At age 14, Chip W. Bahouth, general manger of the Sheraton Maui Resort, literally dove head-first into a career in the hotel service industry. When Bahouth was a teenager, his father held the position of resident manager for Sheraton Maui.  His family lived directly on the resort’s 23 oceanfront acres, allowing Chip free reign of his “backyard” at Black Rock.  After school, Chip would often spend his time on the beach talking with the staff and learning the tricks of diving off Black Rock. One evening, as the traditional cliff diving ceremony was about to begin, the scheduled cliff diver fell ill and was unable to complete the dive ceremony. Staff members from the resort remembered Chip’s proficiency at diving and asked him to step in for the night.  Chip completed the ceremony flawlessly and was enlisted as a diver. He kept his role as diver for the next two years, until his family moved away from the Sheraton Maui Resort. 

As Chip grew older he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue a career in the hotel service industry. He attended the University of Denver where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration and Hotel and Restaurant Management.  After college, in 1981, Chip began his own career in the hotel industry as a management trainee at the Sheraton Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Within six months he was became the corporate sales manager.

Chip enjoyed working in San Francisco, but always fondly remembered his humble beginnings at the Sheraton Maui Resort. When the opportunity to return to Hawaii arose three years later, Chip agreed to become the Director of Sales at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider.

In the following years Bahouth worked at various Sheratons across Hawaii and learned everything he could about hotel management by holding positions as the Director of Food and Beverage at the Moana  Surfider Executive Assistant Manger of the Sheraton Townhouse in Los Angeles and General Manager of Hotel Hana Maui.

Meanwhile, The Sheraton Maui Resort was also developing. In 1996, during a $180 million renovation Chip rejoined the Sheraton Maui. In this position he hoped to infuse the renovated property with the spirit of the hotel he remembered from his youth.

When the Sheraton Maui reopened in 1997, it flourished under Chip’s wealth of experience, winning a number of awards. Most recently, the Sheraton received Starwood Hotels and Resorts highest honor, the 2007 “Hotel of the Year” for the Sheraton brand.

For Chip, the story has come full circle, and he is content running the resort where his career began.