Melissa Howard Named Public Relations Manager for Sheraton Kauai Resort and Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas
HONOLULU – Melissa Howard has been named Public Relations Manager for the Sheraton Kauai Resort and the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas. In her new position, Howard will be responsible for handling the public relations for both properties, which includes local and national media assistance, building and maintaining journalist relationships and increasing the resort’s presence on the internet and social media.
“We are very excited and pleased to have someone as talented and dedicated as Melissa join our team,” said Chip Bahouth, general manager of the Sheraton Kauai Resort. “Her prior experience and perspective in the industry will be a great success to the Sheraton Kauai Resort.”
Most recently, Howard was a sales executive with Starwood Vacation Ownership at the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas, where she promoted the property to attract prospective clients and to current owners.
“Melissa was a great asset to our vacation ownership division,” said Denise Wardlow, general manager of the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas. “We admire her ambitious attitude and look forward to the leadership and innovative vision she’ll bring to both properties.”
Before joining the Starwood Vacation Ownership team, Howard and her husband created Hawaii Stream Media, a social media and public relations firm on the island of Kauai. Howard was the marketing and public relations director, where she was responsible for establishing a customer base and developing and implementing strategic marketing plans not only for her clients, but for her business as well. As a result of her efforts, clients saw a tremendous increase in business and revenue.
Earlier, Howard served as a Senior Sales Executive, Team Leader and Senior Marketing Manager for the Marriott Vacation Club International.
Howard is an accomplished children’s book author and contributing writer for Running Times and Runner’s World Publications. She was also named Kauai Business Woman of the Year in 2010 and received the Editors Choice Award in 1999 and 2000 from the American Writers Association.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Hawaii
With 11 properties across the diverse Hawaiian Islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Hawaii offers the best hotel destinations to celebrate romance, reconnect with family, focus on business or launch an adventure. Located on or just footsteps away from the Islands’ best beaches, Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawaii is a collection of iconic and historic hotels and resorts – properties with expansive and breathtaking backdrops, innovative guest programming and luxurious amenities representing internationally renowned hotel brands from Sheraton, Westin, Luxury Collection and St. Regis. For more information about Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawaii, please call (866) 716-8140 or visit www.starwoodhawaii.com.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,025 properties in 100 countries and territories with 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft®, and Element SM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high-quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
Melissa Howard, Public Relations Manager, Sheraton Kauai Resort and the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas