When the Westin Kauai Resort opened its doors on Sept. 19, 1987, there was nothing else like it in the state.
From the ornate decor to the fleet of limousines that picked up guests, horse and carriage rides, and a wildlife park with exotic animals — the hotel was a fantasy land manifest.
But at the height of the resort’s success and just eight days shy of its five-year anniversary, Hurricane ‘Iniki hit, effectively ending the Westin’s run on Kaua‘i.
The more than 1,000-person staff didn’t have the benefit of a farewell party. There was no time to say goodbyes or exchange contact information. People left jobs and homes behind and didn’t look back.
Without any closure to the loss of a place that was so pivotal for many people’s lives and careers, the idea of a reunion gradually picked up steam in the ensuing years.
“Wala‘au” host Dickie Chang, who got his start on Kaua‘i at the Westin as guest services manager and head concierge, said he first thought of gathering former staff at the five-year mark.
It wasn’t until earlier this year, though, that there was enough momentum to form a reunion committee to organize the three-day event, which starts with a reception and dinner at the former Westin site, now the Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club, on Sept. 21.
“People are coming back from all parts of the world to see something they haven’t seen since the hurricane,” Chang said.
During the ’80s, destination hotel entrepreneur Christopher Hemmeter harnessed his vision of grandiose mega-resorts with the Hyatt Regency Maui, Hyatt Regency Waikoloa and Westin Maui Resort. His next project, the Westin Kauai, seemed to break the mold.
According to the Hemmeter Cos. Web site, each successive Hawai‘i hotel “seemed to shatter the then-held conventional limit for boldness and creativity.”
Of local significance, the Westin was Kaua‘i’s first mega-resort to turn its back on the predominant Hawaiiana theme.
Hemmeter instead opted for European art, ornate decor such as marble columns and statues, extensive man-made lagoons with boat transportation and a zoo with 200 animals.
“It was the cutting edge of what guest expectations were about thereafter,” Chang said.
Office of Economic Development Director Beth Tokioka, who worked at the Westin during the four months leading up to ‘Iniki, agreed that its impact was broad.
“It put Kaua‘i on the map in a lot of ways that we weren’t already,” Tokioka said.
When all was said and done, the multi-million-dollar project became more than just a place for visitors to rest their heads — it was a destination in and of itself.
In addition to corporate groups, the hotel reeled in dignitaries such as former presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford and numerous celebrities, including Leona Helmsley and the cast and crew of “Jurassic Park,” as well as professional athletes for the NFL Quarterback Challenge.
Many people who stayed never left campus, Chang said, adding that the motto of the day was: “You don’t have to check in to check it out.”
In fact, the resort was a destination for locals just as it was for visitors.
“It was the most fabulous hotel property I ever worked at,” said Barbara Sameshima, marketing director for Kukui‘ula Realty LLC.
Sameshima, who opened the Westin along with Chang and others, worked as secretary to the operations manager and then food and beverage secretary before leaving in March 1993.
She said the Westin was a central attraction for the whole island; but for staff, it’s the people who made it special.
With nearly 1,800 employees at the hotel’s start, which downshifted to 1,100 shortly before it closed, the Westin ‘ohana made the place what it was.
According to Chang, Tokioka and Sameshima, employees were embraced and welcomed into the family and the experience has contributed to who and where they are today.
Bob Craver, a former “Westinite” who now runs his own special events planning company, said his years there influenced the next 15 to 20 years of what he’s done with his life.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without my experience at the Westin,” Craver said.
Former Westin employee Kaupena Kinimaka holds the rare distinction of having worked at the Kalapaki Beach hotel under all three of its reincarnations.
Kinimaka started at the resort when it was the Kauai Surf Hotel 41 years ago. And he stayed on after its transition to the Westin, and was one of few who remained on staff after the hurricane and its purchase by Marriott.
Now the Marriott’s area director of loss prevention, Kinimaka says the reunion is momentous because it might be the only time such an event is orchestrated for a once-tight-knit group that’s drifted in a thousand directions over the past 15 years.
And while memories of the glitz and glamour of the property evoke the energy of that time, former staff attribute the magic of the era to the Westin ‘ohana.
“It’s not the building or the sand or the pool or the rooms, really it’s the people you work with,” Kinimaka said.
• Blake Jones, business writer/assistant editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or bjones@kauaipubco.com.
