Meet Resorts Team
Michael Paulin, Chairman & Founder, Aqua Hotels & Resorts. Michael designed his first Hawaiian vacation experience upon graduating from the University of Southern California. It was 1964, and the idea of “Condo/Car Holidays” was a new concept in Kauai. Together with Los Angeles entrepreneur Peter Ueberroth, Michael acquired a travel agency and began merchandising villas and apartments as travel packages. Six short years later, this venture formed Colony Hotels, which later became the fourth largest condominium/hotel management company in Hawaii. In 1978, Michael teamed with renowned Hawaii hotelier Andre S. Tatibouet to create Aston Hotels & Resorts. Soon, with the largest Hotel-Condo management company and one of the largest operators of vacation accommodations, the concept of “condotel” was born. Nine years later, Michael left Aston to spearhead his own management company, Marc Hotels & Resorts.
Over the next ten years, Michael grew Marc Hotels & Resorts into one of the largest and most successful hotel operations in Hawaii, managing 22 properties throughout the Hawaiian Islands. In 1997, he sold Marc Hotels & Resorts to Sunterra. He returned to Hawaii in early 2000 to form Aqua Hotels & Resorts, which launched in 2001.
Michael is recognized internationally for his work. He serves as Chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), which is the world’s largest public-private tourist organization, and has been awarded a prestigious PATA Life Membership. In 1996, Michael’s colleagues throughout the hotel industry honored him as Chairman of the Hawaii Hotel Association.
With his heart and home in Hawaii, Michael looks forward to collaborating with both local and mainland Hotel-Condo investors, and continuing to develop this fast-growing segment of the tourism industry.
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Benjamin Rafter, President & CEO. For more than fifteen years Benjamin has been guiding successful e-commerce and technology companies. He has created global innovation centers, acted as a principal strategist for several G1000 and startup companies, founded successful companies of his own and worked with numerous hospitality and e-commerce clients.
Most recently he was president and CEO of JetAway/Travelworm, a Wasserstein & Co.-owned, online travel retailer focusing on casino and leisure vacation markets across the United States. Prior to JetAway/Travelworm, Rafter was president and CEO of Get2Hawaii™, a dynamic packaging technology company and online aggregator of travel inventory.
Previously Rafter directed Cambridge Technology Partners’ Innovation Center and NewCo Solutions practices. In this role, Rafter managed the practice and was responsible for major business development activities. In 1996, Rafter and two partners founded Innerlinx (renamed LiveBid). Acquired by Amazon.com for a significant return to investors, Livebid’s real-time auction model was the recognized leader in the space.
Rafter began his career in the marketing and distribution department of Westin Hotels & Resorts. In various roles, including emerging technologies manager, he helped create one of the first hospitality sites and booking engines on the Web and significantly expanded Westin’s Premier frequency program through the use of database marketing.
Rafter is an active participant in angel investor and startup communities and serves on various boards for hospitality and technology companies. In his current position at Aqua Hotels & Resorts, Rafter is charged with advancing the company’s global growth strategy.
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Guy Underkoffler, Senior Vice President. Guy graduated from Shippensburg University in with a degree in accounting and data processing and spent the next fifteen years honing his expertise at hotels and resorts on both the mainland and Hawaii.
While serving as an Accounting Manager with Interstate Hotels Corporations, he was immediately assigned to the prestigious Sheraton Biscayne Bay Hotel in Miami, where he moved through the ranks to Controller. Throughout his career Guy has worked with Wyndham, Westin, and W Hotels. Prior to Aqua Hotels & Resorts, Guy served as Controller for the historic Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica.
Guy joined Aqua as Controller in March 2003, and currently directs the corporate accounting office, staff, taxes, future financial planning, and market analysis.
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Elizabeth Churchill, Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Beth’s expertise in hospitality began more than 14 years ago at Peck Sims Mueller Advertising, where she liaised with the Maui Visitors Bureau, Prince Resorts Hawaii, and Outrigger Hotels & Resorts.
