A Splendid Ho'olau'lea

[Derrick Mau]

Kay,

Try changing the setting on your camera to take photo's in JPEG. instead of gif.

Most computers should have no problem reading JPEG, unless you're using the photo's in gif. for another application.

Aloha,

D

[Kay Das]

moana chimes


ron kanahele




jeff au hoy



comparing notes



aloha again




braddah braddah



steel guitarist



what, no steel guitar???




view from glass wall window #1, Queen Kapiolani Rm 1510



view from glass wall window #2, Queen Kapiolani Rm 1510




kailua music session at the sardinha's



...keep your eyes on the hands....

sorry about the .gif ....more pics another time...

[Ron Whitfield]

Welcome to today's Waikiki hotel reality when no one complains to the mgt. The Haleku has been so smug and gotten away with disrespecting the musicians for a long time, and they have recently taken it so low as to shun their own legacy and not bother including the steel now because they chased all the worthwhile players away with constant haranging and cutting the pay. After taxes, they get less than $50 for three hours of work each night! And tell them that if they don't like it they'll get someone else.

It could change for the better if numbers spoke up!

[Don Kona Woods]

Welcome to today's Waikiki hotel reality when no one complains to the mgt. It could change for the better if numbers spoke up!

Ron,
I am with you on this. I would like to see members of the Steel Guitar Forum, Hawaiian Steel Guitar Assn., and the Aloha International Steel Guitar Club embark on a campaign of letter writing expressing our grievance about this. The more letters, the greater impact.

What is needed are the addresses of the hotels (Moana Surfrider, Halekulani, Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Hawaiian Village, etc, person to whom the letter should be addressed, etc.

Maybe for others a telephone number and person to be contacted would be a preference.

I could do some of this, but cannot right now. I am just back from my Hawaiian vacation and the work has piled up since and must be attended to immediately.

Any other ideas might be helpful. Can we give this some thought?

Also, I did express my negative feelings about this to the management while in Hawaii.

Aloha,
Don

[Ron Whitfield]

Here's the address/info for -
The Halekulani - 2199 Kalia Rd., Honolulu, HI 96815 Ph. # 808-923-2311

Ask for the Email address for the current GM's, that's who has the bottom line say on hotel matters.

Sheraton-Moana-Surfrider - 2365 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815 Ph. # - 808-922-3111

Royal Hawaiian - 2259 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815 Ph. # 808-923-7311

Hilton Hawaiian Village - 2003 Kalia Rd., Honolulu, HI 96815 Ph. # 888-875-4535

Anyone involved with steel guitar should be jumping on this bandwagon every way possible to get the word in their faces that this worsening situation is completely unacceptable.

[Kay Das]

ron,

could you do a favour and post the e-mail address of the managers of the hotels you had proposed (or send to my e-mail address). if that is a problem, i will understand...

kay

[Warren Slavin]

Kay,

An excellent thread and interesting side issues. IMO, the Ho'olau'lea was one of the hi-lites of the convention with a few exceptions. I, too, on arriving at the golf course wondered why so few chairs were set up and was informed that there was no public info delivered for the event, as a result, low attendence. Carol and I attended a Sunday morning Church service at the "Kapiolani" and invited a couple from the Chicago Area who were vacationing on Oahu -- they thoroughly enjoyed the entire performance. I view the event as a promotion for the "future" of the "Steel Guitar" and "Traditonal Hawaiian Music".

[Ron Whitfield]

Kay, I'll do what I can asap, and post for any/all interested.

[Wally Pfeifer]

Nice photos, Kay. We had the same views from our QK hotel room,--only in room 1710. Beautiful views of the ocean and Diamond Head. I guess we were lucky.
Wally & Peg

[Ron Whitfield]

Kay, here are the Email adds. for GMs at the two most important hotels for steel guitar -

Halekulani - gerald.glennon@halekulani.com
Moana - erik.berger@westin.com

If you wish the same for other hotels, let me know.
Thanx for your interests!

[Kay Das]

Thanks Ron, I wrote to both.

Kay

[Ron Whitfield]

...and I hope many others follow the example, otherwise it'll just be a wiz in the wind for the few that do, meaning we'll probably never see worthwhile steel in these joints again.

[Kay Das]

i was one, did the other 999,999 forumites write ?

[Don Kona Woods]

I am hoping that members of this forum will help us with letter writing, emailing or phoning, whether you are interested in Hawaiian steel or not.

Those of us who want the traditions of Hawaiian steel guitar to continue need your help.

The following is an example of what I wrote to one of the hotels, the Halekulani.

Aloha,
Don

THE LETTER -

My wife and I started coming to Hawaii in 1985 and have come every other year since 1985.
Every visit to Hawaii always included coming to the Halekulani because of its tradition of classic Hawaiian music featuring the Hawaiian Steel guitar. Most evenings on our vacations, we came to the Halekulani primarily because we heard traditional Hawaiian music with the steel guitar, which reminded us of the days when we heard the Hawaii Calls radio program. For tourists, Hawaiian music has always been associated with the sound of the Hawaiian steel guitar and classic hula dancing.

On our last visit to Hawaii in April and May, 2009, we embarked on our normal pattern of coming to the Halekulani. However, we discovered that the Halekulani had made a decision which affected us.
The first evening we strolled to the House Without A Key to listen to the Hawaiian steel guitar with hula dancing only to find a group playing without the Hawaiian steel guitar. We began to inquire only to hear further bad news that the Halekulani was giving up on keeping the tradition of Hawaiian music going with the Hawaiian steel guitar. We heard a couple of reasons for that decision - the economy and an entertainment agency was now making the decisions about providing entertainment leaving out the steel guitar. This seemed implausible to us.

We would like you to reconsider what you are doing with regard to the tradition of the Hawaiian music which featured the Hawaiian steel guitar and classic hula dancing that helped establish the Halekulani as a place of tradition. It seems that the history of Hawaiian music with steel guitar is either not understood or is completely being disregarded. Where this seems to be heading, if not changed, is not good for you or good for us as tourists.

[Ron Whitfield]

Don, it'll be interesting to note what, if any, response you, Kay, and the rest that have/will send similar letters.

Thanx!

[Kay Das]

Don, that was very eloquently written and comprehensive and I hope you get a response. Mine was much more brief (more like: yo, where is the steel guitar?). I have not heard a dickie bird yet.

Kay

[Don Kona Woods]

I have a response from the hotels, so stay tuned!!!!!!

No time to post now!

Aloha,
Don

[Wally Pfeifer]

OK,- Don,- LET'S HEAR IT!
Wally