Turtle Bay Resort
CHALLENGE:
Over the last four decades, development at Turtle Bay Resort – Hawai‘i’s most experiential resort – has been greatly influenced by a range of stakeholders. Despite securing permits and approvals, previous owners have encountered defeating challenges to fulfilling their vision for the property. When new owners, The Blackstone Group, purchased the property in late 2017, they called Bennet Group to assist with the sophisticated and thoughtful strategic communications needed to ensure future development and renovation efforts are successful.
STRATEGY:
• Position Turtle Bay Resort – the largest private employer on the North Shore – as a beloved and integral part of the North Shore community
• Illustrate Turtle Bay Resort’s deep commitment to conserving, protecting and responsibly stewarding more than 450 acres of agriculture land, which is a part of its conservation property
• Elevate and highlight the work of the resort’s charitable giving arm, the Turtle Bay Foundation, and its partnership with impactful nonprofits like the North Shore Community Land Trust and Pono Pacific
• Work with resort teams and partners to thoughtfully engage stakeholders about the resort’s planned enhancements ahead of the permitting and approvals process
RESULTS:
• Collaborated with resort teams and partners to pilot the successful launch of the Laulima Gardens at Turtle Bay, which welcomed 32 individuals from the community, resort and non-profit realms to care for their very own garden plot
• Secured media coverage for the Laulima Gardens, Turtle Bay Foundation, as well as other community events and partnerships in the Honolulu Star Advertiser, Hawaiʻi News Now, KITV4, KHON2, Midweek, Pacific Business News, and the North Shore News
• Reached more than double the original number of key stakeholders in the North Shore community through a specially-curated quarterly newsletter focused on positive news from the resort, the foundation, and community partners
• Minimized media coverage and negative testimony surrounding the resort’s SMA hearing in February 2020