Westin Resort, partners commit to share Håfa Adai spirit

From left, Maeda Hiroko and Sharon Bayot (Harmony Kids, owner and director), Belle Noa (Mandara Spa, spa supervisor), Alexander Miralles (Emerald Marketing Corp/BonVoyage, human resource manager), Telo T. Taitague (Guam Visitors Bureau, vice president), Nate Denight (Guam Visitors Bureau, president/CEO), Harrison Cho  (The Westin Resort Guam, general manager), Sen. Tina Muna Barnes (33rd Guam Legislature and Tourism chair), Nabil Murday (Magic Rocks, owner), Kayoko Iwana (The Westin Resort Guam – Royal Beach Club, Welcome Experience manager), Dennis Clemente (Taste, manager), Rosabelle Malones (Prego and Mix @ ChaChaCha , manager), Francis Rosales  (Westin Starlight Barbecue, assistant manager) and Audrey Camacho (Star Privilege, program administrator) at the Håfa Adai Pledge ceremony held at The Westin Resort Guam on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016. (Contributed Photo)

On Tuesday, Nov. 15, the Guam Visitors Bureau welcomed the newest Håfa Adai Pledge members to the ever-popular cornerstone of the local community-branding program. The Westin Resort Guam, along with The Westin Resort Guam Royal Beach Club, Taste, Prego, Mix @ ChaChaCha, Westin Starlight Barbecue, Star Privilege management and staff joined tenants Magic Rocks, BonVoyage, Mandara Spa and Harmony Kids  in signing the pledge. The ceremony, hosted in The Westin Resort lobby, included cultural performances by Guma Taotao Tano and remarks from Sen. Tina Muna Barnes along with GVB president and CEO Nathan Denight.

“The Hafa Adai Pledge program plays a big part in GVB’s efforts to showcase the island’s unique culture,” said Denight. “The Westin has always been a special place for the island community and the staff here has always been so fantastic in implementing the Hafa Adai spirit on a daily basis. It is great that The Westin Resort Guam put this together and is now part of the Hafa Adai Pledge familia. We are excited to see the great things to come and the great impact they will make in the community.”

The Westin Resort Guam organized the mass pledge signing as a management initiative to infuse a higher level of local culture, language and hospitality into the everyday interaction with guests, business partners and employees.

“Today is a very important day for our team because we are formally acknowledging our team’s collective efforts in sharing the Hafa Adai spirit,” said The Westin Resort Guam general manager Harrison Cho. “We have embraced and have shown the Hafa Adai spirit throughout the years to our guests both local residents and visitors alike through our warm friendly greetings and our care and commitment to our island.”

The Westin Resort Guam efforts go beyond the hotel with their team’s efforts in doing their part in keeping the island beautiful and clean by taking a proactive approach in sustainability efforts and green projects such as coastal cleanups, recycling and being energy-efficient. Its individual venues, such as the hotel’s restaurants Prego, Taste, Mix @ChaChaCha and Westin Starlight Barbecue, do their part in their commitment to buy local in support of the island’s farmers and suppliers as well as incorporating Chamorro iconic cuisine in their menus.  
 
The Håfa Adai Pledge

The Håfa Adai Pledge program is the cornerstone of the GVB’s local community branding campaign. In its seventh year, the Håfa Adai Pledge program has grown steadily in the number of participants as well as the commitment of individual pledges. In March 2016, GVB reached a significant milestone, welcoming its 600th pledge, representing more than 33, 000 individuals from private businesses, government agencies, non-profits and other organizations that have joined the Håfa Adai Pledge program. (GVB)