Halekulani Okinawa Announces Leadership Promotions & Appointments Following Successful First Year Of Operations

OKINAWA, Japan, Oct. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Halekulani Okinawa, the award-winning luxury hotel located on the main island of Okinawa, today announced the appointment of Akihiro Ichikawa as Executive Assistant Manager. Mr. Ichikawa, who first joined Halekulani Okinawa in 2018 as the Director of Sales & Marketing, is now responsible for assisting the General Manager, Mr. Jun Yoshie, in leading the daily operation and management of the hotel, as well as overseeing a team of 225 to ensure the seamless delivery of the legendary ethos and distinctive service for which the Halekulani name is known. 

"We are delighted to announce the promotion of Mr. Ichikawa to Executive Assistant Manager," said Jun Yoshie, General Manager of Halekulani Okinawa. "He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the hotel, as proven by the great success of the property's opening in July 2019 and the leadership he has continued to demonstrate throughout a pivotal time in our growth. As the first employee to hold this title at Halekulani Okinawa, we are certain that Mr. Ichikawa will help us continue to achieve even greater success."

With more than 30 years of luxury hospitality, sales and marketing experience, Mr. Ichikawa played an integral role in Halekulani Okinawa's preopening and launch strategy. In addition to exceeding the hotel's revenue projections within the first year of opening, Mr. Ichikawa also developed the property's experiential Halekulani Okinawa Escapes program, as well as launched the hotel's Hygiene Promotion Program in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prior to joining Halekulani Okinawa, Mr. Ichikawa spent over 12 collective years with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, having held Director-level roles at the Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake, Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto, Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Chinzan-so, Four Seasons Tokyo at Marunouchi and the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo Worldwide Sales Office. Mr. Ichikawa first began his career in hospitality at Hotel Okura Tokyo in 1988, before going on to hold roles with Okura Garden Hotel Shanghai, Grand Hyatt Tokyo and The Walt Disney Company (Japan) Ltd. Mr. Ichikawa graduated from Dokkyo University in Sōka City, Japan with a Bachelor's degree and holds a Certificate from the Professional Development Program (PDP) from Cornell University and a Certificate in General American Accounting from Montana State University.

As Mr. Ichikawa assumes his new role as Executive Assistant Manager, Halekulani Okinawa is pleased to welcome Kanna Iizuka as the hotel's Director of Public Relations. Ms. Iizuka joined the Halekulani Okinawa team in August 2020 after more than four years as the Director of Communications at the Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo. A 15-year hospitality veteran, Ms. Iizuka's previous experiences also include management positions in marketing and communications at Conrad Tokyo and Hilton Tokyo Bay. Ms. Iizuka holds a Bachelor's degree from Sonoma State University in California.

For more information on Halekulani Okinawa, please visit www.okinawa.halekulani.com.

About Halekulani Okinawa
Halekulani Okinawa, the second hotel from the leading Hawaiian resort of the same name and first outside Hawaii, is a luxury beach resort located in Onna Village on the main island of Okinawa. Featuring a variety of accommodations built to emphasize the geographic features of its surroundings, Halekulani Okinawa sits on 21 acres of lush land within the Okinawa Kaigan Quasi-National Park and faces approximately one mile of coastline. Halekulani Okinawa is home to a diverse array of facilities including eight restaurants and a bar. In addition, the property boasts the prestigious SpaHalekulani, a fitness center, luxury boutique, over 2,550 ft2 of meeting and convention space and five swimming pools. The main pool is even adorned with nearly 1.5 million mosaic tiles in the shape of Halekulani's signature Cattleya orchid. Halekulani Okinawa is the third member in Japan to join The Leading Hotels of the World, an exclusive collection of the world's most extraordinary luxury establishments.

SOURCE Halekulani Okinawa