BUSINESS BRIEFS
Retail-wholesale gas price gap falls
Advertiser Staff
The gap between O'ahu's average prices for retail regular gasoline and wholesale regular gasoline fell to 10 cents a gallon during the week ended Nov. 11, the state Public Utilities Commission reported.
That's down from 16 cents the week before.
Lawmakers mandated the disclosure in hopes it will discourage unfair pricing after the suspension of controversial gasoline price caps in May 2006.
The average retail price before taxes rose 4 cents to $2.58 a gallon, while the average wholesale price rose 10 cents to $2.48.
The PUC's average wholesale price figure has been criticized as inaccurate and inflated because it combines different types of wholesale transactions into one price. Under the program, oil companies must file monthly and weekly reports disclosing in some cases crude oil costs, wholesale prices, gross margins and other figures.
HOTEL EMPLOYEE AWARDS SCHEDULED
Hawai'i's top hotel industry employees will receive awards tomorrow at the 18th Annual Hawai'i Hotel & Lodging Association Na Po'e Pa'ahana Awards Luncheon at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
The event is set from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the hotel's Coral Ballroom. The awards recognize "outstanding examples of professionalism, aloha, customer service and community service" in the visitor industry.
Award categories: Bell/Valet Person of the Year, Concierge of the Year, Engineer/Maintenance Person of the Year, Food & Beverage Person of the Year, Front Office Person of the Year, House-Keeper of the Year, Manager of the Year, Security Officer of the Year and Outstanding Lodging Employee of the Year. There also is a category for Allied Member of the Year.
CASTLE OPENS 2 RESORTS IN THAILAND
Hawai'i-based management company Castle Resorts & Hotels said it has expanded into Thailand with two new luxury resorts, Katamanda in Phuket and Baan Taling Ngam Resort & Spa in Koh Samui.
The two additions bring Castle Resorts & Hotels' inventory count up to 26 properties throughout Hawai'i, Micronesia, New Zealand and Thailand.
"Entering Thailand is an exciting new development of our company's strategic expansion into Southeast Asia," said Alan Mattson, president and chief operating officer of Castle Resorts & Hotels.
"The consummation of these two management agreements in Thailand tops an incredibly successful year of growth for us. We plan to continue this aggressive expansion of our global presence from our Hawai'i-based headquarters in 2008."
In the past year, Castle Resorts & Hotels has acquired six management contracts.
FLORIDA COMPANY COURTING ISLE FIRM
An unnamed Hawai'i-based shoe and apparel design and manufacturing company may combine its operations with Palm Harbor, Fla.-based Technology Resources Inc.
Technology Resources last week made a regulatory filing at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that said it has entered an agreement with the Hawai'i company, which it did not name. It said the Hawai'i company was formed in 2005 and has experienced growth in U.S. and international markets.
Technology Resources said it hopes to close the proposed transactions as soon as practicable.
