Overview

It is our pleasure to introduce you to Roberts Hawaii, a full service company that will deliver first class Transportation, personalized Sightseeing Tours and Excursions, and an exciting variety of Attractions and Activities for your clients. Our family-owned and operated company began serving the tourism industry on Kauai in 1941. Today our service extends to the four major islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii. We are proud of our outstanding reputation of working with meeting planners, destination management companies and operators of escorted tour providers who choose to use Roberts Hawaii for their travel arrangements as well as working directly with customers like you.

Roberts Hawaii is Hawaii's largest tour and transportation provider with over 65 years of experience. Roberts Hawaii offers a variety of tours including shore excursions, shore tours, shore activities, land excursions, land tours as well as excursions, tours and One Day tours on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii (the Big Island). Roberts Hawaii is a member of the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau.

Company Profile
In 1941, in the little town of Hanapepe on the "Garden Isle" of Kauai, Robert Iwamoto, Sr. started a business as an independent taxi driver transporting soldiers stationed on Kauai. As the business prospered, he bought five more cars and established Roberts Rent-A-Car. Iwamoto's son, Robert Jr., joined the family business at the age of 15, when the company began to offer tours in long 'stretch' sedans. In the late fifties, the company purchased its first bus and moved its center of operations to the newly built airport in Lihue. In 1957, Robert, Sr. purchased an air conditioned motor coach, the first of its kind of Kauai. And in the early 60's, Roberts began to offer "Room and Car" packages, the forerunners of today's Roberts Overnighters. In 1964, the company opened operations on Oahu. This was soon followed by expansion onto Maui and the Big Island. During the same period, the company identified some other unmet needs on Oahu and expanded into baggage handling service and the activities business by offering sunset dinner cruises. In 1974 Roberts purchased 4-luxury motor coaches and began competing on a level with mainland-based Greyhound Tours. The 1980's were a period of major growth for Roberts Hawaii. In 1981, we entered the school bus business and built Ali'i Kai Catamaran, the world's largest ocean-going twin hulled ship. She still operates today, offering nightly dinner cruises off Waikiki. Later in the decade the company went on to purchase Captain Beans' cruises on Hawaii and concentrated on growing its Roberts Overnighter business.

In the 90's, Roberts focused on growing its market share in Hawaii's competitive tourism business. The company now owns the Magic of Polynesia, Waikiki's 'must see' nighttime show. On the tour and transportation side of the company, which represents the firm's roots and still the core of its business, the company has continued to expand its fleet of luxury motor coaches.

In addition to offering the finest Sightseeing Tours and Excursions on the four major islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii, Roberts also offers an exclusive passport for fun on Oahu, Hawaii's Sight 'n Sea Pass. The Sight 'n Sea Pass provides five value priced offerings featuring eight of our most exciting activities! The company shows no signs of slowing down, with its growth and future increasingly being guided by third generation family management. Having entered the millennium with a leading edge website, the finest fleet of vehicles and sought-after experiences, Roberts Hawaii continues to stand behind its mission statement.

Rabbit Tales
The story behind the Roberts' Rabbit goes back to a time when Robert Iwamoto, Jr. watched the dog races in Mexico while on leave from his tour of duty with the Air Force. Years later when the company entered the tour business in direct competition with Greyhound Tours, he recalled that the Greyhounds never actually caught the rabbit so he chose as their logo a bright yellow running rabbit similar to the running greyhound mascot of their competitor. A few years later when Greyhound pulled out of Hawaii, the addition of the Rabbit waving "Aloha" to the competition was introduced.