Bill > SB982

This bill requires the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) and the School of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to collaborate on creating a state-owned hotel designed to provide multiple benefits for Hawaii. The proposed hotel would serve as a workforce development tool, offering professional experience opportunities for local students in hospitality and tourism management, potentially reducing the need to recruit management talent from outside the state. The bill mandates that the hotel will be jointly managed by HTA and the university, with the potential to employ union workers and university students. The collaborators must submit progress reports to the Legislature before the 2026, 2027, and 2028 legislative sessions, detailing plans for the hotel's design, construction, and operations. The bill appropriates funding for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to support the planning process, including searching for a location and developing a design. Additionally, the hotel is envisioned as a potential resource for university visitors, a recruitment tool for the university, and a means to generate additional revenue for the University of Hawaii system, with the possibility of expanding to other islands in the future.

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https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=982&year=2025