The Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa, the largest of Hyatt’s 15 U.S. resorts, has hired a VIP manager, James Kaikis, whose main duty is to treat the chain’s most frequent stayers like celebrities.

The Hyatt has three loyalty categories: Gold, Platinum and Diamond. Diamond is for guests who stay at a Hyatt hotel at least 25 nights a year.

"We are really trying to give guests a great customer experience so that they will come back and in turn promote their experience," said Mark Fenton, Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa’s room director.

"At this hotel, upwards to 20 percent of our guests are repeat visitors," Fenton said. "We created the VIP manager position because we didn’t want to lose sight of any of our guests."

At any given time, Kaikis is working with about 100 loyalty guests. He’ll contact about 15 or 20 of them before they arrive and meets a fair number at the property’s driveway with their keys in his hand so that they can bypass the check-in line.

"On property I meet with about a dozen people a day. Unlike a concierge, who typically works shifts as a front-line employee, I’m a manager, so I’m really their private go-to person."

Empowered to do everything a manager in any department could, Kaikis is meant to serve as a one-stop customer service center.

Fenton said Hyatt has had all kinds of elaborate requests from VIP customers. While most guests want an ocean view, Fenton’s team once blacked out the sun for a tired performer by covering the windows with aluminum foil.

"We had another guest that was a runner and wanted the bathtub filled with ice daily," Fenton said. "We’ve made space in our kitchens for personal chefs. We’ve brought in arcade machines for kids, and we’ve redecorated suites for parties and interviews."

When a guest lost an heirloom wedding ring in the water off Waikiki, Fenton’s room division even found a salvage company that was willing to go diving on a Sunday to find it.

"It was an expensive venture but the guest recovered their ring," Fenton said.

Kaikis has been on the job only a few months, so he hasn’t had too many lavish requests. However, he’s helped plan destination weddings, stock rooms with groceries, decorate for birthday parties and ensure tents and chairs were ready daily for a guest with kids in a surf competition.

"I have the coolest job in the world," Kaikis said. "It’s such a great feeling to be empowered to make people happy."

In the months that Kaikis has been on the job, Fenton said, customer satisfaction scores, especially those from frequent guests, have soared.

"Creating customer loyalty through the program that has been our success — that’s what we are using as our measurement. If the person comes back, that’s a huge return on investment," Fenton said.

Jack Irving and Candice Anderson of Phoenix, who recently wed on the North Shore, said Kaikis was invaluable when it came to making sure all their wedding details were in place.

"We’ve traded emails and notes for the last three or four weeks," said Irving. "He’s helped us coordinate rooms and activities for our wedding guests."

Kaikis even called a cab to meet the couple at the courthouse, where they got stranded after getting their license.

"Mr. Irving is very important to Hyatt. He’s a Diamond member, who typically stays between 25 and 180 nights at a Hyatt each year. He even lived at a Hyatt for two years in Japan," Kaikis said. "It’s my job to help him have a comfortable and stress-free vacation."