What does success look like for an island resort? A beautiful location is a start — renovations help — but there's more to the story.
According to Tetsuji Yamazaki, the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa was where tourism on Maui really began.
Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Sheraton Maui was the first hotel at the Kāʻanapali Beach Resort, which was Hawaiʻi's first planned vacation resort district outside of Waikīkī. The area now includes eight other hotels.
Yamazaki is the general manager of a property that was recently ranked as the top hotel in Hawaiʻi, according to the 2023 USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
Reporters at Pacific Business News wanted to find out what Yamazaki and his team do to land at the top of that list.
He takes a back-to-basics approach noting that, “When the guest comes and they’re basically 'wowed' by the natural setting, hotel facilities and service.”
Compared to those, the basics can really stand out — especially when they’re not done well.
Such things as a poorly made bed or a hair in someone’s salad, for example. It’s all about the details, which require steady attention.
Originally from Tokyo, Yamazaki came to Hawaiʻi in the ’90s for a master’s degree from the University of Hawaiʻi's Travel Industry Management program. He has worked in resorts on three islands, including his now-12 years with the Sheraton.
He said he takes a team-centered approach to the 400-person resort staff, empowering managers to in-turn empower front-line workers to better serve guests.
The property has made major improvements, too. These include $26.5 million in 2018 for upgrading its rooms and another $5 million in 2020 on the lobby — which included alterations so that the lobby would have a view of the resort's famed cliff diving ceremony.
