It’s been a minute since I’ve given an update on my new Wellness lodging entity, so here goes:
We completed Round 1 of our capital raise bringing in the targeted $350,000 by the end of August deadline. We brought on five fantastic new investors, four of whom came from this group. So, once again, The Inspired family stepped up huge! We have now begun fundraising for our final Capital Round of $1mm as planned and are off to a fast start. We hope to complete it by year-end.
Completing the raise allowed us to roll up our bliss entities as planned. First, we acquired Bliss Island LLC to remain in place as the local Operating Company in Hawaii. Second, we acquired the intellectual property assets of Bliss Champions LLC, five years worth of outstanding personal development know-how and content.
Once the above acquisitions took place, we used the remaining capital as planned to begin construction of our new pool and to hire a talented interior decorator to renevate our hotel rooms.
We break ground on our pool construction this Monday. The Inspired member, and proud new Papa Chris Carroll, will lead the charge on the excavation of the site. He promises to make a proper mess of the property! 🤣
I am super excited to get this job up and rolling as it’s been nearly three years in the making. Our property will have to come offline for at least six months while we complete this and the hotel rooms renovation.
In other exciting news, we have decided to rebrand the property and it’s supporting business. We will discontinue the Bliss Island brand and rename ourselves Hamakua Hotel.
The reason for this brand change is that the Bliss Island Resort name was really for our private retreat business model, which we are discontinuing in favor of our public wellness lodging model. So, what is the significance of the name Hamakua?
Our property sits on the Hāmākua Coast, which is one of the most beautiful stretches of oceanfront scenery on the entire island. The 50-mile stretch along the Pacific Ocean, boasts lush tropical rainforests, stunning waterfalls and tranquil green valleys. This region is home to many of the most visited attractions on the island including Akaka Falls, Waipiʻo Valley, and Onomea Bay to name just a few. The dominating geographic feature in Hāmākua is the volcanic mountain Mauna Kea. The district stretches south through the central plateau to the summit of Mauna Loa.
We possess the only hotel permit on the entire Hāmākua Coast. It is our plan to associate with its incredible beauty and lushness, differentiating ourselves from other regions of The Big Island. We are not Hilo or Kona, we are Hāmākua!
We plan to officially reopen May 1st of 2024 as the Hamakua Hotel. Instead of the original plan to only operate on weekends, we will be open for guest stays nine months per year. Rooms for 2024 will go on sale very soon! We hope you will be the first to visit! More on that to come….
Further, I am pleased to announce the hiring of Valerie Mendoza to become the General Manager of the hotel property. Val has a long history with the property having started at an entry level position nearly ten years ago. She didn’t just climb the proverbial corporate ladder here, she built it with love and dedication. Her ascension and promotion have been well earned.
I am equally excited to announce that Lori Lochtefeld has accepted the critical position of Chief Marketing Officer for our parent company. She will be in charge of driving all bookings. Her vast experience selling $25 million worth of concert tickets and promoting & booking her portfolio of short term vacation rentals for the last few years translates perfectly to her new position.
Finally, I will serve as our parent company’s CEO and will also handle CFO duties for the hotel operating company.
Consider yourselves fully updated and the first to know our intended plans! The three of us are super excited. More big announcements to come!
