BUSINESS BRIEFS
Marriott's 'Aloha' tour heads east
Advertiser staff
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Marriott Resorts Hawaii is taking its Spirit of Aloha promotional bus tour to the Midwest and East Coast after its West Coast leg produced a surge of new bookings, company officials said.
"Marriott's Spirit of Aloha tour brought a welcome ray of Hawai'i sunshine to our West Coast travel partners and a wave of new business bookings for our Hawai'i hotels," said Ed Hubennette, vice president for North Asia, Hawai'i and the South Pacific, Marriott International.
The tour team, traveling on a 45-foot-long tour bus emblazoned with tropical images of Hawai'i, includes Polynesian Cultural Center dancers, Maui's Camile Velasco and executives from Marriott Resorts Hawaii and Hawaiian Airlines.
The tour arrived in Minneapolis Tuesday and will continue performances through Saturday. Other stops include Chicago, Sunday to Wednesday; New York City, Feb. 19 to 22; and Washington, D.C., Feb. 24 to 26.
JOHN DOMINIS LEASE EXTENDED 1 YEAR
An agreement to operate O'ahu's 30-year-old fine-dining restaurant John Dominis has been extended, allowing the Kaka'ako waterfront business to continue running at least through April 2010.Founder and former owner D.G. "Andy" Anderson in October 2007 sold John Dominis to a Japan-based investor with a provision that he continue operating the 254-seat restaurant with its wedding and meeting facilities for a minimum of 18 months.
The agreement was to expire at the end of April, but Anderson said the new owner, Ocean Investments LLC, asked him to continue running the restaurant for another year.
Ocean Investments assumed the restaurant's lease on state land running until 2042. It acquired the restaurant for possible redevelopment, but has not publicly disclosed its plans.
BIOTECH FIRM GETS $3.62M DEFENSE DEAL
Tissue Genesis Inc., a Honolulu-based company focused on regenerative medicine, said it has received a $3.62 million defense department contract.Under the contract, Tissue Genesis will continue its research on treatment options for those suffering from peripheral vascular disease. PVD is a circulation disorder affecting blood vessels outside of the heart, including vessels supplying the hands, feet and legs, which can cause severe pain.
Tissue Genesis said its research involves transplanting adipose-derived stromal cells from a patient's own fat directly into tissue damaged by a low blood supply. The process is expected to increase circulation and relieve symptoms of PVD. An improvement in circulation could prevent progression of the disease, which, left untreated, results in 130,000 amputations annually, the company said.
