BUSINESS BRIEFS
2 resorts on list of pricey suites
Advertiser Staff
Two Hawai'i resorts won ranking by Elite Traveler, the worldwide private jet lifestyle magazine, in its "101 Top Hotel/Resort Suites of the Year" in the July/August 2008 issue.
The magazine said the super-rich continue to "traverse the globe on private jets, experiencing the best the world has to offer in terms of hotel and resort accommodations, shopping, and living the private jet lifestyle" even when other travelers are downsizing vacation plans.
The Grand Suite at Maui's Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa was listed at $15,000 a night. The presidential suite at the Four Seasons Resort, Hualalai, was priced at $10,300.
In the United States, the most expensive suite listed is the Ty Warner Penthouse at the Four Seasons Hotel New York at $30,000 a night, also notable as the most expensive suite ever built in the United States. The Chairman Suite at the Palazzo Resort in Las Vegas comes in next at $20,000 a night, followed by two suites at $15,000 a night — the Empire Suite at the Carlyle, a Rosewood Hotel in New York, and the Grand Wailea.
The most expensive suite on the 101 Top Suites this year is in Europe, the $52,000-a-night Royal Penthouse Suite at the Hotel President Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland, followed closely by the $50,000-a-night Royal Villa at the Grand Resort Lagonissi in Attica, Greece; and the $21,000-a-night Imperial Suite at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome.
SOUTHWEST PLANNING HAWAI'I FLIGHTS
Southwest Airlines said it is working to get a "solution" for Hawai'i service that with a little luck will be in place by the end of 2009.
Airline customers haven't been able to book flights to Hawai'i through the airline since early April. That was when ATA Airlines, which had a code-sharing arrangement with Southwest and carried its passengers to Hawai'i, went bankrupt and shut down operations.
Yesterday Southwest executives told investors on a conference call that the airline was working hard on a "Hawaiian solution" and that it hoped to have something executed by the end of next year. The company earlier this month said it had agreed to form an alliance with Canada's WestJet by the end of 2009. WestJet flies to Hawai'i, Mexico and the Caribbean.
DENNIS NAU HIRED BY NCL CORP.
NCL Corp. announced that former Hawai'i resident Dennis Nau has joined the company in the role of senior vice president, hotel operations.
Nau is a veteran hotel and resort executive, having worked with Marriott Hotels & Resorts since 1985.
During his tenure at Marriott, Nau held a number of senior roles including general manager, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa manager and general manager of the New York Marriott Marquis and the New York Marriott Eastside.
He most recently served as Marriott's vice president of global brand management-full service brands, with responsibility for the JW Marriott, Marriott Suites and Nickelodeon Resorts brands.
HOME-APPLIANCE COVERAGE OFFERED
Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. said it has started offering Hawai'i homeowners a new coverage that protects against the breakdown of equipment such as air conditioners and water heaters.
The company said most homeowners' policies don't cover mechanical, electrical or heating equipment breakdown. It said its new coverage will cover many types of home equipment, including emergency generators, swimming pool filtration and central vacuum systems.