She transitioned to advertising sales with Reed Travel Group, the world’s largest travel publishing company. As Regional Director Pacific, she managed all sales and marketing activities for Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
Beth also worked with the non-profit USS Missouri Memorial Association as the International Sales and Marketing Manager. Prior to joining Aqua, Beth served as Senior Project Manager for Global Advisory Services where she helped develop “health and wellness tourism” for the State of Hawaii.
Beth remains actively involved in both the international and local travel industry, including Pacific Asia Travel Association's Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Committee from 2000-2001 and its International Industry Council. She served as President of the Travel and Tourism Research Association Hawaii Chapter in 1998 and 1999, sat on the PATA Hawaii Chapter board as Education and Environmental Chair from 2000-2002 as well as the board of Sales and Marketing Executives from 1999-2002. In 2002, Beth attended the Business Enterprises for Sustainable Travel (BEST) Think Tank on Sustainable Tourism.
Beth came to Aqua in 2005 and was previously Vice President Marketing & Guest Services, responsible for strategic marketing and advertising, eCommerce initiatives, guest services and development of new project acquisitions. In her current role, Beth also directs the global sales and revenue management initiatives for Aqua.
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William R. Farnsworth, Jr., Vice President of Finance. Bill brings more than 30 years of hospitality experience across all major hotel departments. He completed undergraduate studies in hotel administration at Cornell University and earned his MBA at the University of Hawaii.
In management, Bill has served as Controller, Food and Beverage Director, and General Manager in resorts and commercial hotels. And his executive positions have included CFO and SVP Operations for multi-property hotel, resort, and timeshare management companies on the mainland and in Hawaii.
Throughout his career, Bill has worked with upscale city commercial hotels, mid-market vacation properties, and condominium resort rental pools, including RockResorts, a five-star destination resort in the Caribbean, New England, Wyoming, and Hawaii. He has also led new hotel openings and transitioned numerous properties to new ownership or management.
With Aqua, Bill oversees financial relationships with owners and lenders and the financial analysis and feasibility of new projects. He is responsible for all hotel and homeowner association accounting; financial reporting, analysis, forecasting; and Aqua’s tax reporting, audit, and treasury functions.
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William Henderson, Vice President of Development. During his more than 35-year business career in Hawaii, Bill has held senior executive positions in a range of tourism, hospitality and transportation entities throughout Hawaii and the Pacific Region, including involvement in development, management, marketing, finance, operations, and virtually all aspects of the travel industry.
In the hospitality industry, Bill’s most recently served as Vice President Business Development for Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, where he planned and executed growth and diversification efforts that resulted in transformation of a company that owned and/or operated 20 hotels (18 in Waikiki) in Hawaii, to a Pacific-wide regional power with more than 50 hotels/resorts throughout the Hawaiian Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Guam, Palau, Majuro, and French Polynesia.
Prior to Outrigger, Bill served as Regional VP for Colony Resorts, where he grew their portfolio from 7 to 17 resorts, and increased revenues three-fold. He also led Colony expansion to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina and Park City, Utah.
In the transportation sector, Bill held executive-level positions that included positions as Senior VP Marketing and Services for Hawaiian Airlines, VP Marketing and Sales for Aloha Airlines, and Executive VP for South Pacific Airlines.
Throughout his career, Bill has been actively involved in both the travel industry and the community. He previously served on both the Marketing and Research committees for HVB; Marketing Authority and Board of Pacific Asia Travel Assn (PATA International); Board of International Hawaiian Canoe Assn; Board of Australia-Hawaii Chamber of Commerce; adjunct teacher of Travel Marketing at Hawaii Pacific Univ; and Strategic Marketing instructor for the Exec Development Institute for Tourism at UH.
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Henry Perez, Director of Owner Relations. Henry brings more than 20 years of hospitality expertise with experience in Florida, California, and Hawaii.Prior to Aqua, Henry was Hotel Manager for the 600-room Outrigger Guam Resort in Tumon Bay, Guam. Henry has also served as Executive Vice President/COO and General Manager of the Lawai Beach Resort (Kauai), and has held the position of General Manager for Embassy Suites Resort in Kaanapali and Crown Sterling Suites in both Orange County, California, and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
As Director of Owner Relations, Henry liaises between hotel owners and individual “condotel” owners at each Aqua property.
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