If the bottom fell out of the lodging world near the end of last year, Hawaii was already more than six months into its tailspin. The islands lost 18 percent of their airlift when ATA and Aloha Airlines shut down in spring 2008. Then came sky-high fuel prices, a global economic meltdown, the AIG Effect and the spread of swine flu that's impacted Hawaii's significant Japanese travel. It’s all added up to near all-time lows in occupancy (61.9 percent in May). Rather than sit idly by, Ed Hubennette and Marriott International have taken their product and hit the road.

Hubennette, Marriott's vice president of North Asia, Hawaii and South Pacific, and his team came up with the Spirit of Aloha Tour, a month-long roadtrip through the United States that began in January. The marketing and PR blitz was so successful, the team is again loading up the bus and taking the tour through Japan this October.

“It's been very challenging here,” Hubennette says. “But the (tour) gave us a real bump and we're still benefiting from it. We know people still want to travel, we’re just making sure Hawaii is first in mind. This brand is extremely sellable, but what we have to fight is the perception of high cost.”

The initial Spirit of Aloha Tour was a partnership between Marriott and Hawaiian Airlines and began Jan. 12 in San Diego. A 45-foot-long tour bus, covered in images of Hawaii, carried general managers, directors of sales and marketing, Hubennette and other Marriott executives, local celebrities and dancers from the Polynesian Cultural Center all the way to Washington DC on Feb. 26, with stops in major cities along the way. The 6,775-mile mission was to promote Hawaii to consumers, media and the travel trade.

Marriott added partners Japan Airlines and famed Hawaiian sumo wrestler Konishiki for Round 2 of the tour, which will begin Oct. 2 and visit Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo. “With the rate of exchange favoring the yen, there is no better time to enjoy Hawaii's tropical beauty, unique hula and music, sightseeing, shopping and golf,” Hubennette says. Next year Marriott will take a different route across the U.S. in another tour.

Marriott has 11 hotels and Marriott Vacation Club Resorts on the Hawaiian Islands, offering more than 5,000 rooms, including the new Courtyard by Marriott Waikiki Beach. Formerly the Wyland Waikiki, the 400-room Courtyard has gotten a huge boost since the branding June 1, says Hubennette.