Interesting Islanders

Meet Alana Yamamoto

Some people go the extra mile. That's 49-year-old Alana Yamamoto, one of the Front Office Managers at the King Kamehameha Hotel in Kona. In fact, she's way ahead of the pack of other service professionals in her area.
I had the pleasure of meeting Alana during one of those spur-of-the-moment treks around the world. Okay, it was to West Hawaii, but oftentimes it feels farther away.
However, it happened to be one of those weekends of various sports tournaments and gatherings that left not a single room in town. Literally.
All the hotels in the area were called. Several times. Most who answered were curt, perhaps overwhelmed by too many people wanting rooms in their inn. Perhaps they were tired of hearing my voice.
In all my last minute pleas for help there was only one person who was polite, asking for a name and cell phone number. It was Alana.
Despite the lack of lodging, the urge to go and get away for a "girl" time was stronger than the lack of a place to put our heads, so my friend Pam and I left on a "faith walk" of sorts.
We spent the day in the area, doing various fun things that can only be done when husbands aren't around to roll their eyes or say "Doesn't that cost too much?"
With dinner finished and the sun waning to dusk, we let out a disappointed sigh and headed for the car. It was time to go home.
So much for faith.
Then, the phone rang. I fumbled through my purse, unable to answer before it stopped ringing. I looked at the number. I recognized the number of the hotel that had taken my name and phone number earlier in the day. Not only that, there was a message.
It was Alana. Faithful to her early morning promise, she called back to say there had been an early check out and a room was now available for us. I tried to call back but she was tied up with other customers. I was put on hold, but that didn't stop two desperate wahines. We jumped in the car wikiwiki and sped to the hotel.
The cell phone was still glued to my ear when we entered the lobby. There wasn't a line at the front desk. I asked for Alana and the girl pointed to the end of the counter. There she stood, behind the long desk, smiling and helping a tourist in need.
After she finished, Alana turned to me and flashed another big smile. Pretty good for someone who had been assisting people all day long.
After all, I was just someone off the street. A stranger. A nobody. Or so she thought. We finished the room transaction before I revealed who I was and politely asked for an interview.
She was shocked, but was able to regain her composure long enough to answer a few questions. It turns out Alana's been in hotel business for more than 25 years. This wife and mother said it's her life's work and she loves being involved in it. It's also a job this 49-year-old lifetime Kona resident takes very seriously, yet always with the true spirit of aloha.
"My pleasure here at the front desk is that I love meeting and greeting people," she said. "I just love being involved. It's a good field. I really like it. Everyday is a challenge."
Alana is also a true optimist and truly believes it's a good day when she can make people feel good through her actions.
"To me, the people are the thing and I'm a messenger to ease people's tension, a messenger of hope," she said. "I love to be a part of people's lives, bringing them joy and making them smile."
For her, the idea of hotel hospitality extends beyond the mainland tourist--it's for the kamaaina too and she works hard to make sure everyone has a place.
"I'm a local girl, an island girl," Alana said. "It's like, to me, inviting the locals is the most important thing. It's like welcoming them into our home. I want them to come and appreciate and share. I want them to just come and enjoy. It's my way of saying thank you."
Her aloha is genuine and overflowing. It stems from the days Alana roamed the grounds as a keiki, long before the resort was built. Now she desires to share the history of the land so others can understand the value this particular aina to the Hawaiian culture.
She also enjoys teaching the younger generation about the land and the true aloha spirit so they can both work with pride and pass it on to others.
"I hope to be a role model," Alana said. "I want to be a mentor. I just want to share my knowledge of Kona before it was all built up."
It turned out to be a great weekend away. There was something deeply satisfying knowing after traveling many miles that there's someone willing to go the extra mile. Alana, you're one of a kind. I know you love to make people smile and I'm grinning from ear to ear just thinking about you.