Kokua Hospitality, an independent hotel management company based in San Francisco, appointed Lauren Rawlins as director of sales and marketing at the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. In her new role, Rawlins 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.
Rawlins brings over 15 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. Prior to graduating with a degree in travel industry management, the hospitality professional interned with The Kahala Mandarin Hotel’s catering team and worked full-time in their food-and-beverage department.
Rawlins spent the following 10years working in various Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide properties in Koloa and Honolulu, including The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Hotel. 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, Rawlins was the director of leisure sales at Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s North Shore for three years.
“Lauren’s wealth of local expertise in luxury, boutique hotel sales will be incredibly valuable to this new property,” Kirk Pederson, president of Kokua Hospitality, said in a statement. “We’re confident she will continue driving the hotel’s momentum to the top of Waikiki’s currently thriving and competitive hotel market.”
Over the course of Rawlins’ 12 years in hotel sales, she has been recognized for achieving revenue growth results and has received numerous awards. During her years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Rawlins was named one of the "Top 10 Catering and Convention Services Managers 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, Rawlins was responsible for growing the resort’s domestic and international wholesale market by 66 percent in revenue year over year. There, she developed an experienced leisure sales team and led the group in exceeding the property’s $9 million sales goal.
“We are excited to welcome Lauren to our Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach family,” Charles Young, GM of Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach, said in a statement. “Lauren’s 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.”
Hyatt Centric Waikīkī Beach has 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. A Starbucks Reserve café 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. Upon opening, Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach became the 12th hotel in the Hyatt Centric brand’s portfolio.