Couple’s suit: Strike at Waikiki hotel ruined their honeymoon

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A North Carolina couple is suing Marriott and Kyo-Ya Hotels and Resorts, saying they weren’t told about an ongoing hotel workers strike before coming to the islands for their honeymoon.

The couple, Ovais Inamullah and Sana Khalique, arrived at the Royal Hawaiian on Oct. 29 — nearly four weeks after the strike started.

In a class-action lawsuit filed this week, the two say that despite limited services at the hotel, they were still charged full price ($2,391) for their five-night stay.

“The hotel provided limited or no housekeeping services, no valet parking service, no room service, no pool attendants, and very limited to no on-site restaurant and bar service,” the suit said.

Friday marks the 33rd day of the Hawaii hotel workers strike, which is impacting five hotels in the islands.

Its officially the Hawaii hotel industry’s longest work stoppage in nearly 50 years, and it’s starting to take a heavy toll on striking workers and hotel management.

“Nobody wins in this. The workers really don’t recover the funds, the tips they would have gotten so they suffer,” said Keith Vieira, a former Starwood and Sheraton hotel executive.

“For the hotel teams, the managers are working 10-hour shifts and then doing their regular jobs every day. So they’re putting in 18-19 hour days so they don’t win."

Contract negotiations are continuing.

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