Though the worst of the recession seems to have passed, the Hawaii hotel industry still expects a slow recovery -- a factor in the upcoming contract negotiations.
When Hawaii's tourism industry looks into its crystal ball, signs are looking up after one of the worst recessions.
"We think we're on the road to recovery, it's just going to be a long road to recovery," says Keith Vieira, Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
"It's a long way to go. we've gone backward 5 or 6 years," says Vieira.
To make it through the tough times, room rates took historic dips, and everyone from management to labor felt the pinch.
"Lotta jobs being subcontracted, and some of our workers being pushed to the limit," says Steven Picanso, 23 year Hyatt employee.
So where to go from here, with the next round of contract talks?
"The recession -- it hurt the economy a little but the hotel is still making money," says Picanso.
"We'd like to save our medical and we'd like to have our fair share."
The Hyatt Regency's general manager, David Lewin, told KHON2, "We are hopeful that the union will come to the table to develop a fair contract that works for both sides. Our people are our greatest asset and their well being remains our number one priority."
The last contracts gave steady raises over the years that turned out to be among the worst for hotel revenue.
"We've had about an 11 percent increase in labor costs in waikiki in the last 2 years," says Vieira.
"They were negotiated during a lot more prosperous time which is the way business goes, I'm glad they got it because this is an expensive place to live in, but going forward we hope to have some balance," says Vieira.
Balance both sides say they'll try to achieve.
"Everybody's going to have to be willing to give, two sides, not only one side. We're all going to have to give," says Picanso.
"I think a local style of give-and-take, where you know that you can't both lose, that's not good, and sometimes you've got to find compromise to get to a win win," says Vieira.
Room rates appear to be stabilizing if not increasing in the high-demand summer months. Occupancy is looking better in the near future. But hotel operators say it doesn't yet make up for what was lost in the downturn.
"I think most people understand what's going on in the economy here they've seen teachers on furloughs, they've seen government workers being laid off, so I don't think people are naive about how tough it is to maintain a business," says Vieira.
