The Mauka Warriors Luau at Hawaii’s Coral Crater Adventure Park
Nomadix Networks
Nomadix Gateways
Honoring Tradition, Embracing Technology: Nomadix Wi-Fi Powers Authentic Hawaiian Luau Experience
Under the glow of tiki torches and flaming batons, some 700 guests gather nightly to experience an authentic celebration of Polynesian history and culture.
The Mauka Warriors Luau at Hawaii’s Coral Crater Adventure Park is an interactive experience that celebrates the legend of King Kamehameha, Hawaii’s greatest warrior, through historical traditions, inclusive education and an authentic dining experience from the island’s only full Umu kitchen. More than just dinner and a show, guests can participate in hula lessons, headband weaving and more, fully immersed in the rich cultural experience honoring forgotten warriors.
And thanks to Nomadix’s high-performance EG 1000 gateway, combined with a solid network infrastructure (including the Nomadix 6RA outdoor access points in mesh configuration and an 8-port switch), they can livestream and post to their social channels in real-time to capture the memories and share the experience far beyond the islands.
CHALLENGE
- Rural location with limited connectivity
- Balancing authentic culture with modern digital expectations
- Demand for hundreds of simultaneous connections
- Capacity for guest service plus administrative use
Blending tradition and technology
Launched in 2023, Mauka Warriors Luau is committed to honoring traditions but with an innovative, guest-centric approach that recognizes the value of staying connected for visitors.
“Our goal was to provide a hybrid of authentic culture with a modern experience,” said Brandon Sookhoo, head of marketing and business operations. “We’ve seamlessly woven technology across the entire experience, which allows us to operate more efficiently and deliver on guests’ expectations.”
As the only luau on the island with guest-accessible Wi-Fi, Mauka Warriors leverages it as a competitive advantage. Boasting a strong social presence, guests are encouraged to livestream, post online, share reviews and enjoy on-demand tableside digital drink ordering. The venue even provides free digital photos of their experience to guests, sent directly to their smartphone while on the property.
Premier experience demands warrior-grade Wi-Fi
Considering the rural location of the luau, Sookhoo admits their connection options were limited. Coral Crater had its own Wi-Fi but it didn’t extend far enough, nor did it have the bandwidth to accommodate hundreds of guests.
The team considered Starlink, but it didn’t offer the capacity to accommodate more than 30-50 people connecting at one time.
“We knew the connection had to be top-notch for our guests. If not, the Wi-Fi would be a flaw not a feature, and we wanted to wow them on every aspect of the experience,” Sookhoo said.
In addition to guest connectivity, the Mauku Warriors team needed reliable service to handle reservations, printing tickets and general staff needs. The luau also earns commission on discounts and advertising opportunities they offer to other local tourism partners, so they needed a network that could handle the multi-faceted load.
The Solution
Nomadix: the clear choice for high-capacity connection
The Mauku team immediately recognized Nomadix as the right solution. Designed for high-capacity hospitality venues like hotels, sports arenas and other public spaces, the Nomadix gateway offered the reliability, high performance and bandwidth balancing to handle hundreds of simultaneous connections.
“We decided to go above and beyond with the service we would offer, and Nomadix was the obvious choice,” Sookhoo said. “No other option could give us the capacity of the Nomadix gateways, and the entire setup experience has been fast and simple.”
The Nomadix technical team advised on the setup and positioning of access points for the best experience, and the entire installation took less than two days.
“Our goal was to provide a hybrid of authentic culture with a modern experience. We’ve seamlessly woven technology across the entire experience, which allows us to operate more efficiently and deliver on guests' expectations."
Brandon Sookhoo, Head of Marketing and Business Operations
Outcome
Exceptional service fuels future growth
The Nomadix gateway solution has provided exceptional service and laid a groundwork for future expansion. The Mauku venue already hosts 700 guests five nights a week and so far, the Wi-Fi has accommodated 500 simultaneous connections with zero performance issues.
The Mauku team sees Wi-Fi as essential in their business growth.
“We’ve been successful at raising our demand and growing consistently, and our creative leveraging of technology has played an integral part in our success,” Sookhoo said.
But he says the future is clear: no matter how deeply rooted in tradition your offering may be, delivering an exceptional guest experience requires robust connectivity, which makes high-capacity Wi-Fi essential for Mauku’s success.
“Nomadix delivers the capacity and reliability we needed, and I would recommend their gateways to any hospitality venue looking for high-performance Wi-Fi that’s fast and simple to deploy and easy to maintain.”
To learn more about Nomadix Wi-Fi gateways, visit www.nomadix.com.