Tourists take Madeline in stride

Two years ago when Hawaii Island was bracing for the arrival of then-Hurricane Iselle, the lobby of the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel was a hub of activity, with numerous guests glued to computer tablets and smartphone screens.

Late Wednesday morning, with the island bracing for the arrival of then-Hurricane Madeline, the Banyan Drive hotel’s lobby was more reminiscent of a ghost town. Down the spiral staircase at ground level by the hotel’s Moku Ola Room, there was yellow barricade tape, wooden buttresses and sandbags.

“Right now, we’ve got barricades up. There’s really no building in Hilo that’s probably safer than the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, so there’s no plans to evacuate,” said Alan Mattson, president and chief operating officer of Castle Resorts &Hotels. “Civil Defense has been to the property (and) for a category 1 or 2 hurricane — and this is far below that — there’s really no reason to evacuate the property.”

Madeline was downgraded to a tropical storm at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

At the Hilo Naniloa Hotel, General Manager Phyllis Branco said Madeline and Hurricane Lester, which is expected to impact the island this weekend, caused “maybe a 15 to 20 percent cancellation rate as far as arrivals.”

She said Hilo appears to be “a magical spot” because despite the sometimes heavy intermittent rain, the storm’s effects likely would be worse in Puna and Ka‘u.

“Our concerns are for our employees who are living down south, and so far, so good.”

Several guests monitored the situation in the Naniloa’s newly renovated lobby. Dwight Loeding of Orlando, Fla., perused two large flat-screen televisions on the wall tuned to news channels.

Loeding said he and his wife, who are scheduled to depart today, contemplated a hike Wednesday to Papakolea Beach at South Point to see its fabled green sand. Told the storm’s forecast track would take it close to the island’s southernmost point, he replied, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

He also conceded that Floridians, who see many more hurricanes than Hawaii residents, have a more cavalier view toward powerful cyclones.

“We have hurricane parties,” Loeding said.

Rick Passaro and Bert Harris of Warrenton, Va., are part of the nonprofit organization Rainforest Trust. They’re in Hawaii for the World Conservation Congress that starts today in Honolulu. Passaro said the group was staying in Volcano but moved to the Naniloa “fleeing the hurricane.”

Harris added they were on the Big Island to see native Hawaiian birds at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge.

“These birds are on the edge of extinction, and a big hurricane could be the last straw, you know,” Harris said.

The Pagoda Hilo Bay Hotel, formerly Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel, and the Hilo Seaside Hotel were evacuated during Tropical Storm Iselle but no closures were planned as of Wednesday afternoon.

“No one actually needed any information on evacuations or the weather,” said Rochelle Kagawa, general manager of the Hilo Seaside. “It’s mainly if the flights were canceled, if it’s safe to travel out or inbound.”

“The only time we would evacuate is if Civil Defense calls us and tells us we need to evacuate,” said Geri Estrella, general manager of the Pagoda Hilo Bay.

Kagawa and Estrella said they, like the others, had cancellations because of the weather. Estrella said the closure of the Port of Hilo and decisions by interisland barge company Young Brothers also have had an effect on the annual Labor Day motorcycle rally on the Big Island.

“Some were not able to get their motorcycles on the barge soon enough. And because of the hurricane, it gave them the opportunity to cancel,” Estrella said.

And while the Big Island likely will be spared Iselle-like destruction, the cancellations, at least for the Hilo Hawaiian, come with a silver lining.

“We’ve probably gained more reservations than have canceled because what we have are a lot of insurance people coming into the hotel,” Mattson said.

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.