAE, HMCC, director of sales operations & corporate events, says her company wanted to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience and has contracted with the 450-room Fairmont Kea Lani for four years, through 2025.

“In Maui, we found the perfect weather and a wide variety of activities, from beautiful beaches and scenic hikes to cultural experiences and shopping,” explains Jan. “The array of activities provided a memorable week-long experience, and Maui also offered ample airlift options, accommodating our sales team arriving from all over the U.S. The Fairmont Kea Lani was the ideal selection, being an all-suite property, with multiple pool options and a stunning beach area.”

Jan worked with Hawaii’s CVB, JPdL Hawaii DMC, for recommendations and to oversee events. “Patrick Jochems has been instrumental in providing additional décor and suggesting a variety of activities and excursions while working within my budget,” says Jan. “There are so many options for our President’s Club winners to enjoy each year — from ziplining, hiking at Haleakala, ATV tours, the road to Hana, horseback riding, deep sea fishing, surfing, golf, spa and a luau.”

An extensive renovation of the Fairmont Kea Lani concluded last year, followed by a new lobby and cultural center, where activities such as Hawaiian language classes, lei-making and hula are offered.

“The Fairmont Kea Lani stood out among other options on the island due to its all-suite layout,” explains Jan. “The abundance of ocean view suites was a key factor, and the resort’s location in Wailea, close to shopping, golf and spa was highly convenient. The resort has also implemented initiatives to reduce its environmental impact, including energy and water conservation efforts, waste reduction programs and support for local conservation projects.  Planners can feel good about hosting an event there knowing that the Fairmont is dedicated to preserving Maui’s natural beauty for future generations.”

Oahu

Of the state’s four main islands, Oahu is the pacesetter. It is the most populated, the best connected to mainland U.S. airports and features many of Hawaii’s best beaches and activities. The Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu has more than 200,000 sf of meeting space, and thousands of hotel rooms within a 1.5-mile radius.

Oahu’s biggest meetings property is the 2,860-room Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, which features more than 150,000 sf of indoor and outdoor event space, including a 27,054-sf Coral Ballroom.

Last year, the oceanfront Sheraton Waikiki completed a multi-year, $200 million room renovation.  All 1,636 rooms and suites were transformed, with upgrades to guest rooms and meeting spaces. The hotel’s convention center has 42,720 sf of meeting space.

Just down the beach, the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani recently completed the renovation of its 664-room Ainahau Tower. The project included redesigns of its guest rooms with an emphasis on the history of Waikiki. The hotel features 14,451 sf of meeting space.

For a Jafra Incentive program held last September, the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa was selected because it was cost-efficient for the rooms and activities planned, according to event planner Heather Archuleta with Vision Events Group. “The Waikiki Beach Marriott is in the heart of walkable Waikiki, so it felt like a perfect option for attendees looking to explore a bit on their own,” says Archuleta. “The direct access to Waikiki Beach was a plus, as was the array of culinary options.”

“The staff was very accommodating and went above and beyond during our time there, and the price associated with the rooms and activities made sense with the budget,” says Archuleta.

The OUTRIGGER Kona Resort and Spa offers oceanfront views, along with more than 100,000 sf of indoor and outdoor event space.

Hawaii — The Big Island

“Each Hawaiian island provides a unique experience,” suggests Danica Shivetts, senior events director, CMP with Hologic, Inc. “The Big Island is no different, with its landscape of dark lava rocks against the palm trees and blue ocean.”

Hologic, a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of women’s health products, typically rotates its annual meetings between the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica and Hawaii. “The Big Island has always been a desired location for this group,” says Shivetts. “We like to change the location every year, and in 2023, the stars aligned with the pricing and availability for us at the Four Seasons Hualalai.”

The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, which has been listed as a Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond Resort, is set on 800 acres along the Kona-Kohala coast. The resort completed a $100 million renovation during the pandemic, updating and enhancing all 249 guest accommodations and many public spaces, while maintaining traditional Hawaiian design. The resort combines history and culture alongside championship golf, a world-class spa and fitness center, ocean activities, and a 1.8-million-gallon swimmable aquarium.

“The destination hits all our must haves — both the quality and service the group is accustomed to from a lodging standpoint and activities for the group on and off property,” explains Shivetts. “In partnership with our third-party planning partner, we worked closely with a local DMC for several aspects of our program.  Having hosted many programs on the islands over the years, our partnership with the DMC was key to the success of the program.”

