Hawaii Hotel Workers Learn the Deeper Meaning of Aloha

According to an article by Travel Weekly, hotel workers and others in the hospitality industry in Hawaii are learning more about the Hawaiian culture and the Hawaiian language, thanks to the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NaHHA).

Founded in 1997, NaHHA provides services corporate and community initiatives through project management, consulting, training, and facilitation. According to its website, NaHHA connects the Hawaiian community and the tourism industry by forming alliances with various Hawaiian organizations and nonprofits, artists, and cultural practitioners, and with tourism associations, hotels, and private businesses.

The classes, now being offered virtually as well as in person, teach employees Hawaiian words attached to hospitality—such as hookipa (entertain) and kuleana (responsibility)—along with their deeper cultural values.

Malia Sanders, NaHHA executive director, gave the example of aloha, telling Travel Weekly how the word is often misrepresented and that better understanding of its deeper Hawaiian cultural and spiritual significance could benefit both the worker and the visitor.

“Talking about these values with the people who are working in the industry allows us as Native Hawaiians to extend our culture beyond just ourselves,” Sanders said. If employees work from that same set of Hawaiian values, she continued, “it makes the whole experience more authentic.”