I remember living in St. Louis Heights in 1986 when the old Kaiser Hospital was demolished with dynamite. I had a good view of it and took a photo of the white cloud of dust that was expelled into the air.
Kaiser Hospital moved to Pensacola Street and later Moanalua, and in its place rose the Hawaii Prince Hotel, which opened in 1990.
That was 25 years ago, and next week the hotel throws a gala to celebrate its anniversary.
I had an opportunity to sit down with several employees who have been there since the beginning, and hear some of their stories.
They were Carmelita Uganiza, inspectress; Joann Perreira Machiguchi, catering sales manager; Celia Ramsey, housekeeping clerk; Cindy Okumura, director of revenue management; and Frank Akima, accounts payable manager.
Celia Ramsey said she watched the 1986 implosion of Kaiser Hospital from a 15th-floor lanai at the Ilikai Hotel, next door, where she worked.
"The dynamite went off with a boom, and I felt the rumble like an earthquake and the hospital went down. Those of us watching were so excited. I said to them that I was going to go work there. One said the grass isn’t always greener, but many from the Ilikai came to the Hawaii Prince to work. I’m glad I did.
"There was some resistance to a new hotel," Ramsey recalls, "since many people were born at Kaiser, and also because our hotel blocked the view of one of Wyland’s whaling walls. But that diminished long ago."
Lots of VIPs and celebrities have stayed at the Hawaii Prince hotel over the years, including the Dalai Lama and Jimmy Carter.
"I got to escort Magic Johnson on one occasion to his room," said Joann Perreira Machiguchi. "It was the first year the LA Lakers came to practice and put on exhibition games.
"He was very sweet, a humble giant. He had a lot of special food and beverage requests. He opened the refrigerator and everything was ready for him."
"He looked at me and said, ‘You’re amazing.’"
Machiguchi also escorted sumotori Akebono, Musashimaru and Konishiki when they stayed here. They had to put wooden boards on the beds to support their 500-plus-pound weight.
"Konishiki came up to me as they were leaving and touched my stomach — I was pregnant. It’s supposed to be good luck in Japan, for a healthy baby. I was awe-struck. It might have affected my baby. He was 9 pounds!"
The founder of one large Korean company has visited multiple times, Carmelita Uganiza said, and stays in the Royal Suite. His entourage takes up two floors.
"He brought his own cook and baby sitter. They brought everything: food from Korea, their own refrigerator, utensils, two huge TVs — one for backup. And he shipped his own Mercedes-Benz, too."
"Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan visited us many years ago," Frank Akima said, "and I was chosen to give her a lei. I was scared and honored.
"I had to go through training from Gov. Ariyoshi, who told me how to give her a lei and what to expect. I was not supposed to put it around her neck, but instead put it in her hand.
"When the time came, she bent over. I was thinking, ‘Uh-oh.’ The governor looked at me and shrugged. So I put it around her neck like we do for everyone. It was a highlight of my career. The empress was very nice."
"All our rooms face the ocean," Cindy Okumura said. "Poet Maya Angelou stayed with us on one occasion. She mentioned to us how peaceful it was, facing the yacht harbor. She was a peaceful person as well. She liked it here."
Management had all the original staff when the hotel opened sign their names on a wall in the ballroom, before the wood panels went up.
"All our names are there," Ramsey said. "We got to sign it before the panels covered it. That’s very special to me. They take the panels down yearly on anniversaries so we can see them. It’s so awesome."
The management is family-oriented, Machiguchi said. They put on events for families, such as Halloween parties, golfing, fishing and other fun activities.
The hotel and staff are also generous with their time and money. They support Autism Awareness Month, Relay for Life, the Aloha Harvest and beach cleanings. They have homeless donation drives every few months, and have sent boxes to the Philippines after the typhoon there and raised money for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
"Employees are in awe of a company that does this. It makes us willing to step beyond our boundaries. When disaster strikes, the staff really comes together," Ramsey said.
When the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan three years ago, or Hurricane Iselle hit the Big Island last year, some departing guests were not sure whether their plane would fly out. Many of them couldn’t reach family to let them know they were OK.
"Local buses stopped running. Many were stuck in the lobby, and many of our employees couldn’t get to work. Our motto is Lokomaika‘i, sharing kindness from within," said Akima. "Everyone helps, out of the goodness of their hearts."
"Some guests come several times a year or spend months here," Uganiza said. "Some staff become friends with them and wash their car on occasion, or take them to movies. These are things we don’t have to do."
"One guest who’s come 100 times forgot her teddy bear on the bed at the hotel," said Ramsey. "It was her good-luck charm, she said. She called and asked if we’d look for it. I found it right where she left it. She asked me to keep it in my locker until she returned, which I happily did."
The Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki will celebrate 25 years of serving guests and the community with its "Legacy of Serving" ballroom gala Monday, 25 years to the day of the hotel’s opening. In honor of National Autism Awareness Month, all proceeds will benefit Easter Seals Hawaii and its autism program.
For more information, visit www.hawaiiprincehotel.com/25years or contact Easter Seals Hawaii at 536-1015.
Bob Sigall, author of the Companies We Keep books, looks through his collection of old photos to tell stories each Friday of Hawaii people, places and companies. Email him at Sigall@Yahoo.com.
