TheBuzz
TheBuzz
Ihilani adds its bit
to the lives of the
rich and famousA bit more than macadamia nuts will represent Hawaii in the fabled gift baskets for Oscar presenters and performers.
Making their way into the hands of 125 Hollywood glitterati will be gift certificates for the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina good for six nights in a suite and a massage.
The slips of paper are worth $9,500 each. That's a $1.2 million contribution to the baskets.
"We were thrilled at the opportunity," said Marketing Director Mark Barnes. "It's exposure for a market that's important to us, which is why we jumped in."
How does one get a product or service into the Oscar gift basket?
"This is not the truth, but Tom Hanks is my best friend," Barnes joked.
"I can't tell all of it," he said more seriously.
Suffice to say it really is who you know.
It helped that the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences was looking for a giftie from Hawaii.
The Ihilani certificates are not transferable. "That person has to use it," said Barnes. "We'll be given a list and photo of every presenter so we can track it."
Exposure is not a new thing for the Ihilani.
NFL players, coaches, support staff and family members occupy just about the entire hotel for a week at ProBowl time.
The hotel also appeared in and hosted the Universal Studios press junket for the movie "Blue Crush."
"We had a tremendous amount of exposure for that," Barnes said.
But exposure is not something the hotel gives its celebrity guests during their stays.
"The reason the celebrities stay with us is that we protect their privacy," said Barnes.
Exposure also is not something the Academy gives to its gift baskets.
The voice that answered the phone at its communications department said, "We don't talk about the gift baskets."
Sheesh, everybody else does.
The Internet is lousy with stories about the baskets and what's in them.
Bundled in the bounteous booty are certificates for a leather accent table from the Bogart collection of Thomasville Furniture, a Sleep Number bed from Select Comfort Corp. and a Micato African safari, according to various corporate press releases.
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