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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
Huge spa
spins off
satellite shopThe 33,000 square foot Mandara Spa is expanding at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Really.
The soft opening of the first stand-alone Mandara retail shop in the world will follow a blessing this morning in the Rainbow Bazaar.
Mandara parent company Miami-based Steiner Management Services Ltd. and Hilton Grand Vacations, the hotel corporation's timeshare division, are partners in the spa and shop, according to Mark Tsuda, corporate vice president for sales and marketing. He's also regional vice president for Hawaii and the South Pacific.
The shop is across from a well-visited ABC Store, which Tsuda says bodes well for foot traffic into both the shop and the spa -- it's all about cross promotion.
The shop also will provide exposure for Hilton Grand Vacations, which will oversee shop operations.
"Mandara is providing the products for the shop as well as training on the products. It also paid for the build-out of the space," said Tsuda.
The 550-square foot space had to be gutted and rewired, Tsuda said, at a cost of $165,000. It's a nice chunk of change being split among ADM Retail Planning & Architecture, Tadda Corp. Construction and custom furniture maker Jesse Makainai Jr.
Between the 22-acre size of Hilton Hawaiian Village, the spa's location, the tourism downturn and the perception that the whole of Kalia Tower was shut down, Mandara spa has been "having some challenges with visibility," Tsuda said.
The spa's air quality has passed muster daily and its 115 employees are ready for business, he said. No additional hires are anticipated for the shop.
Steiner operates about 180 spas including 64 Mandara Spas, 111 cruise ship spas and several day spas around the world.
COURTESY OF BECKER COMMUNICATIONS INC.
Mandara Spa offers a sneak peek at the new retail shop opening today in the Hilton Hawaiian Village Rainbow Bazaar. Showing off the retail outlet are, from left, Store Manager Sharon Weddle; Cory Matsumiya, Mandara Spa Shop business controller; and Josay Fernandes, Mandara Spa director.
Marconi nod for KCCN
KCCN-FM is a nominee for the National Association of Broadcasters' Marconi Awards, in the contemporary hit radio, or CHR category.It's up against stations in West Babylon, N.Y.; Pentwater, Mich.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Wilmington, Del.
The station's mix of contemporary Hawaiian and island reggae music debuted in May of 1990. "The music blend was revolutionary at that time," said Mike Kelly, vice president and general manager of the station.
"The Honolulu radio landscape changed forever. The station went to No.1 in 16 months and has stayed in the top five ever since," he said. Four stations in Honolulu and six on the neighbor islands now play island music, said Kelly.
Jacqueline "Honolulu Skylark" Rossetti, then program director of the station, devised the format, Kelly said.
She was thrilled to hear of the station's nomination when contacted by the Buzz.
"I'm so excited, that's wonderful for them," she said.
"There was only AM radio for Hawaiian music (prior to 1990). No one would believe it would work on FM." It was an important opportunity for her as a strong supporter of Hawaiian music and it "changed the whole complexion of how recordings were viewed. It raised the bar for recording for local musicians," Rossetti said. "I call it the second renaissance of Hawaiian music."
NAB members submit entries, which are whittled down to the top five nominees in 19 categories from Legendary Station of the Year to the best in format categories. The awards are named in honor of Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of wireless telegraphy and a Nobel Prize winner.
The awards will be presented Oct. 2 in Philadelphia.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at: eengle@starbulletin.com
