The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas is celebrating its first birthday April 16 with an evening of food, drinks and live entertainment. The public is invited to enjoy dishes featuring farm-fresh ingredients from Kula Produce, Maui Prime Seafood and Makaweli Ranch. Libations will include Maui Brewing Co., Kohola Brewery, Ocean Vodka and more.
As part of the celebration, General Manager Chris Rabang is honoring the resort’s values and accomplishments, its associates and their dedication to the community. “By living through our resort core values of Commitment to the Hawaiian Culture, Service to our Community, and Operating Environmentally Responsibly through Sustainability Efforts, we have set the right foundation with each of our associates–all who are committed to providing genuine, authentic Hawaiian experiences to those we work with and work for,” said Rabang. “I could not be prouder of our ‘ohana and I look forward to a bright future ahead.”
During its first year of operations, the resort achieved the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Distinction for excellence in hospitality and earned a Gold LEED Certification for resort-wide sustainability initiatives. On a local level, The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas gives back to its community by donating educational supplies to Punana Leo o Lahaina (the local Hawaiian immersion school) planting indigenous plants with Hoku Nui to perpetuate the land, and partners with local businesses to source farm-fresh products for its signature restaurants. The resort also actively partners with national organizations such as the Make A Wish Foundation, Salvation Army and Relay for Life.
Rabang said the resort takes pride in giving back to the local community; since the resort’s opening, its leaders and associates have participated in over 18 community service projects and fundraisers including Charity Walk, Beach Clean Up, Malama Honokowai, Boy Scouts–Recycling Project, Relay for Life, Blue Aina, Walk to End Alzheimer’s and many others.
During its first year, in addition to the AAA Four Diamond Distinction and the Gold LEED Certification, the Nanea Ocean Villas were nominated for a TravelAge West WAVE Award for Best New Resort; and the resort’s Mauka Makai restaurant was a 2018 Aipono Winner. The property site is also noted for being engineered to protect the local coral reef and marine life.
Rabang said the property’s mission to authentically communicate the cultural significance of Hawaiian history and traditions is unique to the resort; those values can be seen in its landscaping, features and design including the cultural works of art on display in the lobby entrance that were created by local artisans.
Also, the property supports the naturally occurring ecosystem–and uses less water–by having more than 75 percent of the plants on the property be native or endemic to the island of Maui (specifically the district of Lahaina). Water conservation is also emphasized through the energy efficient HVAC systems using water source heat pumps; this system eliminates the use of CO2 emitting cooling towers by circulating water from the earth in a closed loop method and saves thousands of gallons of water every day. The large ponds on site are retention basins and the large open spaces surrounding the resort are detention basins, which have proven to successfully collect storm-water runoff.
Celebrate with the Westin Villas on Monday, Apr. 16 from 5-8pm; cost is $35 per person, non-inclusive of alcohol. For reservations, call 808-662-6400 or visit Westinnanea.com for more info.
Photo courtesy Westin Nanea Ocean Villas
Comments
comments