News

Whale of a time at kiosks in Hawaii hotels

February 12, 2004

WAIKIKI, Hawaii -- Guests at the Outrigger Reef Hotel have to go no farther than the hotel lobby to explore the marine world of Hawaii's humpback whales.

The Outrigger unveiled its Humpback Whale Information Kiosk, a touchscreen computer system, this week during a dedication ceremony, according to an article in The Star Bulletin.

Designed by the National Marine Sanctuary Program, the 600-pound, $30,000 prototype is just one aspect of a recent partnership between Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, the Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

The Honolulu-based hotelier has committed to working with both organizations to inform, educate and enrich the experiences of guests staying at affiliated hotels.

The computer kiosk will help hundreds of thousands of people each year to get better acquainted with Hawaii's humpback whales, Cousteau said in the article.

"People protect what they love. However, people can only love what they understand," Cousteau said. "In my more than six decades of life, I have come to realize that most people don't understand the important role the ocean plays in our daily lives. That's why partnerships of this variety are so critically important."