The woman who called the Halekulani concierge desk sounded devastated. She and her elderly in-laws just returned from their Hawai'i vacation, and a store in their Michigan hometown lost all nine rolls of film they took during the trip.

The family had become friends with the hotel staff during their stay, so the woman asked concierge Susan Koki if she could send photos of the employees. Koki agreed, "but I felt that just wasn't enough."

So Koki spent her day off driving around the island taking photos of landmarks and scenic areas, from the Arizona Memorial and Hale'iwa Town to the Byodo-in Temple and the Pali Lookout. She put the photos in an album and mailed it to the family along with extra prints, chocolate macadamia nuts and other Island goodies.

This act, among others, lifted Koki to win the title of "Oahu's Best Concierge" last month at the 11th annual Aloha Spirit Awards by tourist publication Guest Informant. Koki, a Halekulani concierge for 13 years, was chosen based on testimonials by her fellow concierges. She has worked in the hospitality industry since 1978.

"The hotel doesn't require us to do stuff on our own time, but a lot of us enjoy doing extras on our own," she said. "I think it's just the satisfaction knowing that we're able to make a difference and really complete this person's trip.

"As concierge, we all have a desire to serve — from handling simple requests to tackling the challenging ones," said Koki, 47. "We thrive on challenges and value resourcefulness. We take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. Just knowing that we are able to create memorable experiences for our visitors gives us satisfaction and keeps us motivated.

"It seems like this is just the natural thing to do. I can't see myself doing anything else."

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.