Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach knows there’s an art to making sure that when visitors come to Hawaii they experience a Hawaiian sense of place.
That’s why the hotel partnered with Hawaiian street artist Jack Soren to paint a floor-to-ceiling mural, titled “Lei’d Back,” across two lobby walls. Soren said the mural, his second at the hotel, is set in surfing’s “golden age,” depicting Waikiki beachboys and other Hawaii residents sharing the waves with visitors.
“Regardless of who we are and where we come from, it’s important to share our culture and share our pastimes,” said Soren, whose
Hawaiian roots go back generations on Oahu. “We welcome visitors and share our culture. It’s not just locals who can enjoy surfing. Anyone who has that desire can surf.”
The mural presents a message of inclusivity at a time when
Hawaii’s visitor industry is under pressure to step up destination management and ensure reciprocity exists between residents and visitors. Moreover, the artwork
reflects the aim of Hawaii Tourism Authority’s latest Tourism Strategic Plan, which calls for strategic management of Hawaii tourism in a “sustainable manner consistent with economic goals, cultural
values, preservation of natural
resources, community desires and visitor industry needs.”
Soren’s partnership with the hotel is due to an initiative called
Hyatt Loves Local, which provides complimentary resources and exposure to select local businesses that have struggled during the pandemic. It is one of more than 160 partnerships that Hyatt has announced with properties in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Southwest Asia.
Amy Weinberg, Hyatt’s senior vice president, loyalty, brand marketing and insights, said in a statement, “Hyatt has been advancing care across communities for more than 60 years and to see Hyatt’s role helping small businesses thrive through Hyatt Loves Local last year has been a rewarding
experience. We are proud to continue supporting communities while simultaneously offering our guests experiences that celebrate the future and recovery of travel.”
The mural at the Hyatt Centric evolved from a chance meeting in Kakaako between the hotel’s general manger, Richard Elliott, and Soren, who was working on a mural during a POW! WOW! Hawaii street art festival.
“I saw Jack working on one of his murals on my way home from the gym, and thought that his work would be a perfect fit for our hotel,” Elliott said.
Elliott first hired Soren to paint a smaller mural behind the hotel bar. The Hyatt Loves Local program then allowed the partnership to expand, Elliott said.
Soren was affected when the pandemic forced the cancellation of POW! WOW! last year. Likewise, Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach was closed for eight months in 2020 while COVID-19 fears and containment policies flatlined Hawaii
tourism. Now both are part of a community of Hawaii businesses that are pooling resources to move toward recovery.
“We’ve seen a tremendous increase in customers coming up and taking their photos,” Elliott said.“His artwork added much-needed color and vitality to our lobby when it was completed, and with many spaces in Honolulu still closed, we have chosen to continue supporting Jack and his work.”
Elliott said the hotel plans to have Soren return and reinvent the lobby mural annually.
Elliott said he was quick to embrace the Hyatt Loves Local program because his two decades in the hospitality industry have included serving in a caretaker role for various island destinations where he has been employed at hotels. That role, he said, is a natural extension of growing up in
Jamaica, where local life and tourism were inextricable.
“Part of our pillar of operating is to serve our guests, and the employees and the community in which we operate,” Elliott said. “As a global company, we want to ensure our success is derived from us giving back to the community, because our employees are part of the community. It’s about being socially responsible by balancing our responsibilities.”
