Kokua Hospitality, LLC, an independent hotel management company based in San Francisco, announces the appointment of Ihab Kherati as general manager (GM) at Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach (175 Paoakalani Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii). Kherati’s appointment is also a promotion from his previous position as Assistant General Manager.
Located just off the southwest end of Waikiki Beach, the hotel brings inspired island comfort to its 426 guestrooms and over 4,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach emanates the spirit of aloha – offering unique amenities such as 24/7 food and beverage service and a complimentary lei-making class each Friday for guests.
From a young age, Kherati’s parents encouraged him to be the best he could be. He also attributes some of his best professional traits, including timeliness and his hospitality philosophy to treat every person like you would treat your own family member, to his parents. In addition to his upbringing, Kherati’s exceptional educational and industry backgrounds have helped him hone key skills for this position. Kherati’s 10+ years of experience in the industry first began when he was a housekeeping intern.
“Of course, we cleaned rooms just like every other housekeeper at the hotel, but it was the reward – who would get recognized at the end of the day for cleanest floor – that stuck with me,” says Kherati. “When I began my career in supervising, I knew the hard work and labor that went into every part of the hotel, and I can never forget that.”
Before moving to the U.S., Kherati lived in Pakistan, Canada, and Switzerland. After pursuing a career path in Criminology from the University of Windsor, he realized that his passion was elsewhere and moved on to attend the Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology in Niagara Falls and received a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Kherati then traveled to Les Roches Switzerland to obtain a Bachelors of Business Administration in Global Hospitality.
After his housekeeping internship, Kherati spent five years working at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort and was promoted three times, moving from an entry level position in the housekeeping department up to Assistant Front Office Manager. He then worked as Front Office Manager at Loews Annapolis Hotel before moving to his first job with Kokua Hospitality – Director of Operations at Aloft National Harbor. His consistent and results-oriented work brought him to open the Hyatt Place Waikiki as Assistant General Manager in 2014. This move to the General Manager position marks Kherati’s fifth year with Kokua Hospitality.
“Leaders like Ihab inspire us to continue growing and nurturing our teams,” said Kirk Pederson, president of Kokua Hospitality. “His loyalty to creating the ultimate experience for guests and dedication to opening and maintaining such an incredible property really make him stand out.”
While not working, Kherati spends time with his two children, enjoying all Hawaii has to offer.
