Nicole Tachibana had only been working at Four Seasons Resort Hualālai for two years when she sustained a life-threatening injury while surfing.
“In 2016, I was working as a Natural Resources Specialist when I got into a surf accident. Four Seasons and the ‘Ohana Foundation helped me out, and any medical bill from the injury was covered,” says Nicole of the Hualālai ‘Ohana Foundation, a non-profit formed by Hualālai Resort homeowners to support the educational goals and medical needs of employees and their families. “When I returned to the hotel, it really helped that there’s an employee wellness center and a physical therapist, Dr. Andrew Branchflower.”
After recovering, Nicole sought more ways to grow professionally: “My boss and director at the time, David Chai, gave me time to improve my public speaking skills through Toastmasters International, as well as better learn to interpret nature as a guide through the National Association for Interpretation.”
In 2023, Nicole was promoted to Department Supervisor, then to Director of Natural Resources and Sustainability, where she now invests in her own team’s improvement.
“I want my employees to grow, so I encourage them to serve through efforts like coral outplanting in Kahuwai Bay. I want them to learn that Kaʻūpūlehu ahupuaʻa, the land division the resort sits on, is more than a place to work and bigger than Four Seasons.”
Kaʻūpūlehu ahupuaʻa’s coastal area was once a thriving Hawaiian fishing village. During the resort’s construction, developers found several anchialine ponds, which they preserved before opening the Hualālai Residences and Four Seasons Resort Hualālai in 1996. Today, Nicole oversees a team of seven that manages all 865 acres of natural resources and maintains the water quality of the resort’s eight ponds.
“We grow our own oysters on the property in Pūnāwai Lake, which is currently stocked with thousands of oysters. Once harvested from the lake, the resort’s executive chef and his team serve these oysters at the ʻULU restaurant,” says Nicole. “There’s also an oyster experience at Pūnāwai, where guests can learn about our oysters before selecting their own for a lakeside tasting.”
Nicole and her team also welcome local school groups to the resort for ocean conservation education field trips.
“Letting them move in and around these places integrates tourism and community, introducing opportunities for the two to coexist,” says Nicole, who also leads an array of sustainability projects and helps plan beach clean-up events for guests and employees.
Fresh out of high school, Summer Haʻi-Kelly, a founding member of Hualālai, Les Clefs d'Or Concierge, became a pool attendant at the Four Seasons Hualālai.
“After nearly three years, I wanted to be part of the welcome experience and transferred to front desk. Eventually, I became a concierge, helping guests fall in love with my island home by sharing hidden treasures and tidbits about our culture,” says Summer, who was able to send her children to college, debt-free, through the ‘Ohana Foundation. Summer’s passion for giving back led her to the People and Culture department in 2024.
“I see myself as an internal concierge, making new hires feel welcome and getting employees excited about working here. They light up when they realize all the benefits at their disposal,” says Summer, who also enjoys planning employee appreciation events. “It comes down to the Four Seasons’ core principle: Treat others as you want to be treated. That aligns with how we live as islanders, showing aloha to everyone.”
For Summer, this can look like helping employees use their comp nights for a stay at another Four Seasons’ property. Ralph Yawata, who has helped keep the property safe for the past 13 years as the Resort Safety and Security officer, has used his comp nights to stay at Four Seasons’ Kyoto and Bora Bora locations, to name a few.
After serving as Hawaiʻi Fire Department’s (HFD) Assistant Chief of Support Services, Ralph retired in 2011.
“I took a year off, then Hualālai’s Director of Security Amy Regidor asked if I wanted to work at the resort. I came on board and Four Seasons trusted my HFD experience enough to let me help lead the safety program here,” Ralph shares. “They pay for my training off property and give me time to attend safety conferences.” The resort has a fire brigade with a team of volunteer employees and its own fire truck to quickly respond to emergencies while waiting for HFD. Serving as the Hualālai Resort Fire Chief, Ralph oversees monthly team training in conjunction with the HFD.
“Hualālai Community Association, the resort’s residential community, supports the fire brigade. And the ‘Ohana Foundation has us bring the fire truck and brigade to the annual Keiki Book Fair. Not only do the keiki get books, but they can take pictures with the fire truck and sit in the driver seat,” says Ralph. “I like giving back to the foundation that way because they’ve helped my family and I, from financially supporting a dental procedure to college scholarships for my kids.”
“I’m just part of a team helping to keep employees safe,” says Ralph, who is also an EMS instructor, leading First Aid, AED, and CPR classes at the resort for internal employee training. “They’re like extended family to me.”
Although Hualālai Resort has over 1,000 employees on staff, it feels more like a tight-knit ‘ohana. It’s a sentiment that is only enhanced by a spirit of service and giving that is always in season.
“As Four Seasons’ employees, we get a community day to spend giving back. It can be cleaning up the beach or planting a koa tree through the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative.” —Summer Haʻi-Kelly, Four Seasons Hualālai’s People and Culture Coordinator.