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What does aloha mean? Hawaiian cultural leaders share its deeper meaning
Aloha may be one of the most recognized Hawaiian words in the world. Visitors hear it when they arrive, when they leave and throughout their time in Hawaii. But aloha is much more than a greeting.
For the cultural leaders who help perpetuate Hawaiian traditions across OUTRIGGER Resorts & Hotels, aloha is something to practice and carry with you. It shapes how people welcome others, build relationships, care for one another and honor the places and communities around them. We asked four of OUTRIGGER’s cultural directors what aloha means to them. Their answers reveal something much deeper than a simple definition: aloha is a way of being.
Aloha is how we welcome others
For Luana Maitland, Area Director of Cultural Experiences for OUTRIGGER’s Waikiki resorts, aloha begins with how we show up for the people around us.
“Be Aloha at all times, it is what is expected from our host, at our cultural programs and in our centers at all OUTRIGGER properties. We are to stand and be proud and gracious. Our smile is what gravitates our guest to us. It is what brings our visitors back.”
Her words reflect the connection between aloha and hospitality. It can be expressed through a smile, a gracious welcome or the feeling someone creates when another person enters a space.
Across OUTRIGGER’s Waikiki resorts, guests may experience Hawaiian culture through music, language, storytelling, lei making and other programs, but aloha often begins with something simpler. It is making another person feel welcomed, valued and cared for.
Aloha is a conscious choice
At OUTRIGGER Kāʻanapali Beach Resort, Kahulu De Santos, Director of ʻImipoʻokela, describes aloha as both a way of being and a choice we make in how we treat one another.
“Aloha is... a way of being and a conscious choice to treat others with love, compassion, respect, humility, and generosity. Aloha guides how we build relationships, care for one another, and honor the places and communities that sustain us.
“I also see aloha as an expression of connection, recognizing that we are all interconnected with each other and with the natural world. When we practice aloha, we lead with kindness, seek understanding before judgment, and strive to leave people feeling seen, valued, and uplifted.”
That perspective expands aloha beyond an interaction between two people. It recognizes relationships with community, place and the natural world.
For a visitor to Hawaii, it is also a reminder that experiencing the islands can be about more than seeing beautiful places. It can mean approaching those places and the people who call them home with kindness, respect and a willingness to listen and learn.
Aloha is carried from one generation to the next
For Maka Herrod, Director of Cultural Experiences at OUTRIGGER Kauaʻi Beach Resort & Spa, aloha connects people not only to one another but also to the generations that came before.
“Aloha is more than a word, it is the way we live.
“It is how we share our love, kindness, and respect with one another. It is how we malama our ohana, our community, and our aina, knowing that we are all connected.
“Wherever life takes us, we carry Aloha in our hearts. We welcome others with warmth, we care for one another, and we honor the people and places that surround us.
“Aloha is a gift handed down to us by our kupuna, a way of living that continues through each generation.
“When we share Aloha, it lives in the hearts of those we meet.
“When we malama one another, Aloha continues to grow.
“Aloha lives through us. Aloha lives on forever.”
His words describe aloha as something living. It is received, practiced and then shared again.
That idea gives aloha a sense of continuity. The way one generation cares for its ohana, community and aina can influence the generation that follows. And when aloha is shared with someone new, the relationship continues to grow.
Aloha is a gift we carry
At OUTRIGGER Kona Resort & Spa, Nani Kupihe, Director of Cultural Experiences, expresses aloha in deeply personal terms.
“Aloha Spirit is my soul...Aloha Spirit is my sole...Aloha Spirit is my sound (unsaid).
“A gift, whole-heartedly accepted of my own free will, and shared on (unsaid).
“Mahalo to the Life Giver, Na Alii, Na Kupuna before me sharing this gift. Anoai”
Nani’s words bring another dimension to aloha. It is not simply something we give. It is also something received and carried forward.
Her reflection connects aloha to those who came before and to the responsibility of continuing to share what has been entrusted to us. In that sense, aloha is both personal and generational. It lives within an individual but becomes meaningful through the way it is shared with others.
So, what does aloha really mean?
There may not be one sentence that can completely define aloha.
Across these four perspectives, certain ideas return again and again: love, kindness, respect, humility, generosity, connection, care and responsibility.
For Luana, aloha is visible in how we welcome others.
For Kahulu, it is a conscious choice to lead with compassion and recognize our connection with one another and the natural world.
For Maka, aloha is a way of living that is passed from our kupuna through each generation.
For Nani, aloha is a gift accepted, embodied and shared forward.
Together, their words show why simply translating aloha can never tell the entire story. To understand aloha more fully, we have to look at how it is lived.
Carry aloha with you
For travelers, that understanding does not have to end when a vacation does.
Aloha can begin with listening. It can be expressed through respect for the people and places you encounter. It can mean caring for the land and ocean, approaching cultural experiences with kindness and recognizing that being welcomed somewhere also comes with an opportunity to care for it in return.
And when it is time to leave Hawaii, aloha does not necessarily stay behind.
It can be carried home in the way we welcome others, care for our communities and choose to move through the world with greater kindness and connection.
As Maka reminds us, when aloha is shared, it continues to grow.
Discover your next Hawaii getaway
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