Kokua Hospitality, an independent hotel management company based in San Francisco, has announced the appointment of Lauren Rawlins as Director of Sales and Marketing (DOSM) at Hyatt Centric Waikiki BeachÊ(349 Seaside Avenue, Honolulu, HI).
Lauren Rawlings AppointedÊDirector of Sales & Marketing
In her new role, MsÊRawlins has been charged with creating and leading the property’s sales and marketing department, managing all sales, marketing, and tourism relations, and working directly with the director of revenue at the 230-room boutique, lifestyle property.
Lauren Rawlins brings over fifteen years of experience in the hospitality industry to the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach, which opened in January 2017. At a young age, the Oahu native found her passion for hotels while attending the University of Hawaii’s School of Travel Industry Management.ÊPrior to graduating with a degree in travel industry management, the budding hospitality professional interned with The Kahala Mandarin Hotel’s catering team and worked full-time in their food and beverage department. ÊRawlins spent the following ten years working in various Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide properties in Koloa and Honolulu, Hawaii, including The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Hotel. Ê
During her tenure, she served in such roles as Director of Catering and Convention Services, Account Director for Group Sales, and Account Director for Leisure Sales. Prior to joining Kokua Hospitality and Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach in May 2017, Ms Rawlins was the Director of leisure sales at Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s North Shore for three years.
ÒLauren’s wealth of local expertise in luxury, boutique hotel sales will be incredibly valuable to this new property,Ó said Kirk Pederson, the President of Kokua Hospitality. ÒWe’re confident she will continue driving the hotel’s momentum to the top of Waikiki’s currently thriving and competitive hotel market.Ó
Named one of theÊtop 10 Catering and Convention Services Manager for Starwood North America
Over the course of Ms Rawlins’ twelve years in hotel sales, she has been recognized for achieving significant revenue growth results and has received numerous awards. During her years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, she was named one of the ÔTop 10 Catering and Convention Services Manager for Starwood North America’ and nominated three times as a top performer for Starwood North America in leisure sales. As the Director of Leisure Sales at Turtle Bay, Ms Rawlins was responsible for growing the resort’s domestic and international wholesale market by 66 per centÊin revenue year over year (YOY). There, she developed an experienced leisure sales team and led the group in exceeding the property’s nine million dollars sales goal.
ÒWe are excited to welcome Lauren to our Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach family,ÓÊsaid Charles Young, General Manager of Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach. ÒLauren Rawlins success in driving revenue growth in her past roles, combined with her knack for building relationships, is exactly what we have been looking for in a leader for our sales and marketing team.Ó
Hyatt Centric Waik_k_ Beach features 230 upscale guestrooms, The Lanai, a restaurant and bar serving island-inspired American cuisine, a 24/7 fitness facility, and an outdoor pool and entertainment deck complete with a cozy fire pit, private cabanas, and pool bar.Ê A Starbucks Reserve caf was recently added to the hotel’s ground-floor level and will be followed by the summer 2017 opening of a Duke’s Lane Market & Eatery.ÊUpon opening, Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach became the 12th hotel in the Hyatt Centric brand’s portfolio.
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