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Service with a smile
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| Scott Gonsalves has been named the 2003 Po'e Pa'ahana Concierge of the Year for his work at the Kauai Marriott. |
By BARRY GRAHAM - TGI Business Editor
It started when a few guests at the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club asked hotel concierge Scott Gonsalves if he knew of anyone that offered ukulele lessons.
Gonsalves wasn't an accomplished ukulele player himself but he "could mess around with it."
After thinking it through, he decided to offer ukulele lessons once a week beginning in August of 2003.
So far it has worked out for the guests at the Marriott and Gonsalves who recently earned the 2003 Po'e Pa'ahana Concierge of the Year award. The honor is given out annually to the top concierge in Hawai'i.
"I am honored to receive this award," said Gonsalves. "I am pretty thankful for the opportunity to work over here and be recognized for my efforts."
Gonsalves, a Kaua'i native, has been employed at the Kauai Marriott for approximately two years. He began his employment with the company as a Front Desk attendant before moving over to the Concierge desk.
Before the Kauai Marriott, Gonsalves, 28, worked for another Marriott hotel in Utah.
However, his passion always has been with the island.
"The biggest thing for me was to get back to Kaua'i," he said. "It is so easy to sell. It's beauty is tremendous. I find it easy to share this place with people."
Gonsalves's duties include making reservations for visitors to the island as well as giving garden tours of various properties, offering the ukulele lessons and playing Hawaiian games with guests.
Initially, Gonsalves thought about moving into an administrative capacity.
"I was pretty pumped to look forward," he said. "I thought about moving into a managerial position quickly.
"My short and long term goals are to be happy and offer the best service I can."
Business Editor Barry Graham may be reached at 245-3681 (ext.) 251 or mailto:bgraham@pulitzer.net
Gonsalves wasn't an accomplished ukulele player himself but he "could mess around with it."
After thinking it through, he decided to offer ukulele lessons once a week beginning in August of 2003.
So far it has worked out for the guests at the Marriott and Gonsalves who recently earned the 2003 Po'e Pa'ahana Concierge of the Year award. The honor is given out annually to the top concierge in Hawai'i.
"I am honored to receive this award," said Gonsalves. "I am pretty thankful for the opportunity to work over here and be recognized for my efforts."
Gonsalves, a Kaua'i native, has been employed at the Kauai Marriott for approximately two years. He began his employment with the company as a Front Desk attendant before moving over to the Concierge desk.
Before the Kauai Marriott, Gonsalves, 28, worked for another Marriott hotel in Utah.
However, his passion always has been with the island.
"The biggest thing for me was to get back to Kaua'i," he said. "It is so easy to sell. It's beauty is tremendous. I find it easy to share this place with people."
Gonsalves's duties include making reservations for visitors to the island as well as giving garden tours of various properties, offering the ukulele lessons and playing Hawaiian games with guests.
Initially, Gonsalves thought about moving into an administrative capacity.
"I was pretty pumped to look forward," he said. "I thought about moving into a managerial position quickly.
"My short and long term goals are to be happy and offer the best service I can."
Business Editor Barry Graham may be reached at 245-3681 (ext.) 251 or mailto:bgraham@pulitzer.net
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| Vim N' Vigor moves to new location |
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earthlore wrote on Feb 23, 2009 3:08 PM:
A woman (an employee) rushed out onto the porch area of the shop, waved her forefinger at us, and shouted, "Uh-uh! You can't park here! Paying customers only!". I called back that we did, indeed, intend to come into her store to shop, she crossed her arms and just looked at us like we were gutter slime.
I wanted to leave immediately, but my girlfriend decided to go in to talk to the owner (who was there). They were completely unapologetic, ("Well, you can shop if you want"), and stared hard at her the entire time she was in the store (which wasn't long, I can assure you).
I don't know what possessed them to treat us this way. We are not hippies or thugs - just tourists carrying around a pocket full of cash looking for someplace to spend it. Maybe it was because we are too young to fit their demographic (I am in my early 30's, and my girlfriend is in her 20's), or possibly because she was wearing an "Obama '08" t-shirt (political differences?), but the way we were treated by the employees and ownership of this business was nothing short of deplorable.
I own a retail business in Michigan myself, and never in a thousand years would I behave this way toward any customer - even if I didn't think they were planning on buying anything. Perhaps this is a luxury you get from doing business on a tourist island - that you can mistreat anybody you feel like, knowing that they will be a thousand miles away in a few days.
This singular experience served to ruin the last couple hours of our vacation, and cast a dark note on the entire trip. I do not, as a practice, write negatively of any business... but we were extremely upset by this. "