More circuses more often

CIRQUE du Soleil is coming to Hawaii -- sort of.

The internationally renowned modern circus company has an exclusive partnership with Celebrity Cruises for shows aboard the cruise line's Constellation and Summit ships, one of which will be sailing to the islands.

A traveling troupe of Cirque performers will stage "A Taste of Cirque du Soleil" twice per sailing in the ships' Celebrity Theatres. The show is "the result of positive dialogue with our partners at Cirque, combined with valuable feedback from our guests and trade partners," said Celebrity President Dan Hanrahan.

And because no marketing or merchandising stone is left unturned these days, the two ships also house "The Bar at the Edge of the Earth," a lounge designed by Cirque, as well as boutiques selling Cirque stuff. They are the only Cirque-branded shops operated by anyone other than Cirque.

"Constellation isn't scheduled to sail in Hawaii at all, but Summit has a very limited number of Hawaii cruises," said Elizabeth Jakeway, manager of corporate communications for Celebrity.

The Summit's sails to Hawaii are scheduled to begin Dec. 18; Jan. 2, 15 and 29; March 12 and 26; and April 9.

It is conceivable that some Summit cruisers may see the floating Cirque du Soleil show and see the completely unrelated Cirque Hawaii performances, once they get under way at the old IMAX Theatre in Waikiki. News about Cirque Hawaii first appeared in this space Nov. 20.

Halekulani honored

The luxe Halekulani hotel on Waikiki beach has received the Commitment to Quality Award from the Leading Hotels of the World Ltd.

Leading Hotels is a luxury hospitality organization that represents more than 420 hotels, resorts and spas around the world.

Halekulani, the only Hawaii member of Leading Hotels, is not just the only Hawaii hotel to receive the award, it was the only hotel to win the accolade in the United States or Canada.

"Because they are based on quantitative, as well as qualitative criteria, these prestigious awards are now acknowledged as the benchmark for global standards in assessing the very finest hotels in the world," said Welf Ebling, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Leading Hotels.

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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