Shivetts continues: “To ensure we leveraged all the hotel had to offer, we hosted events onsite. The hotel’s team was always a step ahead, thinking outside of the box to ensure we provided an experience for our attendees that they wouldn’t receive on their own. The amphitheater provides a beautiful backdrop for a sit-down dinner, but don’t dismiss the golf courses and driving range.  We converted it into a fun welcome evening which included some culture, games and guided star gazing.

For a high-tech software company’s Top Achievers Club in the spring, Stuart Gold, president of Gold Integrated Marketing, helped the client select the Mauna Kea Resort for an event that brought together 70 top performers. “We’ve done two programs over the last few years in Maui, but we wanted to try a different island and felt the Big Island was the right choice,” says Gold.  The Mauna Kea property shares two neighboring hotels: the historic Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, and a “stay at one, plan at all” allows planners to select the features they need from both options.

“The beaches are magnificent and the laid-back Hawaiian vibe made it a memorable place to go,” says Gold, who adds that the Westin Hapuna offers amazing views. “Also, most people haven’t been to this area so it was nice to go somewhere where most of the guests haven’t been.”

Mauna Kea Beach has 11,444 sf of indoor event space, including the 3,543-sf Kauna’oa Ballroom.  Less than a mile away, the 249-room Westin Hapuna Beach Resort features more than 85,000 sf of predominantly outdoor event space. Gold says attendees stayed at the Mauna Kea, while the facilities at the Westin were used for most events. “We had our opening reception on the Beach Front Lawn at the Westin, using in-house AV,” adds Gold. “Our DMC hired a local Hawaiian trio for musical entertainment. For our closing reception, we took over the Mauna Kea grounds and had our own private Polynesian show.”

Built by Laurance S. Rockefeller in 1965, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, now an Autograph Collection property, is the Big Island’s most iconic resort. A $180 million renovation is underway this year, to be completed in early 2025, and will include a redesign of the resort’s 252 guest rooms.  The Mauna Kea Golf Course also will undergo a makeover under the direction of Robert Trent Jones Jr.

The island’s largest meeting property is the 647-room Hilton Waikoloa Village, an oceanfront resort surrounded by extensive tropical gardens and wildlife. The property has plenty of restaurants and lounges, 27 holes of championship golf and a stadium tennis court. The property features 66,000 sf of indoor meeting space plus more than 175,000 sf of outdoor space. Renovations to the property’s Palace Tower Grand guest rooms are slated for 2025.

Kaua‘i

The most northerly outpost in the Hawaii chain is Kaua‘i. The island’s beauty is renowned, having risen to fame as a memorable backdrop for the 1958 movie “South Pacific.” Development has come slower here than the other islands, but resorts like Koloa Landing at Poipu, Autograph Collection and the Sheraton Kaua‘i have meeting space to accommodate small and mid-sized groups.

The 605-room Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i proved ideal for a luxury client that wanted a spring sales meeting — its first following the pandemic — on just four months’ notice. “For a 300-person group, it was challenging,” says DeSantis, with Maritz.  Fortunately, Meet Hawaii was “an awesome partner” for DeSantis to work with, as top hotels throughout the islands were considered.  “My client was not flexible on the date or pattern, so we knew we didn’t have a lot of options. We even signed the contract with Grand Hyatt before we could go out for the pre-planning meeting.”  DeSantis says the reason they were able to move forward so quickly was that the parties had confidence in the property being able to deliver.

“It’s a big resort but it feels more intimate,” adds DeSantis. “You don’t feel like you’re in a big box hotel, walking from one end to the other.”

The client utilized the property’s 14,268-sf Grand Ballroom for its general session, which involved a large production; a second, 6,580-sf ballroom is also available. Outdoor areas were used for other events, and DeSantis notes that the flow between guest rooms and meeting spaces worked well.

“This group is very discrete,” explains DeSantis. “They don’t put their brand up anywhere, and the Grand Hyatt did well with security and discretion. There was a trust there because Grand Hyatt handled everything with such ease and professionalism. Their staff is incredible — from the convention services manager, to the director of sales, to the hotel’s GM showing up for our pre-planning meeting.” C&IT