NEW YORK— Business Enterprises for Sustainable Travel (BEST) reports that it has selected the Kaanapali Beach Hotel, a 430-room property in Maui, as the subject of its latest “Best Practices” report. BEST, an initiative of The Conference Board in association with the World Travel & Tourism Council, regularly profiles travel-related companies whose “exemplary sustainable practices advance business objectives while contributing to the social and economic well-being of the communities in which they operate.” BEST said it recognized the Kaanapali Beach Hotel for its extensive cultural awareness and preservation efforts. The hotel in 1986 developed a staff training program called Project Pookela – Hawaiian for “excellence” – through which the hotels cultural resource department trains its 300 employees on Hawaiian culture and traditions. The ongoing program also focuses on how this knowledge can be incorporated into the hotels business operations. Classes, which are mandatory, have included language, music and dance, native foods, flora and fauna, and traditional health and medicine, as well as ancient methods of conservation. Guest initiatives incorporated as a result of the program include an array of employee-led cultural activities such as hula dancing, lei making and pineapple carving. The hotel also offers garden tours, traditional Hawaiian entertainment and a childrens program.
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