Every Friday morning at 11:30 or so, members of the hotel housekeeping staff serenade the guests in the lobby. Their accompanist on the eight-string 'ukulele is the hotel's general manager. Their emcee calls out each musical number from behind the front desk as he's answering phones and doing checkouts.

The 'Ilima is not your typical Waikiki hotel.

In 1995, the late Hawaiian cultural advocate George Kanahele instituted a program within Waikiki hotels to bring choral directors to teach Hawaiian music to the staff. Kanahele's Hawaiian Music Foundation paid for the program for two years, but when it came time for the hotels to start picking up the cost, many eventually dropped the program. The 'Ilima Hotel, still owned by the Teruya family of Times Supermarket renown, was the only hotel to keep the program. For 10 years, choral director Anuhea Brown came once a month to rehearse the group. Brown moved to the Mainland recently, and the 'Ilima choral group was fortunate to secure the services of respected musician and teacher Noelani Mahoe.

The singers gather in a conference room an hour before the lobby performance to learn new songs and polish old ones. Mahoe is a stickler for the proper pronunciation of Hawaiian words. When she hears a song that needs more work, she pulls it from the performance list. At times, she'll take the 'ukulele from GM Phil Sammer's hands and start playing, picking up the tempo or switching keys.

There used to be a hotly contested singing competition between the hotels. In 2002, 'Ilima won the top trophy, which has a place of honor in their lobby. Also part of the prize was a Kamaka 'ukulele. Mahoe told Sammer, "You'd better learn to play that!" So he signed up for lessons with Roy Sakuma.

Sammer has been with the hotel 23 years. Nena Remolacio, chorus member and housekeeping supervisor, has been there since the hotel opened in 1968, taking time off to have children but always coming back. Many of their guests have been coming back over the years, too. During the singing of "Hawaii Aloha," one guest knew every word.

The 'Ilima choral group stands on the stairs in the lobby for their performance. The guests who sit to watch the show are provided with lyric books in case they want to sing along. When the show is coming to a close and the staff and guests hold hands in a circle and sing "Hawaii Aloha," a clerk at the front desk has to wipe away tears even though she's heard the song every Friday for as long as she's been there.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.