Hawaii businesses brace to pay more in state unemployment taxes
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JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club General Manager Lynette Eastman poses for a portrait with Jack the Hotel dog — a 10-week-old French-English bulldog — on Friday, Jan. 8, at the Surf Jack Hotel in Waikiki. Local businesses are bracing for a possible increase in state unemployment taxes, which without legislative intervention would raise the average annual employer contribution per employee by nearly $2,000. Eastman said she is working with ProService Hawaii to determine the potential increase for her boutique hotel, which may be close to 10%.JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Surfjack Hotel & Swim Club General Manager Lynette Eastman admires a mural painted by artist Matt Ortiz inside the elevator hall of the hotel on Friday, Jan. 8 at the hotel in Waikiki.JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Houseman Zaldy Velasco prepares to vacuum a portion of the lobby area on Friday, Jan. 8 at the Surf Jack Hotel in Waikiki.JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Houseman Zaldy Velasco, top, housekeeping supervisor Charie Aguinaldo, and housekeeper Imelda Rivera clean an area of the lobby on Friday, Jan. 8 at the Surf Jack Hotel in Waikiki.JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Houseman Zaldy Velasco, top, housekeeping supervisor Charie Aguinaldo, and housekeeper Imelda Rivera work to clean an area of the lobby on Friday, Jan. 8, at the Surf Jack Hotel in Waikiki.JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Housekeeping supervisor Charie Aguinaldo, houseman Zaldy Velasco, and housekeeper Imelda Rivera work to clean an area of the lobby on Friday, Jan. 8, at the Surf Jack Hotel in Waikiki.JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Maintenance superviser Nelson Antalan, left, trims leaves from the trellis in the lobby area as Pam Kaina, director of housekeeping and maintenance, helps hold the ladder steady on Friday, Jan. 8 at the Surf Jack Hotel in Waikiki.JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Maintenance superviser Nelson Antalan, left, trims leaves from the trellis in the lobby area as Pam Kaina, director of housekeeping and maintenance, helps hold the ladder steady on Friday, Jan. 8 at the Surf Jack Hotel in Waikiki.JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Maintenance superviser Nelson Antalan trims leaves from the trellis in the lobby area on Friday, Jan. 8, at the Surf Jack Hotel in Waikiki.JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Mahina and Sons Food and Beverage Director Lisa Taibi, left, and Chef de Cuisine Elvia Villatoro chat with a guest on Friday, Jan. 8, at the Surf Jack Hotel in Waikiki.JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Mahina and Sons Food and Beverage Director Lisa Taibi hands a drink to a guest on Friday, Jan. 8, at the Surf Jack Hotel in Waikiki.JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Front desk guest services agents Shepherd Aliifua, Jordyn Kilgore, and Caitlyn Hughes work to check in a hotel guest who did not want to be identified on Friday, Jan. 8, at the Surf Jack Hotel in Waikiki.JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Front desk guest services agents Shepherd Aliifua, top right, Jordyn Kilgore, and Caitlyn Hughes work the front of the hotel on Friday, Jan. 8, at the Surf Jack Hotel in Waikiki.