Johann Strasser's Obituary
Johann "Hans" Strasser, 86, of Honolulu, passed away peacefully on August 3, 2025. He was born on April 26, 1939, in St. Agatha, Austria. Hans is survived by his wife of 59 years, Marie-Claire; sons Stephan and Daniel; grandson Sidney; brother Kurt (Heidi); sister Inge; and nephews Robert Strasser and Christophe Lukundula (Gayle).
Hans graduated from the Salzburg Hotel Management Academy in his homeland in l961. Prior to that he completed a tour in the Austrian army. He began his apprenticeship as a budding hotelier in middle management positions throughout Europe working in deluxe hotels in Switzerland, Holland, Germany, Austria and the Channel Islands. He also toured the Caribbean, the United States and South America on cruise liners like the "New Amsterdam".
In 1963, Hans settled in England and joined the then New London Hilton Hotel in its rooms division. It was also at that time he met his future wife, Marie-Claire Stephen. His excellent management abilities displayed at the London Hilton brought new opportunities and a major global move in his career as he was asked by the Hilton Hotels Corporation to move to the United States and participate in the opening of the Washington Hilton Hotel in February of l965 - the new "Flagship" of the Hilton Hotel chain.
In l966, Hans joined the Kansas City Stockyard Corporation as a restaurant manager in the District of Columbia. After a year, he became the director of purchasing for Hilton Hotels. 1966 was also the year that Hans returned to his native Austria and married Marie-Claire. A civil wedding was performed on May 26, 1966 in Arlington, Virginia with the church wedding held on July 17, 1966 in Schloss Ort, Gmunden, Austria. Hans was promoted with Hilton Hotels in l969 to the position of Director of Food and Beverage Operations for the Netherlands Hilton and the Terrace Hilton in Cincinnati and held that position for one year, just prior to coming to the Hawaiian Islands.
The Colony Surf Development Corporation in Honolulu brought the Strasser’s and their two sons, Stephan and Daniel, to the Islands in Spring of l970, where he directed all operations of the Colony Surf Hotel and its famed restaurant "Michel's". In his capacity with the Colony Surf Development Corporation, Hans brought astute management and growth to the company that was unmatched in the Islands. He firmly established the 20-story Colony Surf Hotel as a luxury resort and included the unique restaurant/discotheque concept of Bobby McGee's Conglomeration to make the whole complex of the Colony Surf a well-balanced complementing operation. On January 1, l98l, Hans was appointed General Manager of Honolulu’s new Prince Kuhio Hotel, a 620-room luxury hotel in the very heart of Waikiki.
An incredibly auspicious moment in Hans’ life happened in December of 1976. Hans was named by the President of the Republic of Austria as the first Honorary Consul of Austria in Hawaii. He was humbled and proud to serve in this role, and he thrived. Some of the milestones along the way included: In 1977, Hans became an active member of the Consular Corps of Hawaii; on October 29, l982, he was elevated to Honorary Consul General of Austria in Hawaii; on January l, l988, Hans was elected to Dean of the Consular Corps of Hawaii; and finally, on February 17, 2015, Hans celebrated the 39th anniversary of the establishment of the first Austrian Consulate in the State of Hawaii.
On May l, 1983, Hans formed his own hotel marketing company called HOTELMARK CORPORATION, headquartered at 1314 S. King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96814. The Company found its roots in the highly successful Prince Kuhio Club, developed to promote the luxurious Prince Kuhio Hotel and its award-winning Protea Restaurant. Hotelmark utilized this unique approach to establish a network of similar projects in the major cities of the United States, the Far East, Middle East, Africa, Australia and Europe. This modest enterprise grew into a global organization with offices on all five continents. As it turned out, Hotelmark's innovative concept of hotel marketing and loyalty programs created a whole new industry worldwide with several dozen competing companies copying the concept. Since the formation, Hans served as the President of the Company. He held the position of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hotelmark Corporation since January 1983. In just over thirty years of business the aggregated sales of Hotelmark Corporation exceeded $280 million USD. Finally, on December 31, 2015, Hotelmark Corporation closed its business operations.
Active in professional and social organizations in the Islands, Hans was the l977 President of the Hawaiian Hotel Association (HHA), and a member of the Food Service Executive Association of Washington, D.C., as well as a past director of the Hawaii Restaurant Association. He was also a founding member of the Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs in Hawaii (La Chaine is the world's oldest epicurean society), over which he presided since l978 as Regional Bailli and National Officer. He presided over five Chapters in the Hawaiian Islands and Guam, also serving on the Confrerie’s National Board as a Director; member of the Confrerie de Vignerons de St. Vincent Macon; Director of Skal International, Hawaii Chapter; member of the Grand Order of the Dynasty; member of the Outrigger Canoe Club of Honolulu; member of the Honolulu International Club; member of the Waialae Country Club; member of the Hawaii International Film Festival; member of the Advisory Counsel of the Austrian Tourist Board; member and Chairman of the T.I.M. Advisory Board, the Travel Industry Management School of the University of Hawaii, and lastly, a member of the Board of Governors of Chaminade University of Hawaii.
Hans was an instrumental fundraiser for the Boy Scouts; member of the Honolulu Rotary Club, and a director of the Red Cross of Hawaii (International Affairs). For almost 30 years, Hans served, with much pride, on the Board of the Great Aloha Run, one of the world’s largest moving events supporting some 120 Hawaii charities.
Since l966, Hans had been a member of the Austrian American Society of Washington, D.C. and in l977, he founded the Austrian Association of Hawaii (AAH), for which he served as a director since its inception. In l978, Governor George R. Ariyoshi appointed Hans a member of the State Employment and Training Council (SETC) for Hawaii.
Fun fact: Hans had a Hollywood side-gig in the 1970's when he appeared in several episodes of the original Hawaii 5-0 with Jack Lord. In his leisure time, Hans enjoyed spending time with his lovely wife and sons. He also enjoyed traveling worldwide; golfing; playing tennis and skiing on the slopes of Colorado or Tyrol.
Private services were held.
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