Bars & Restaurants Are Dark At All Sheraton Properties
A strike of hotel workers has closed several of the bars and restaurants along Waikiki Beach.
RumFire in the Sheraton and the Mai Tai bar at the Royal Hawaiian – which makes the finest Mai Tais in Hawaii and perhaps the entire South Pacific – as well as the Shorebird restaurant and bar are all closed for the duration of the strike.
In early October, 2,700 Unite Here Local 5 workers from Hawaii hotels operated by Marriott and owned by Kyo-ya walked out of their jobs and onto picket lines. The affected hotels include Sheraton Waikiki, Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Western Moana Surfrider, The Royal Hawaiian and Sheraton Maui.
And they are not alone – there’s a nationwide strike of Marriott hotel workers in eight cities affecting 23 hotels. Strikes also are taking place in Boston, Detroit Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego.
The hotels are still open and have guests, but services are reduced and obviously so are the restaurants and bars in the hotels to the point that they are closed. At least on Waikiki Beach, anyway.
The strike does not affect the ever-popular Duke’s Waikiki bar. So the annual party that is Duke’s on Sunday is not impacted by the strike.
Some are speculating the strike could last until 2019, but negotiations are currently underway between hotel management and the unions.
For travelers, be aware that these strikes could affect your travel experience. It certainly is affecting my friend Luau Larry’s travel experience in Waikiki.
“I can’t get a rum drink,!” he exclaimed in a phone call to me. He loves the Mai Tais at the Royal Hawaiian and was eager to show them off to first-time Hawaii visitors traveling with him.
Instead, he had to do his “okole maluna” with them at the Mai Tai Bar in the Ala Moana Shopping Center. “They do have a good Happy Hour,” he said.
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