BIGGER is not necessarily better. The Regal Travel Club News lists the world's 12 largest hotels, and while the Hilton Hawaiian Village is No. 11, all the others are located in Las Vegas. No. 1 is the MGM Grand and even that is about to be surpassed by an ever grander hotel, also in Vegas. It can't be that alluring 105 degree temperature - say, do you suppose gambling may be the attraction there? ... Clyde Min is a guy who knows about both small and large attractions. After heading the tiny Hotel Hana-Maui, Min moved on to be G.M. of the Marina Mandarin Singapore, but is now happily back in the U.S.A. He's the new G.M. of Disney's Polynesian Resort in Florida. Minn capitalized on his Hana experience by bringing in Dr. George Kanahele to introduce a Polynesian cultural program for all his employees, and now prides himself that the "Aloha Spirit" on display in Florida rivals that of hospitality employees in Hawaii. He's always on the lookout for local talent who'd like to work at the Disneyworld Resort also ... THE show must go on: Joi Briones-Mendoza, the sole gal in the band Soul'd Out, went into labor Wednesday afternoon, and baby son Daniel made his debut at 3:15 a.m. yesterday. Husband Vince, the drummer for the group, was with her for the birth, but was back at the bandstand last night. Joi herself plans to return to the microphone on Tuesday. The show must go on indeed! ...
DR. Jess Shenson will be feted at the Academy of Arts this evening on the 10th anniversary of his gift of the Theodore Wores painting "The Lei Maker" to the Academy. He hails from San Francisco as did his late brother Ben and artist Wores, and the Shenson brothers had both known Wores personally. Dr. Shenson was also in Japan in April when President Bill Clinton presented another Wores painting, "Iris Garden in Horikiri," to the emperor. A high Japanese official, admiring the painting, told Dr. Shenson the garden is still there and still looks the same as when Wores painted it around the turn of the century ...
AFTER 20 years at Hy's Steakhouse, Wes Zane has decided to pack it in and move on, sort of. He's becoming the Hawaii rep for the Robert Mondavi Winery including Opus One, Vichon and Byron Winery. Sighs Zane, "I'll finally be able to take a Christmas off after all these years." Yeah, but wait until some restaurant manager calls up Christmas morning and says, "I need two cases of Opus One right away." ... Meanwhile, a private cocktail reception is set for next week to show off the new Michel's, and Andy Anderson's own magnum opus is slated to open Aug. 1 ...
FORMER Punahou and Michigan State quarterback Charlie Wedemeyer and wife Lucy will be at Honolulu Book Shops downtown July 19 and at the Ala Moana store next day, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days, autographing copies of "Charlie's Victory." It refers to the couple's daily challenges with Charlie's disorder, ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. Art Suehiro will be joining the Wedemeyers at both locales and signing copies of his Honolulu Stadium book, "Where Hawaii Played." Charlie knows something about that locale, too, having played in the old stadium in his high school days ...
