So another year has come and gone, as always seemingly quicker than the one before. On this last day of 2014 the sentimental among us are girding our memories in preparation for a eulogy. Don’t worry; no tears. Instead, we at Tahiti Village will use this occasion to celebrate a great and eventful year by recalling both the major achievements and minor accomplishments that contributed to your enjoyment and our resort’s longterm excellence.
We start in January, where all years begin. On the 13th the pool area closed for a comprehensive renovation that consisted of replastering and retiling the pool, stripping and resealing the concrete decks, replacing the lifeguard towel hut, adding new faux granite-topped side tables, and rethatching our palapas (which sounds more painful than it is). The pool reopened on Feb. 7, just in time for winter sunbathing.
On Feb. 2 the AllSET team debuted to restore expired vacation time to owners who have missed two or more entitlement weeks. You’re all set! (Get it?)
On Feb. 21 we aimed our renovation plans at the Lazy River. The weeklong project included an acid washing, minor plaster repairs, resealing the decks with a nonslip coating, and restaining and rethatching the guard shack.
The WikiWiki, our onsite convenience store, closed on March 3 in preparation for its relocation next to the front desk.
The first phase of our yearlong lobby renovation came to fruition March 18 with the opening of our Grab-N-Go food and beverage counter. Fresh donuts and pastries, soft serve ice cream, sandwiches and specialty coffees are just some of the tempting choices that are tailor-made to eat on the run.
The remodeled and renovated WikiWiki reopened on March 21 next to the Grab-N-Go.
Squawk the Show, an amazing 60-minute demonstration of fine feathered feats, debuted April 5 in the Island Courtyard. Talented parrots delighted and confounded audiences every Saturday throughout May by painting pictures, playing cards and even reading minds! Once you’ve seen a parrot solve a math problem, you’ll think, `Oh, so that’s how you do it!’
Our annual Easter egg hunt drew lots of young treasure seekers to the Island Courtyard and Lazy River on April 19.
May 18 marked the start of the fifth anniversary season of our popular summer luau.
On May 21 we earned our third straight TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence. Some things never get old.
May 29: New shuttle busses with rooftop-mounted air conditioning systems arrived just in time for the summer riding season. They get cooler faster and stay cooler longer. So far this year our shuttles have transported 328,866 Tahiti Village owners and visitors, including 8,565 to the Fremont Street Experience, 3,692 to Red Rock Canyon, 6,216 to the grocery store and 1,687 to Town Square.
17° South Booze & Bites, our new bar and bistro, opened on June 10. It is the centerpiece of our main lobby renovation and sits in the spaces previously occupied by the WikiWiki and the wedding chapel. In the six months since its grand opening, 17° South has poured 3,100 gallons of beer, cooked 2,755 pounds of ground beef and served 24,957 cocktails.
August 1: The New Tropicana replaced New York-New York as one of our two Strip shuttle drop-off locations.
New smoking areas were designated for all aquatic attractions on August 8. Smoking is now prohibited inside the pool area, Lazy River and hot tubs.
August 31: luau season came to an end. Exactly 4,000 people attended the 15 luaus over the course of the summer.
Our Tahiti Village Facebook page received its 5,000th like on September 3. Just four months later we now have nearly 18,000. Thank you for your support.
We started our Paint and Party activity on September 26 in case you wanted to paint a picture instead of the town on your next visit.
On October 1 we earned our third consecutive RCI Gold Crown Resort designation. Some things never get old.
October 29: NHRA drag racer Terry McMillen visited Tahiti Village and hosted a fundraiser at 17° South. Proceeds from a special “Terry McTini” benefitted She4Life, a breast cancer support group.
Our newly renovated Mahana Spa reopened on November 3. Wait till we get our hands on you!
We began the final phase of our lobby renovation, also on Nov. 3.
We completed the final phase of our lobby renovation the first week of December. The lobby now features updated tables, chairs and couches, decorative space dividers, recovered pillars and eye-catching wall art specially designed for Tahiti Village by Ron Nicola Interiors. The makeover is an extension of the design concept Ron created for 17° South Booze & Bites. The previous island motif with dominant browns and greens has been replaced with vibrant colors and modern furniture that invites you to sit down and stay awhile.
As you can see, it was a busy and eventful 2014 at Tahiti Village. We wish you all a healthy and prosperous new year and hope to see you here in 2015.