Mufi Hannemann (left), HLTA president and CEO, and HLTA Chairman Ben Rafter (right) congratulate Outstanding Lodging Employee of the Year honorees (from left) Heidi Michel-Bunyard (second place), Emily Arcangel (first place) and Celena Burkhart (third place).

KAANAPALI – Emily Arcangel, Regency Club concierge at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa, received the top honor as the Outstanding Lodging Employee of the Year at the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association’s 26th annual Na Po’e Pa’ahana (the hard-working people) Awards.

Arcangel was selected as the winner based on her dedication to making guests feel at home at the Hyatt Regency Maui, consistently going above and beyond her duties to enhance the guests’ experience.

She’s also active in serving the community through programs such as A Keiki’s Dream, Relay for Life, and Susan B. Komen Maui Paddle.

“Malama is Emily’s core value that she constantly lives with every day,” said her supervisor, Michael Lanzo, guest services manager.

“She demonstrates this by taking care of guests before, during and after departure. She’s even offered her home to guests to ‘weather out’ numerous tsunamis and hurricane scares. Emily is very deserving of this honor.”

The Westin Maui Resort and Spa also earned prestigious honors, with Heidi Michel-Bunyard placing second in the Outstanding Lodging Employee of the Year contest, and her co-worker, Crystal Lei Lane, recognized as Manager of the Year.

Hawaii’s hospitality industry honored the best-of-the-best of its employees at the recent event.

Nearly 1,000 employees, family members and industry representatives from throughout the state gathered for the luncheon ceremony, which was sponsored by HLTA and held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort.

Mufi Hannemann, president and CEO of the HLTA, said, “The Na Po’e Pa’ahana Awards give us the opportunity to recognize and thank the individuals and organizations that contribute to the success of the hospitality industry. We just marked our fourth consecutive year of record-breaking visitor arrivals and spending – an achievement attributable to the exceptional service provided by the men and women we honor today. Their aloha spirit and professionalism are what make us what we are – one of the greatest destinations in the world, year after year.”

This year’s other Na Po’e Pa’ahana award winners and runners-up from Maui include: Ryan Banaag, Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa, third place in Engineering/Maintenance Person of the Year; and Jayson Rondal, Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, third place, Security Officer of the Year.

A total of 12 awards were presented at the event, emceed by television broadcasters Steve Uehara and Grace Lee of Hawaii News Now.

Recipients of HLTA’s accolades are selected based on nominations submitted by their supervisors and co-workers. They are judged on the basis of outstanding and exceptional service to lodging guests, co-workers, and the community.