The ripple effect of the strike is being felt down Kalakaua Avenue.
As the Marriott hotel workers’ strike continues for a fourth day, wedding planners have been scrambling to find new wedding reception venues.
“Since Monday, it’s been impacting weddings every single day this week,” said Lauren Carson, office manager at Weddings of Hawaii on Kalakaua Avenue.
Restaurants within the hotels are now canceling reservations. One of them is Carson’s clients.
“The couple had about a 35 people reception at Rumfire for Friday. Rumfire did reach out to the couple and apologized and offered them a refund, but there was no back up option because their properties don’t have one right now,” Carson said.
KHON2 spoke with one Rumfire employee who’s on strike.
“As workers at Rumfire, or any establishment at Sheraton hotels, we don’t want to cancel any parties or reservations, we want to be there for our guests,” said Darrell Asato, who has worked at Rumfire for over three years.
He says it’s a struggle living in Hawaii. “We live here, we have to take a stand, we know what’s best for our families, we’re fighting for our future,” he said.
While at Weddings of Hawaii’s office on Thursday, another hotel restaurant called to cancel a wedding reception.
“[There’s been] no major meltdown yet, mostly because we’ve been able to accommodate other restaurants and bookings for their celebrations,” Carson said.
She says wedding planners are racing to satisfy clients request at a quick pace as the strike continues.
Workers at five properties— The Sheraton Waikiki, The Royal Hawaiian, Westin Moana Surfrider, Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, and Sheraton Maui—have been on strike since Monday.
The hotels have left hotel guests letters explaining what is opened, closed and limited throughout the strike.
At Sheraton Kaiulani, pool services are not available. All restaurants and In-room dining is also closed until further notice.
The Moana Surfrider has no valet service. As of Oct. 10, The Beach Club Lounge will operate at normal times (6-10 a.m. and 5-8 p.m.). The Beach Bar, Surfrider Cafe and In-room dining is closed until further notice. Honolulu Coffee Company is open from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Veranda/beachhouse at the Moana will have breakfast buffet from 6 to 10 a.m. and a dinner buffet from 5 to 9 p.m.
The beach and pool areas at Moana Surfrider are operating at normal business hours.
At the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, resort food and beverage outlets and in-room dining have been closed.
At the Royal Hawaiian, valet service has also been suspended. The Mailani Tower Lounge is open from 7 to 9 a.m. and from 5 to 7 p.m. Surf Lanai is open for breakfast buffet from 7 to 10 a.m. The Royal Hawaiian bakery, Mai Tai bar, Azure Restaurant, Room Service and poolside food and beverage will remain close.
