Congratulations Hale Koa!
Staff, families and guests were invited to join the celebration as Hale Koa Hotel became the first hotel in Hawaii to become a Blue Zones Project Approved™ worksite.
The hotel celebrated this recognition with a ceremony, Monday, June 12, on the Hale Koa Hotel lawn beachfront. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the Hale Koa Hotel’s annual employee Ohana Day festival for staff, their family and friends.
Hale Koa Hotel is an oceanfront resort situated on 72 acres in Waikiki and an Armed Forces Recreation Center operated by the Department of the Army. Since its grand opening in 1975, the hotel’s staff of approximately 750 has continued “Serving Those Who Serve” by accommodating over one million military personnel and dependents each year.
The hotel achieved Blue Zones Project Approved status by successfully adopting best practices that promote well-being, including the following:
- Offering Blue Zones® inspired homemade entrees and soups, as well as fruit-infused water and green tea in the cafeteria, so healthier choices are available to all staff.
- Creating a robust well-being effort, called the “Malama Ola Program,” which offers on-site wellness workshops, organized walking groups known as “moai,” encouraging walking and standing meetings, employer-subsidized Fitbits for staff purchase and complimentary access to the hotel’s fitness center.
- Offering ergonomic workstations for staff use.
“It’s really inspiring to see Hale Koa Hotel investing in the health and well-being of their employees,” said Garet Azama, HMSA’s vice president of Consumer Strategy. “Good health is one of the most rewarding benefits you can give your workforce and Blue Zones Project has the perfect formula to make that process simple.”
With many employee care programs in place to recognize birthdays, length of service, extraordinary acts of kindness, annual family events and a winter holiday celebration, the Blue Zones Project® initiative was a natural avenue to further support the health and well-being of its staff.
“Our organization is only as productive and resilient as the overall health and well-being of our staff. Blue Zones Project supports us in adopting best practices where healthy lifestyle choices are the easiest ones for our ohana,” said Richard LeBrun, general manager of Hale Koa Hotel.
Guests of the celebration enjoyed Blue Zones inspired healthy snacks, create individual, paint art by cycling on a Blue Zones Project stationery bike, register for Sharecare app for smartphones, take the RealAge Test and participate in fitness activities.
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Learn more at hawaii.bluezonesproject.com
