Bookings at Marriott Hotels in Hawai'i shot up 40 percent following the company's "Spirit of Aloha" bus tour that carried a slice of local culture through 13 cities on the West Coast, Midwest and the East Coast.

The boost in bookings is a welcome relief in the midst of a tourism slump that has seen occupancy at Marriott hotels fall 20 percent on the Neighbor Islands and by 12 percent to 14 percent on O'ahu, said Ed Hubennette, Marriott International vice president for North Asia, Hawai'i and the South Pacific.

Hubennette said the bus tour idea came out of a brainstorming session as a different way to help Hawai'i's No. 1 industry climb out of its double-digit slump in occupancy and visitor arrivals.

The tour started on the leased 45-foot Provost bus on the West Coast Jan. 12 in San Diego. It ended in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 26. Originally, the tour was supposed to last a month and just drive up the West Coast but it was expanded to the Midwest and East Coast after it went so well.

Hubennette said the idea was to promote Hawai'i in general in partnership with Hawaiian Airlines and Polynesian Cultural Center, with some help from other companies.

PITCHING IN

The center sent three dancers, two musicians and a team leader. "I cannot say enough about their attitude," Hubennette said, as he watched them smile from 5 a.m. to late at night. "Their dedication never faltered."

The 6 1/2-week campaign ended up costing just $350,000 with a lot of those involved donating their time. Marriott provided the hotels and Hawaiian covered the airfare, Hubennette said.

"Our first goal was to really promote the state," Hubennette said, with tropical images of Hawai'i wrapped around the bus, traveling through cold and snow and slush.

He also credited his public relations firm, McNeil Wilson Communications, with playing a key role in setting up 24 television appearances, creating a blog, Web site and associated social networking to help boost the trek.

The group met media and travel professionals three days a week and had a whirlwind of TV appearances, often morning shows that started at 5 a.m.

On two days of the week, the bus usually headed for Costco where the average store sees 5,000 to 7,000 customers a day, he said. "They'd hand out shell lei to all customers."

One of the enthusiastic dancers was Maluhia Prescott, 19, who lives in Hau'ula and has been with the center for three years.

Born and raised in Hawai'i, he was asked if he could work away from home for a month and quickly agreed. It was the first time he'd been to the Mainland, "first time to see snow" and he asked to stay aboard as much as possible, even when the trip extended well beyond the original plan.

Prescott said one high point was dancing hula barefoot in New York City in 9 degree weather.

"Oh my goodness, it was actually really thrilling," he said, then added, "kind of." But he stayed upbeat: "We performed our hearts out. We wowed them."

'JUST A CRAZY FOOL'

In D.C., they visited Hawai'i Sens. Daniel Akaka and Daniel K. Inouye. When others told Inouye about the temperature for dancing barefoot, he told Prescott: "You're just a crazy fool." Prescott plans to retell that story for years to come.

"My favorite town was Chicago," Prescott said. He enjoyed the scenery, a lu'au and the chance to meet with family and friends.

"It was amazing that people actually stopped to look at us and listen to us," Prescott said, and some wanted to know more. "That was a shocker that they really wanted to learn to dance the hula."

Despite the long hours and the view from the bus, Prescott enjoyed some treats along the way: "Getting a huge bed to myself was really nice; I could just roll around."

Philadelphia sportscaster and former NFL standout Vai Sikahema arranged to go in on his day off to do an interview. He and his wife, Keala, took their daughter out of school for the day. It turned out that Keala is a 1982 Kahuku High grad, said McNeil Wilson's Bernie Caalim.

Sikahema danced a little on the set and even got his family to dance. Meanwhile, Prescott discovered that his auntie had gone to high school with Keala Sikahema.

"Everywhere we met people from Hawai'i," Caalim said.

Maui-based former "American Idol" singer Camile Velasco helped out on the West Coast and again in Washington, D.C. With a new album and the "Idol" show picking up steam in January, Hubennette said she drew a lot of attention.

POWER OF HAWAI'I

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann offered to help since he was planning to be in Washington, D.C., for a meeting of mayors. He got up early, did some sales calls, showed up on a morning show, danced a little but held back on any singing.

Hubennette said the effort showed the importance of grassroots, one-on-one meetings. And he said they felt the power of the state's reputation. "When you say Hawai'i, the room lights up," even in offices feeling the tension of recent layoffs.

He said the company did lay off some people last year but has tried to cut work hours to keep more people at work and also had a hiring freeze.

"The way to make this succeed is through relationships," he said.

Hubennette is already thinking up other novel ways to do grassroots marketing.

But don't expect the traveling Hawai'i outpost to show up in Peoria anytime soon. A NASCAR driver is now leasing it.

Items given away

Marriott Spirit of Aloha Tour