Charles "Chuck" Okazaki has joined the company as general manager of the Outrigger Kanaloa at Kona on Hawaii's Big Island. In his position, Okazaki is responsible for the day-to-day management of the resort and its various departments, in addition to overseeing the growth and development of the property's rental program and management of the property's Homeowners' Association.

Okazaki, who holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Hawaii, has over 20 years of experience in hotel operations and condominium resort management. Ten of those years were spent with Castle Resorts & Hotels in Hawaii, first in sales and then as a general manager setting up operations on newly acquired properties, including the Maui Oceanfront Inn, Kona Reef Hotel, Maui Sun Hotel and Inn on the Park Hotel.

In 1998, Okazaki took on the challenge of opening a new property in Saipan as general manager of the Aquarius Beach Tower. He returned to Hawaii two years later and worked as resident manager of the Kamaole Sands on Maui and resident manager of the Hawaiian Waikiki Beach Hotel on Oahu. Prior to joining Outrigger, Okazaki was general manager of the Kona Reef Resort on Hawaii's Big Island.

Carol Hanna was recently hired as assistant resort manager at the Outrigger Royal Sea Cliff Resort on Hawaii's Big Island where she is responsible for the daily management of the property.

Hanna has a well-rounded background in hotel operations. She has worked with such well-known brands as Sheraton, Hilton and Hyatt in a variety of positions on the U.S. Mainland, including public relations, food and beverage, credit management and front office operations.

In 1994, Hanna moved to Hawaii and joined American Hawaii Cruises. She sailed aboard the SS Independence and ms Patriot as chief pursuer before moving into the position of human resources manager in charge of recruiting, selecting and developing personnel for all hotel-related positions aboard the company's two cruise ships. Hanna was hired by Aston Hotels & Resorts following seven years with the cruise line, and joins Outrigger from her most recent position as general manager of the Aston-managed Waikoloa Colony Villas.

Walter Tolentino has moved into the position of assistant manager of the Outrigger Waikiki Shore on the island of Oahu, where he oversees the daily needs of those condominium units currently in the Outrigger rental program. 

Tolentino is a prime example of Outrigger's practice of recognizing talented employees and providing them opportunities to grow within the company.  Tolentino began his career with Outrigger in 1984 as a cashier clerk at the Outrigger Reef hotel. Three years later, he was promoted to the position of assistant hotel manager at the OHANA Reef Towers. Over the next ten years, Tolentino moved among various OHANA properties taking on more and more responsibility, gradually rising to senior assistant hotel manager and finally hotel manager. 

In 2000, Tolentino took on a new challenge by joining the corporate sales department as a sales manager. It wasn't long before he was promoted to regional sales manager where he was responsible for all aspects of the Hawaii market, including the local "kamaaina" resident market, the Hawaii retail travel agent community, Hawaii overnighter companies and local airlines. He did such an outstanding job that in 2001, Tolentino was recognized by Rendezvous Tours as Hawaii's Sales Person of the Year.
Always looking for new challenges, Tolentino joined Outrigger's Condominium Collection in 2003 and transferred to the Big Island of Hawaii as assistant general manager of the Outrigger Royal Sea Cliff. A year later, he was promoted to general manager.

Prior to assuming his duties with the Outrigger Waikiki Shore, Tolentino returned to Honolulu to take on an interim position as hotel manager of the OHANA Waikiki Tower

Sheila Gerbig was recently promoted to the newly created position of director of revenue management. She works closely with the condominium resort management and their reservations staffs within Outrigger's Condominium Collection to clearly communicate the division's revenue strategies and processes to ensure revenue goals are met.

Gerbig has a long career in condominium management, starting off as a front desk clerk at Maui's Kihei Bay Vista Resort. In 1995, she moved to the Outrigger Napili Shores resort as front office manager, where she was an integral part of the management staff for the next six years. In 2001, Gerbig took her skills in front office management to the Outrigger Royal Kahana Resort and was subsequently promoted to assistant resort manager, a position she held until assuming her new duties as director of revenue management.

Bill Reese was recently promoted to resort manager for the Outrigger Royal Kahana, where he is instrumental in maintaining the solid performance of Outrigger's largest resort condominium on the island of Maui. Prior to this move, Reese spent three years as front office manager at the Outrigger Maui Eldorado. Before joining Outrigger's Condominium Collection, Reese spent three years in Outrigger's Central Reservation Department where he was responsible for the overall management and supervision of the wholesale reservations segment and staff.

About Outrigger Hotels & Resorts
Outrigger Hotels & Resorts is a family-owned and operated company deeply committed to providing authentic island hospitality in premiere destinations throughout the Pacific. Each Outrigger property embraces the local culture to create a true sense of place for guests. Outrigger Hotels & Resorts and OHANA Hotels & Resorts are divisions of Outrigger Enterprises, Inc., Hawaii's largest locally owned hospitality-company and one of the fastest-growing hotel companies in the Pacific managing over 50 properties with more than 12,000 rooms in Hawaii, Australia, Micronesia, Fiji, Tahiti and New Zealand. 

Nancy Daniels, APR
Public Relations Manager
Outrigger Hotels & Resorts / OHANA Hotels & Resorts
2375 Kuhio Avenue
Honolulu HI 96815-2992
PH 808-921-6839
FX 808-921-6901
EM [email protected]
www.outrigger.com