Late last month, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa announced that longtime Hawaii tourism veteran, Jerry Gibson, has taken over as general manager at the 1,310-room Oahu property.
Gibson spent 11 years as area vice president for Hilton Hawaii but, more recently, he oversaw the $250 million redevelopment at Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s North Shore as vice president for BRE Hotels & Resorts.
We spoke with Gibson earlier this month to learn more about upgrades at Waikiki Beach Marriott, and how Oahu’s vacation business is faring as the year wraps up.
What should advisors know about the work finished earlier this year at Waikiki Beach Marriott?
Atrium Hotels, the ownership group, put $100 million into the hotel. All 1,310 rooms have been upgraded. The whole deck of the third floor — comprised of restaurants, bars and active areas — is brand new and came out absolutely gorgeous.
How were the guestrooms upgraded?
[The update included] new wall coverings in the rooms, redoing the bathrooms and [adding] new furniture. Each room in the hotel looks brand new. I think they did an excellent job.
Jerry Gibson, the new general manager at Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
Credit: 2022 Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & SpaWhat other improvements were made?
There are two large pools now — one is an adult pool, and the other is an “everybody pool” — and there’s a new restaurant concept there, too. The pool deck was also made to handle large groups for receptions, and for the shows and luaus we will be bringing to the resort in the next six months.
How did Oahu tourism business perform in 2022?
January through August 15 [of] this year went very well. We still had some pent-up demand from the mainland U.S., particularly from California, which was really, really strong. But I would say that pent-up demand has subsided a little bit.
And we still have not been able to bring back Japanese visitors. The yen is hanging at around 136 to the dollar, [making it] very expensive for the Japanese to travel [here]. Also, there is a premium on top of an air ticket for fuel — anywhere from $500 to $700. So, Japanese travelers have not come back. Neither have [Australian] visitors or Canadian travelers, due to the value of their dollar, as well.
The property now has two pools: an adults-only pool, and an all-access pool.
Credit: 2022 Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & SpaHow are Oahu holiday bookings shaping up?
Normally, most of the large resorts are close to filled. But I would say we are in the high 80s right now, in terms of occupancy. There are still air seats to Hawaii over the holidays, and I’m hoping there will be a little pick up, and we can add a few occupancy points.
How does business look for early 2023?
Our near-future pace is certainly not as robust as it was in the summer, and I think it’s going to be a little bit muted until the economy turns around. With the stock market as it has been, along with the natural upswing in costs for the typical U.S. visitor, it’s [probably] harder for them to go on vacation. They’re saying, ‘Should I save a little money, or should I travel?’ And I think with that type of confusion, many are not traveling right now. I believe that will get better as the economy picks up.
