Hawaii Too Pricey For Church Group

The rising cost of travel has claimed another victim, this time causing the United Church of Christ to cancel its plans to hold its 2011 General Synod at the Hawai`i Convention Center in Honolulu.

According to UCC Associate General Minister Edith Guffey, the church, which originally booked its Hawaii dates in April 2006 for June 2011, is considering other locations because the costs of hotels and airfare recently have increased significantly.

“We had negotiated rates with the hotel that were, of course, higher than what we're accustomed to paying,” Guffey said, “but rates that we thought we could manage, so it was really the increase in travel costs.” Guffey added she flew to Honolulu in November 2007 to sign contracts and do pre-show work. The cost of the flight from Cleveland, where the UCC national offices are located, she said, had jumped 57 percent since she booked the dates.

The Hawaii Convention Center and three hotels, the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort & Spa, the Hawaiian Prince Hotel and the Ala Moana Hotel, are working together to offer incentives and destination packages that will get the group to stay, said Joe Davis, general manager of the convention center.

“Hawaii hasn't given up on the Church of Christ coming in 2011, and we think we have a compelling package and a reason to come,” Davis said.

He added that he could not divulge too many details of the package being put together to keep the church group but, he said, the convention center is offering a “virtually free building,” and the hotels offered to delay any cancellation penalties until June of next year to give the group more time to assess air travel conditions once the dates are closer.

Although the hotels would not release any specifics about group bookings, Jon Conching, Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa vice president of sales and marketing, said, “We understand they wish to cancel, but we are still in discussions with them. We remain hopeful they'll reconsider and come to Hawaii for their 2011 General Synod.”

Davis added that, as of now, the UCC is the only group that has canceled previously booked dates because of the increases in travel costs.

In February, Hawaii-based Aloha Airlines discontinued passenger service and, in April, ATA Airlines declared bankruptcy and discontinued operations. However, according to the Hawai`i Visitors & Convention Bureau, Delta Airlines is reinstating some previously canceled flights to the islands from Los Angeles and Atlanta to help alleviate the situation.

“Airlift is the bloodline for our state, because the majority of our visitors come to Hawaii through air (travel),” said Caroline Anderson, marketing manager for the Hawai`i Tourism Authority, about the addition of the Delta flights.

As for the decision to take advantage of whatever additional package Honolulu has to offer or look for a new location, Guffey said it is up to the church's board of directors. She currently is investigating other sites, she added, but hopes to keep the biennial Synod on the West Coast in 2011. The 2009 Synod will be held June 26-30 in Grand Rapids, Mich.