The Aloha Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition (AHICE Aloha) made its return to Hawai’i in November 2024 following its successful debut in 2023.

Hosted by HM Magazine, the popular Hawaiian event took place on Thursday November 7 at the OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel and on Friday November 8 at the Ala Moana Hotel by Mantra.

Over 60 hotel and tourism leaders took to the stage, with hot topics of hotel investment and operations as key pillars of discussion with top industry figures from across the Hawai’ian Islands, the United States and more taking to the stage in informative Q&A and panel sessions.

Speakers included Outrigger Hospitality Group President & CEO, Jeff Wagoner; Accor Chief Development Officer Pacific and Head of Apartments and Leases, Lindsay Leeser; Pono Wines’ Chief Winemaker, Dave Sedeno; THSA Managing Director, Rodger L. Powell; Ala Moana Hotel by Mantra General Manager, Daniel Barnard; Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau Chairperson, Sean Dee; Hawaii Hotel Alliance President, Jerry Gibson; Powell & Aucello Principal F. Kevin Aucello; Outrigger Hospitality Group VP Global Communications & Social Responsibility, Monica Salter; Ohana Beverage Co CEO Elizabeth Haak; KHON2 Vice President & General Manager, Kristina Lockwood; Outrigger Hospitality Group Vice President Sales – The Americas, Angela Murphy; Luxury Escapes Partnerships & Contracting Manager, David Callan; Tourism Fiji Head of Destination Development Lucia Zeeard; Honolulu Convention Centre General Manager Teri Orton; and more.

One of several keynote speeches came from The Real McCoy Rum Founder & CEO, Bailey Pryor, who has worked as a writer, producer and director in the film and television industry for over 25 years. Bailey has produced seven feature films and over 150 television programs and has received 17 Emmy Award nominations, winning 7 Emmy awards for his work on PBS. In his insightful keynote, Bailey spoke of the clear need for transparency in the liquor industry.

Delegates included some of the United States and Hawai’i’s leading hotel owners, operators, consultants and suppliers, alongside global attendees.

Two fantastic networking events at OUTRIGGER Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel (Nov 7) and at the at the Ala Moana Hotel by Mantra (Nov 8) also provided fantastic opportunities to catch-up with industry colleagues old and new.

The launch of AHICE in Hawaii follows the success of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition held in Adelaide, South Australia during May and attended by a record 1,500 delegates, making it the largest accommodation event in Asia-Pacific region.

In addition to the Asia Pacific and Hawaii events, AHICE has expanded to several key international markets including Singapore, Japan, the Maldives, Fiji Islands, United Kingdom and New Zealand.