Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, the 1,310-room modern oceanfront resort located in the heart of walkable Waikiki,
announces the promotions of Lauren Rawlins to Director of Leisure Sales and Kimberly Forte to Director of Group Sales. Cultivating career development from within, both team members will continue to report to Director of Sales & Marketing Alvin Wong.
“We’d like to extend our sincere congratulations to Lauren and Kimberly in their new roles at the helm of our excellent sales team,” said Jerry Gibson, general manager of Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. “With their strong abilities to identify and optimize business opportunities and talent for initiating and sustaining long-term relationships with tour operators, travel agents, guests and more, we’re fortunate to have someone of their caliber on our sales team to continue to help support our guests and partners.”
Lauren Rawlins first joined Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa in 2021 as a Senior Sales Executive. An Oahu native, she brings nearly two decades of experience in the hospitality industry. In her previous roles, Rawlins was Director of Sales & Marketing at Hyatt Centric Waikiki and spent ten years working at various properties in Koloa and Honolulu, including The Royal Hawaiian, Turtle Bay Resort and The Kahala Mandarin Hotel. She attended the University of Hawaii’s School of Travel Industry Management where her passion in the travel and hospitality industry began to flourish. In her new position as Director of Leisure Sales, Rawlins will provide top-line industry leadership with a focus on overseeing and maintaining relationships with key travel agents and partners.
has been with the resort since 2019 where she started as a Senior Sales Executive. Prior to Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Forte was a Sales Executive at Marriott International, Western Mountain Pacific and has been entrenched in the Marriott brand for more than a decade. Forte held previous sales positions as the Associate Director of Sales and Senior Sales Manager at The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa, an Autograph Collection in Denver, as well as a Sales Manager and Assistant at Loews Hotels. As Director of Group Sales, Forte will oversee the resort’s extensive portfolio of corporate groups, aiming to maximize sales and boost hotel revenues. She will actively develop and maintain business relationships and represent the hotel at customer events, trade shows and more.
