By

POSTED: Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Four Seasons Resort Lana'i The Lodge at Koele is the best in Hawaii, the No. 4 ranked U.S. hotel and the 15th-best in the world, according to Travel + Leisure magazine.

               

     

 

 

On the Net: » www.travelandleisure.com

In all, 23 Hawaii hotels made the T+L 500 World's Best Hotels for 2009 list, which the magazine breaks out by region.

On the U.S list, eight Hawaii hotels rank above the luxe Las Vegas Bellagio at No. 50.

The list is based on T+L's 2008 World's Best Awards reader survey, with additional reporting by the magazine's reporters and editors, it said in a news release.

Topping the global list is Singita Sabi Sand in South Africa.

Most of the world's top 10 are on the African continent or in India, but Triple Creek Ranch in Darby, Mont., debuted at No. 5.

The Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa and Turtle Bay Resort are new entries at Nos. 209 and 227 on the U.S. regional ranking of 238 hotels.

 

Weather change in TV

Longtime KITV weather anchor Ben Gutierrez will leave the station at the end of the year, as Amber-Lynn Hyden has been promoted to weekday morning weather anchor effective Jan. 2.

               

     

 

 

On the Net: » www.kitv.com

Hyden joined KITV in July as weekend weather anchor and her promotion is one of a series of changes the station plans for “;KITV 4 Island Television News This Morning,”; said Mike Rosenberg, president and general manager.

“;We're going to be putting more resources into the morning show to make the show a more enriching experience for our viewers,”; he said.

Rosenberg had high praise for Gutierrez.

“;Ben is one of the hardest-working guys that I have ever known and I really appreciate everything he's done for the TV station.”;

Nevertheless, his contract was up and “;based on ratings trends, we need to ... see what we can do to boost the numbers.”;

Journalism is a passion for Gutierrez, a former radio newsman who debuted on KITV as a part-time weather anchor Dec. 18, 1998.

A mission of the National Weather Service is to protect life and property “;and so having some small part in that, getting that kind of information out, is probably the most important thing”; he did at KITV, he said.

“;It's been really a privilege to work with some of the most experienced people in the business at a time when there are fewer and fewer real journalists in the business,”; he said, adding that KITV photographers “;are among the best in the business in Hawaii — I can't say enough about them.”;

He has “;some options,”; including “;sleeping in past 3 (a.m.),”; and sidelines such as theater or music, he said.