The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki BeachHonolulu, HI

To continue inspiring mindful travel, Marriott International has partnered with the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) and volunteer organizations across the state, encouraging visitors to leave Hawaii better than when they arrived through the Malama Hawaii program.
 
The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach’s Malama Hawaii partner is the Genki Ala Wai Project, a non-profit organization that aims to use bioremediation technology to transform Waikiki’s Ala Wai Canal into an attraction within the next seven years to allow both residents and visitors to enjoy both swimming and fishing there.
 
The historic Ala Wai Canal played a significant role in shaping Waikiki into the world-class beach destination it is today. Waikiki, meaning “spouting waters,” was one a marshland fueled by three main streams from the valleys. Due to lack of proper drainage and stagnant waters that created unsuitable and unhealthy conditions, the Ala Wai Canal was constructed and completed in 1928 to resolve the issue and drain the waters from Waikiki.
 
Over the years, however, the Ala Wai Cancel became a depository for mud, organic debris, trash and various pollutants. To remove pollutants from soil and water, small spheres of mud containing effective microorganisms are thrown into the canal to digest and oxygenate the waters.
 
To participate in the initiative, $10 from each night of stay when reserving this offer, will be donated to the Genki Ala Wai Project to help fund the development of mud spheres. Guests also get to enjoy an additional $20 resort credit per stay that can be used for dining at La Vie, Quiora, resort pools or in-residence.

In celebration of World Ocean Day, The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach is excited to debut a new amenity offering that provides added convenience for all hotel guests while eliminating more than 300,000 single-use plastic water bottles per year. For the first time, the award-winning residential resort has installed an under-sink water purification system in the kitchenettes and kitchens of all hotel guest rooms and suites. With the installation, the resort becomes the first and only hotel in Hawai‘i to offer such an amenity for all guests to enjoy purified water directly from the tap in the comfort of their own residence.

“Eliminating single-use plastic has been an important goal of ours this year and also a key step in our commitment to a more sustainable future for Hawai‘i and the rest of the world,” said Mr. Douglas Chang, General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach. “Water plays a significant role in every aspect of life in Hawai‘i, and we must all do our part in taking care of our precious resources.”

With the completion of the project, the resort’s investment generates an estimated $150,000 savings per year with the elimination of plastic water bottles and significantly reduces its carbon footprint. Complimentary aluminum water bottles are now provided as a welcome amenity for all guests to fill using the new under-sink water purification system. Additionally, guests can also refill water bottles at multiple refill stations throughout the public areas of the resort.

MALAMA HAWAI‘I
The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach also continues its efforts as the first hotel to support a seven-year initiative to restore the Ala Wai Canal—O‘ahu’s largest waterway that played a significant role in shaping Waikiki Beach into the world-class beach destination it is today. Through the resort’s Malama Hawai‘i offer in partnership with the Genki Ala Wai Project, $20 from every night of the guest’s stay goes towards funding the project’s goal of 300,000 Genki Balls, which contain Effective Microorganisms (EM) to oxygenate the waters of the Ala Wai Canal. Since supporting the effort last year, the resort has developed more than 3,000 Genki Balls to date and has raised more than $30,000 for the Genki Ala Wai Project.