The hotel that makes a difference in Micronesia

If there was a nomination for the most sports-oriented hotel in Micronesia, the winner in this category would be Pacific Islands Club Saipan ( www.picresorts-saipan.com ). It is not only because the hotel is an all-inclusive resort, which provides over 60 different sports and activities free of charge for its guests. The hotel’s beachfront location contains substantial facilities such as its Waterpark with its Point Break Wave Machine, beach volleyball courts, tennis courts, laser tag, archery, mini-golf, etc. Guests are often overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices they have during their stay.

PIC is the major sponsor, organizer, and host of a number of internationally-known sports events. For the last nine years, extreme sports lovers converge on the small island for the Annual XTERRA Saipan Championship and the Tagaman Triathlon ( http://www.saipansports.com ). The Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Tournament has attracted the world’s top professional and amateur players from Europe, Asia, and the USA. The hotel provides room and board for the athletes and works with the Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association to provide optional tours, as well as workshops with local schools.

In September, PIC organizes the International Point Break Championship. This event runs tail to Korea’s Point Break competition series, and those winners receive an all-expense-paid trip to showcase their skills in Saipan on September 10-12, 2010.

PIC is also behind the toughest cycling race in Micronesia, the 100 km “Hell of the Marianas” ( www.hell-of-the-marianas.com ). The 4-year old race attracts over 100 participants from the USA, Korea, Japan, Russia, Guam, and Australia, and this year’s race is scheduled for December 4, 2010.

Many of the island’s sporting events are also sponsored by PIC or happen at the resort facilities such as tennis and soccer tournaments, mini-golf competitions, dodge ball, and basketball games. The resort has its own annual Seaside Grill Beach Volleyball Tourney and a Duck Race. This year, PIC opened the newest attraction on Saipan, the Laser Tag Park, and immediately added to its schedule, a Laser Tag Tournament. PIC provides prizes in cash, giveaways, and gift certificates for every event it hosts or sponsors.

PIC’s team is highly proactive. Sports are a major part of the hotel’s team building and human resources internal marketing programs. PIC has its own cycling, dodge ball, volleyball, basketball, soccer, and bodysurfing teams, and organizes employee Olympic-type games for fun each year. PIC even has its own local sports stars. For example, the general manager, Kieran Daly, is an active triathlete and the creator of the “Hell of the Marianas.” He has previously raced in an Ironman triathlon and in August 2010, he participated in the 7th Micronesian Games in Palau and won the Men’s gold medal in the triathlon. The reservations manager, Kevin Carey, participates with his wife Mieko, a professional triathlete and ex-PIC employee, in many local and international triathlons and races. The hotel cycling team has more than 40 hotel employees from various departments, and many of them lead and win at the cycling races organized on Saipan. The oldest athlete at PIC is over 60 years young.

www.picresorts-saipan.com