Phantom Planner

• Even though Hawaii's hotel room rates keep rising, meeting planners can get a 50 percent price break on Hawai‘i Convention Center space and a plethora of destination services if they book before the end of 2007.

• The Hawaii VCB and SMG Hawaii, which operates the Hawai‘i Convention Center, have joined forces to launch BusinessAloha.com, a Web site dedicated to supplying meeting planners with the information and resources needed to bring a group to the Hawaiian Islands.

• Low-cost ATA Airlines will increase its flight capacity to Hawaii in June, adding daily flights between Oakland and the cities of Honolulu, Kona, and Lihue, and between Las Vegas and Maui.

• To “see” before you commit to a Hawaii resort, go to www.wizardpub.com/main/home.htm and click on your island under “Resort reviews.” Aerial photos show how big a hotel or condo complex is and how close it really is to the ocean or busy roads.

• Be ready for sticker shock in Hawaii, where just about everything costs more than on the mainland. Sunscreen, sunglasses, cameras and film, toothpaste, and meeting supplies should be packed in checked luggage and brought with you or sent ahead.

Special Venues

• From Maui, arrange for your attendees to take in Molokai, a less developed island, with a cruise on the Molokai Princess and 18 holes of par-72 golf at Kaluakoi. It's a full day from 7:15 a.m. when the ship departs Lahaina Harbor until it returns golfers to Maui for dinner. A continental breakfast and picnic lunch are part of the deal. (866) 307-6524; www.molokaiferry.com

• The Four Seasons Resort Maui is scheduled to open a new restaurant, Duo, this month. Prime cuts of beef, including Japanese Kobe, and fresh seafood will be served from an open kitchen. A private dining room in the gardens can seat 20 guests. (808) 874-8000; www.fourseasons.com/maui/dining/duo.html

• There are numerous whale-watch excursions, many of which guarantee sightings and provide expert narration, during the late November to mid-April season. On Oahu, Wild Side Specialty Tours leave from Waianae Boat Harbor, A-11. Tours include marine biologists on the crew and take groups away from the major tourist activity. From outside Waikiki, (808) 306-7273; www.sailhawaii.com