Event Network opens two resort stores in Hawaii

The retail operator has opened new stores at the Honua Kai Resort & Spa in Maui and Royal Sonesta Kaua’i Resort in Lihu’e.

To kick off 2026, Event Network has opened two new resort stores in Hawaii, with new stores at Honua Kai Resort & Spa in Maui, Hawaii, and Royal Sonesta Kaua’i Resort in Lihue, Hawaii.

Craig Obina, Event Network district manager for Hawaii, shares that he and his team spent months planning and preparing for these two resort stores to come online.

“These had to open within one week of each other. It wasn’t the ideal situation, but both properties wanted us to open at a certain time,” he says. “It was the holidays, so we had lean staff. But we made it happen, even with a light staff.”

A table at the new store at the Honua Kai Resort & Spa shows off some bracelets and personal care items on a side table.

Event Network

In October 2025, Outrigger Hospitality Group partnered with Event Network to oversee retail at its Honua Kai Resort & Spa, with plans to reimagine the resort’s Hokulani Market store to offer a mix of artisan gifts, premium resort apparel, sundries, locally crafted goods as well as Starbucks coffee and specialty beverages at a café inside the store.

Obina says the Honua Kai Resort & Spa store is small but packs in a lot.

“We have some fashion apparel, like Tiare Hawaii, and Aggro Pacific beachwear,” he says. “There’s also some T-shirts, magnets, tiki mugs — all the things guests are looking for. And it’s also a hybrid marketplace, so you can grab a coffee, a Snickers bar and a beautiful dress.”

He adds that having a Starbucks in the store is a great tactic for driving foot traffic.

“That’s what drives sales — Starbucks gets them in the door, and then they look around,” Obina says. “They may not buy something at the time, but they come back later.”

The Royal Sonesta Kaua’i Resort completed major renovations in May of 2025, so Event Network’s new take on the nearly 3,000-square-foot gift shop was fitting for the resort. Obina says Event Network took over management of that resort’s store in late 2025 and gave it a refreshed look and feel. The store offers sundries as well as T-shirts, souvenirs, swimwear and resort apparel.

“That store was last remodeled in the 1980s,” says Obina. “We painted the walls white, swapped out the coolers, fixed the ceiling and refreshed the layout.”

Obina adds that guests have enjoyed the modern-looking stores at both Honua Kai Resort & Spa and Royal Sonesta Kaua’i Resort. With these two new stores, Event Network now oversees 20 retail stores at resorts across Hawaii.