OUTRIGGER, Hawaii’s largest hotel company, is creating a second tier brand of properties located in the popular beach resort of Waikiki to cater for the budget end of the market.
Sold as Ohana Hotels, they are centred around the main resort of Oahu and complement the chain’s more upmarket properties.
Fifteen of the group’s 27 hotels have been taken out of the Outrigger portfolio and renamed, and the 5,000-room brand will be launched officially on December 19. Reservations will be taken from August 1.
Outrigger’s chief operating officer, Perry Sorenson, said Ohana will emphasise friendly, reliable service, comfortable and well-maintained rooms and a simplified approach topricing.
He added: “Over the past 10 years, Outrigger’s product has diversified greatly. We’ve added full-service resorts on the neighbour islands and entered the condominium market.
“Outrigger has also been expanding aggressively into new geographic areas, with first-class properties now open or under development throughout the Pacific.
“It was getting difficult for our customers to understand just what an Outrigger was. With the creation of Ohana they will have a clearer idea of what each hotel group represents and it also gives us two avenues for growth in Hawaii.”
Sorenson added that the Outrigger brand will be focused on upscale beachfront hotels and resorts and Ohana will concentrate initially on moderate-priced accommodation and incorporate elements of Hawaiian culture into its style ofhospitality.
A key selling point will be Ohana’s pricing system, with three rack rates starting from $109, $129 and $139 per room per night. During next spring and autumn, there will be a SimpleSaver rate of $99 valid at all 15 hotels.
In a separate development, Outrigger has acquired the former oceanfront Maui Inter-Continental Resort and renamed it Outrigger Wailea Resort.
It is improving facilities for the family market and for meeting and incentives traffic at the 516-room oceanfront hotel.
The 545-room Royal Waikoloan on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii is undergoing a $23m redevelopment to be completed in the autumn. Work includes a new lobby, restaurant, lounge and meeting rooms, expanded theme pool and sundeck area, as well as renovations to the ballroom and all guestrooms.
Outrigger has also added to its condominium properties with management contracts for the Waikiki Shore and Kauai’s Lae nani resort.
The Waikiki Shore is the group’s third beachfront location in the resort but its first all-suite condominium there. It offers studio, one and two-bedroom units with rates from $170 in the September-December low season.
Sorenson said: “Guests will have full access to the nearby Outrigger Reef property, including its pool, exercise room and business centre.
“They can also upgrade to include Outrigger’s Voyagers Club level of service, which offers access to the club lounge for daily complimentary continental breakfast and light afternoon snacks.”
The Lae nani is the group’s seventh condominium in Hawaii and its second on Kauai, offering 82 units in five low-rise buildings in a beachfront setting along the Coconut Coast complete with resort facilities.