'Do not choose hotels by name'

The Prince Waikiki Hotel's all 563 rooms have oceanfront views. / Courtesy of Prince Waikiki Hotel

Japanese-owned hotel in Hawaii eying Korean market

By Kang Seung-woo

Despite its reputation in Hawaii, the Prince Waikiki Hotel may not be the first lodging option for Koreans planning to travel to the Aloha State.

Jo Ki-san, president of Prince Resorts Hawaii, speaks during a recent interview with The Korea Times in Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Kang Seung-woo

It is not because of the property's quality or service but because of its ownership. In other words, it is operated by Prince Resorts Hawaii, an affiliate of Japanese hotel group Seibu Holdings.

Terse relations between Korea and Japan, sparked by historical issues dating back more than a century, are lingering.

However, here is advice from Jo Ki-san, a Korean American and president of Prince Resorts Hawaii: “Do not choose a hotel by name or ownership.”

“I think it is sad,” Jo said of Koreans' reluctance to stay at his Honolulu-based hotel during a recent interview with The Korea Times in Seoul.

“It is not a Japanese company, but we are a U.S. company in that aspect.”

He added that 80 percent of luxury hotels in Waikiki are also Japanese-owned such as the Sheraton, the Halekulani, the Royal Hawaiian and the Moana Surfrider.

“The same structure as we are. You don't see by the name, but there are a lot of Japanese companies just like us,” Jo said.

“If you should be coming into Hawaii, what hotel service and what memories are you going to crave? We are not selling Japan; we are selling Honolulu.”

According to him, the Prince Waikiki Hotel's bragging rights are that all 563 rooms have oceanfront views.

“Every hotel has the same fundamental concept. They've got rooms, beds, bathrooms and couches. What we have is all oceanfront views in the Prince Waikiki looking at the harbor. Even the Halekulani only has partial ocean views,” he said.

“One thing I am really proud of at the Prince is service. It's really different. Staff are trained to provide authentic service.”

Jo, who had worked for international public accounting firm Deloitte's Seoul and Honolulu offices for more than 15 years, joined the company as vice president of finance and administration in 2010 before becoming its president in April 2018.

The 40-year-old is the youngest president in the history of the company that operates two more luxury hotels ― the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel and the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, both on the Big Island of Hawaii.

“For me, being young does not really mean a lot. At least in the United States, age does not really matter, but as a new CEO coming into a job, there are a lot of responsibilities including looking after 1,400 employees. How I make decisions can really impact and shape the company,” he said.

“I have a vision and a goal that I want to achieve. I don't really hang onto the title of the youngest. How I want to get the goal and the vision and what I want to accomplish are my focus.”

As for his Korean background in the Japanese company, Jo said, “They see me not as Korean or as American but as someone who can really have a positive impact to Hawaii and I think in that aspect Seibu does not really care about what background you are from.”

“If they are looking for the right fit and someone who can lead, then they will trust you to lead the organization.”

The current biggest market for the Prince Waikiki is Japan as it accounts for about a third of guests ― by far No. 1 in the Asia-Pacific region ― compared with less than 5 percent from Korea.

However, Jo has something giving him a bright outlook about the Korean market.

“The Korean market has been showing a steady double-digit growth. The number of Korean visitors coming into Hawaii has been double digits and except for last year's minor decline, for our hotel, it has been good,” he said, adding that the Japanese market has posted single-digit growth.

To continue the upturn, Jo is now concentrating more efforts on the Korean market.

“We are going to continue to focus on celebrity marketing and honeymooners. Those are two types of key focus areas,” he said, adding that he has seen a lot of Korean newlywed couples at the hotel.

As part of these efforts, Jo and his officials have come to Korea once or twice a year to meet with local travel agencies to talk about launching attractive packages.

“Personally, I hope a lot more Koreans come to Hawaii and know more about our hotel,” the president said.

“In addition, we hope for more opportunities in the Korean market.”