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HANMI elects Knight as its new president
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Posted on Oct 18 2004
Members of the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands have named Lynn A. Knight, general manager of the Century Hotel, as their new president and board chair during a meeting held last Thursday at Hotel Nikko Saipan.
Knight took over from B.K. Park of World Resort, who had been acting chair and will continue to serve as vice chair.
A resident of Saipan since 1986, Knight has 24 years of business experience. In addition to her current duties at Century Hotel, she is the vice president of corporate affairs for Tan Holdings Corp., owner of the hotel. She served as president of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce in the year 2000.
Knight said she was honored to be named to the HANMI post by such “esteemed colleagues” in the hospitality industry. She noted that there are significant issues ahead, including possible reductions in the Marianas Visitors Authority’s budget just at a time when the industry is working hard to diversify its customer base. Last week, the People’s Republic of China granted the CNMI government’s application for an Approved Destination Status.
“With increasing arrivals, ADS status with China, and a number of hotel renovations planned for next year, the future looks brighter for our destination,” said Knight. “We need to take advantage of our opportunities, but also recognize that other destinations are also working very hard and have more money to compete. To reduce our efforts to promote tourism now could be detrimental to rebuilding our economy.”
Prior to rejoining the Hotel Association as a regular member earlier this year, Knight was a consultant to the organization from 1987 to 2001. Together with other tourism industry leaders, she was a member of the 1999 Visit the Marianas Year steering committee, which initiated the first “Taste of the Marianas” and promoted other community events.
HANMI is a professional association made up of the general managers of Saipan’s hotels and allied businesses. It provides a forum to share information and address issues of common interest to the local hospitality industry.
