Aloha Reporter » Business

Hawaii hotel occupancy grows, rates shrink

ar — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:46:05 +0000

Royal Hawaiian Hotel ~ Source: Wikipedia

Occupancy at Hawaii hotels increased to 70.8 percent for the week ending May 22, a 3.2 percentage point increase over the same week last year.

Average hotel room rates, however, dropped by 4.6 percent from the same week last year, to $162.59.

Source: Pacific Business News

iPhone App Helps You Speak Hawaiian

ar — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:39:27 +0000

Do you want to visit Hawaii, but don’t want to sound like a tourist?

If so, and we know you do, a new iPhone App might be able to assist you.

John Heckathorn of Hawai’i Magazine reports …

For many visitors, Hawaiian place names can be difficult. Just how do you a pronounce the name of a town that’s spelled Aiea? A road that’s named Kalanianaole? A valley called Hahaione?

Now for 99 cents, you can begin to sound like a native Hawaiian language speaker with a new iPhone app called “Speak Hawaiian Places.”

The app is easy to use. Just scroll down its interface to find the place name, touch the screen and hear it pronounced by none other than Kaupena Wong. Wong, a noted Hawaiian chanter and composer, has been named a national treasure by the National Endowment for the Arts.

If you’re even more ambitious, for $2.99 you can download an app called “Speak Hawaiian Phrases.” Want to properly say, “Thank you very much,” in Hawaiian? Just scroll to the phrase, touch the iPhone screen and Wong’s recorded voice will say, “Mahalo nui loa,” with the correct pronunciation and cadence.

Source: John Heckathorn, Hawai’i Magazine

Electric Cars Made With Aloha

ar — Sat, 08 May 2010 21:18:12 +0000

Korean car company CT&T (Creative Transportation & Technology) is looking at building an assembly plant on Oahu and rolling out electric vehicles within two years.

Tim Sakahara at Hawaii News Now reports …

The company has narrowed its potential sites to four confidential locations on Oahu. It’s revving up its plans and hopes to be built and operating within the next two years. When it’s fully operational the facility expects to produce 10,000 2-seater electric vehicles a year and employ 400 people.

“In addition to the jobs we provide there may be as many as a 1,000 jobs from the ripple effect of our factory being built here,” said Joe White, CT&T USA Chief Operating Officer.

The cars will cost between $8,000 and $20,000 to buy, but only $7 a month to operate. They have a top speed of 25 miles per hour and a range of 80 miles per charge. The company also plans to import assembled cars for sale in the next six months.

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Volcano Tourism Is Hot!

ar — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:40:58 +0000

Credit: Skarphedinn Thrainsson

From Iceland to Hawaii, volcano tourism is suddenly hot

To ashen travelers stranded across the globe by belching coming from the depths of an unpronounceable Icelandic glacier, the prospect of communing with an active volcano may be as enticing as spending the night on an airport terminal floor.

But to legions of thrill seekers, the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull is the latest advertisement for the greatest show on Earth.

Source: Laura Bly, USA Today

In4mation and G-Shock Drop New Watch

ar — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 09:59:48 +0000

PRESS RELEASE

Merging G-Shock Technology with In4mation Surf Style

G-Shock and In4mation team up for a fourth installment collaboration watch. After three highly sought after collectibles, G-Shock and the Hawaiian-based boardsport brand have fused the latest G-Shock toughness and technology with the In4mation alternative design concept in the GLX6900X-2.

Irreverently clad in sleek gray with yellow and red accents, the GLX6900X-2 remains rooted in In4mation’s surf heritage. Harmonizing with the surfer lifestyle, the G-Shock In4mation chronograph features 200M water resistance, low temperature resistance, tide graph and moon data graph for the ultimate in tracking high and low tides. Even the EL Backlight reflects In4mation’s legacy with a red shaka sign, the definitive symbol of aloha and Hawaiian culture.

Source: G-Shock

Geothermal and Solar Power to Get Married in Hawaii

ar — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:33:37 +0000

How do you make solar thermal technology economical at a small scale?

In Hawaii, a power developer will soon find out if earth and sky mix. Pacific Light & Power will build a 10-megawatt solar thermal plant that will combine a trough solar collector from Spain’s Albiasa with a turbine traditionally used in geothermal systems.

Why? Ten megawatts is unusually small for a solar thermal field. BrightSource Energy, by contrast, wants to build one in California that will produce 396 megawatts of power.

Source: Greentech Media