HANMI elects 2001 officers

Reaffirming support for the work and leadership that he’s given the hotel industry over the past four years, Ronald D. Sablan, owner of the Pacific Gardenia Hotel has been re-elected for a third two-year term as president of the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Also re-elected were the entire team of current officers to serve another one-year term for the year 2001. They include: senior vice President Mustafa Issa, who is general manager of Hyatt Regency Saipan; vice president Wendi Herring, general manager of Pacific Islands Club; vice president Mark Murai, general manager of Aqua Resort Club; secretary Hideo Sugiyama, general manager of Chalan Kanoa Beach Club; and treasurer Yoshiro Kitami, general manager of Marianas Resort Club.

“I am honored to have received such a strong vote of confidence and I thank the members for their vote of confidence in me and the present officers,” said Mr. Sablan. “This shows that we are on the right track and focused on what is needed to support this vital industry for the Commonwealth.”

Mr. Sablan noted that the state of the hotel industry and the CNMI’s economy continues to be depressed. However, the Hotel Association leader said he would continue to work on long-term planning for the betterment of the industry, new marketing ideas, as well as ongoing work with the local government to lobby for measures that will help business conditions improve.

“We have to redefine our image as a destination, maximize our strengths — which includes protection and promotion of our beautiful environment — and continually work on our weaknesses in order to improve the current situation of our tourism industry,” Mr. Sablan said. “We need to have a positive attitude, but at the same time we can’t deny that there are areas that need improvement in order to compete successfully with other destinations. Sometimes leading the Hotel Association means we take a watchdog role on such issues as the environment and safety of our tourists. We have also been proactive in coming up with new ideas, such as the ’99 Visit the Marianas campaign, the formation of the Society for Human Resources Management, which was initiated by our Association, and the push for recycling.”

He noted that a current project of the Association is to form the largest privately-funded scholarship program for local youth of the Commonwealth, which will be announced by the end of the year.

Additionally, HANMI recently voted to open up its membership to other businesses besides hotels, similar to the Guam Hotel & Restaurant Association.

Founded in 1983, the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands is a professional organization currently made up of 18 leading hotels representing over 3,444 rooms or 79% of the total hotel rooms in the CNMI. The purpose of the association is to support and encourage cooperation among member hotels by providing a forum for sharing ideas on issues of common concern. All members are expected to participate in the Association’s community betterment projects and follow the association’s code of ethics and standards.