Showing hospitality is part of what Hawaii is all about. But a proposal to permit red-carpet treatment at events catering to an exclusive guest list at a public beach goes too far.

The administration of Mayor Kirk Caldwell has drafted rules to allow private groups to host events with an exclusive, enclosed alcohol service area at Queen’s Beach in Waikiki, a popular area also known as Queen’s Surf.

It will hear testimony at 2 p.m. today on “Rules and Regulations Governing Intoxicating Liquor in City Parks.”

Oahu residents ought to defend their right to keep beaches public by attending the hearing, at the Mission Memorial Conference Room.

Of course, rulemaking is required for this limited departure from the long- tanding prohibition of alcohol at city beach parks.

Administration officials have countered criticism so far by insisting that they are putting the proposal forward for public review at the request of event organizers and have not taken a position for or against it.

But however they cast the city’s role, this is a bad idea, and one that was not run through the usual series of community meetings.

The Diamond Head Neighborhood Board, for example, had not reviewed this.

And there’s seemingly no upside for the taxpayer. This program would not be a revenue producer and instead seems aimed as a promotional overture to potential party hosts.

For example, one of the groups approaching the city to allow alcohol at the beach is the NFL, according to a city spokesman. The league is holding its Pro Bowl in Honolulu this year on Jan. 31.

But there’s no reason to expect Hawaii will reap any long-term commitment from the NFL to bring the event back in subsequent years.

Neither is there any apparent benefit for beachgoers who essentially will be kept away for the duration of any organization’s liquor-party zone.

This is unlike the myriad other street or park festivals, some of which offer similarly enclosed “beer gardens” requiring tickets to enter.

The difference is that organizers, who do have reasonable concern with liability, want to control who will be attending the drinking party. So alcohol service is by invitation only, to guests who have secured tickets in advance.

Other festivals have gone the advance-ticket route, but those tickets were open for sale to anyone.

And even if the private cocktail party is in a roped-off section, proposed for a maximum of 2,400 square feet, the whole affair could easily overtake a larger area of public space, discouraging others from entering even the alcohol-free zone.

This is evident from the proposed sliding scale of custodial deposits, fees to be based on the number of anticipated guests granted access to the alcohol service area. The charges proposed:

>> $200 for groups of 100-249.

>> $400 for groups of 250-499.

>> $800 for groups of 500-999 persons.

>> $1,200 for groups of 1,000-2,499.

>> $2,000 for groups of 2,500-4,999.

>> $4,000 for groups of 5,000 or more.

To begin with, the fee seems low to offset impacts, especially from the larger groups. Additionally, a gathering approaching a few thousand invitation-only participants surely would overwhelm the beach and inhibit enjoyment of the general public.

There does seem to be an attempt to limit the intrusions: A maximum of four permits for such events would be issued in a calendar year, according to the proposed rules.

However, Alethea Rebman, president of the Kapiolani Park Preservation Society, rightly pointed out that the rules don’t preclude further exceptions to the quarterly quota of events each year.

Further, it’s difficult to see that this would be anything but a precedent-setting change. Other parks likely would be eyed as additional locations. And that’s a precedent taking Oahu in the wrong direction.

There are private homes and venues with lovely beachfront vistas that would make spectacular settings for gala events limited to invited guests. Those are optimal places for hosting exclusive parties.

Keeping out Oahu residents is not the mission of the city government, and certainly not at the beach parks it owns.