Visitor Counts, Spending Down

Aloha Kakou:

For the first half of 2009, both the number of visitors and visitor spending per person have declined to below last year's rates.

Visits from the West Coast are down about 14% for 2009 while per person spending of $175 per day was down by 4.6%.

http://mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/521598.html?nav=10

Outrigger Maui Eldorado In The News

Aloha Kakou:

The press release about the Outrigger Maui Eldorado that I mentioned two days ago was picked up by Travelpulse, a website and magazine designed for travel agents. This blurb is under their "News" section.

Follow the link to see the article:
http://www.travelpulse.com/Resources/Editorial.aspx?n=58669

Outrigger Maui Eldorado Press Release

Aloha Kakou:

Please follow the link to see the Outrigger-issued press release regarding the Outrigger Maui Eldorado, issued July 15.

Should I discover where this gets reprinted, I'll pass that information along to you.

http://www.outrigger.com/aboutus_pr_detail.aspx?release_id=718

Tropical Travel Features Outrigger Maui Eldorado

Aloha Kakou:

Yes, our new lower rates continue to attract attention.

No, I've never heard of them either, but Tropical Travel Vacations just announced 5 nights at the Outrigger Maui Eldorado, including air, for $999 per person, double occupancy, from Detroit. Add $100 for airfare from other major cities.

http://www.tropicaltravel.net/vacation_packages/d/hawaii/maui/vacation/7169/

MVB/HVCB Meet To Discuss Visitor Industry Future

Aloha Kakou:

At Maui Visitor's Bureau annual membership meeting last Wednesday, talk was about how Maui is weathering the current economic situation, about attracting new types of visitors and about Maui's place in the vacation world.

John Monahan, chief executive of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB), said, "The difficulty is getting people to spend. It is a complete buyer's market." Visitors who "engage in the destination, people who will do more when they're here rather than buy a mat at ABC and flop on the beach," is the new type of desired visitor, he said. Hawaii needs visitors who want to go out, do things, engage in the culture, Monahan said.

"We have a reputation for being expensive," Teryl Vencl, Maui Visitor's Bureau executive director said. "That's hurting us."

Regarding the impact of social media on Maui as a destination, Vencl said, "Our every move is watched and observed daily."

http://mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/521353.html?nav=10

Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays Blast

Aloha Kakou:

Here's Pleasant Hawaiian Holiday's latest email blast to travel agents. Notice how the Outrigger Maui Eldorado is the lowest priced condo and the second-lowest priced property listed.


Microsoft Word - Discover the Islands of Outrigger and OHANA in Hawaii

That's No Okina...

Aloha Kakou:

The character separating the two i's on new Hawaii stamp isn't the okina as was intended by the stamp's artist.

The okina, which symbolizes a glottal stop, was replaced on the stamp with an apostrophe, usually used to replace a missing letter.

While the apostrophe is right-facing with the weight at the top, the okina faces left with the weight at the bottom.

Will anyone, other than a few Hawaiian linguists, take notice? It's doubtful, but that still doesn't mitigate the error.

And you learned something new today, too!

http://www.starbulletin.com/features/20090721_Typo_on_stamp_sickens_designer.html

Outrigger Maui Eldorado Down Under

Aloha Kakou:

Australian travel writer Andrew Both, who writes for the Australian Associated Press, stayed here at the Outrigger Maui Eldorado in January.

His piece about Maui, which mentions the Outrigger Maui Eldorado, was picked up by the Illawarra Mercury in New South Wales and published on April 4.

I was unable to find a link to the article through the newspaper, but here is the article itself. As always, click on the picture to enlarge so you can read it.

TripAdvisor Not As Impartial As They Claim

Aloha Kakou:

TripAdvisor, the allegedly unbiased, user generated review site, is admitting they are having problems with fake reviews.

It would seem that some hotels have taken it upon themselves to write glowing reviews of their own properties, skewing the reader's perception along with that hotel's position in TripAdvisor's rankings. Additionally, these reviews also hurt TripAdvisor's credibility; how can a reader trust any review if some of those reviews are known to be fraudulent? For the record, writing bogus reviews of the Outrigger Maui Eldorado is not a practice in which I encourage or engage.

There have also been reports of competitors writing negative reviews of neighboring properties in order to steer business their way.

You can rely on TripAdvisor reviews if you'd like but my experience with this company leads me to believe that they are more concerned with the number of reviews on their site than on the quality of those reviews.

Every once in a while, a non-rental guest will post a review of a non-Outrigger managed unit under the Outrigger Maui Eldorado heading. Getting these wrong reviews removed is a lengthy process; it takes TripAdvisor up to a week following my notification to remove the review pending investigation. Meanwhile, anyone looking for the Outrigger Maui Eldorado assumes that the bad non-rental review belongs to us. It is appalling that anyone can post a comment like "just call a non-rental owner to get a better deal than you can get through Outrigger" and the "impartial" folks at TripAdvisor think there's nothing wrong with that!

Clearly, the folks at TripAdvisor do not understand the way in which vacation condominiums work, nor do they care to learn that there are any number of management companies here at the Maui Eldorado. It is impossible to actually talk to anyone at TripAdvisor; my phone calls to their office go unreturned. The decision about whether to leave a review under our name is final - there is no appeal process. Replies to their emails are met with a message saying that their decision is final.

If TripAdvisor were a more credible operation, if they understood how we do business and if they were willing to consider that they may not be right all of the time, their reviews would carry more weight with me. As it is, TripAdvisor is really no more than the National Enquirer of hotel review sites - believe what you read there at your own risk.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31928795/ns/travel-news/

Hawaii's Statehood Commemorative Stamp

Aloha Kakou:

The US Postal Service today previewed a stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hawaii's statehood. The stamp will be released later this summer and will be available at your local US post office.

The stamp was designed by Hawaii artist Herb Kawainui Kane. You can see more of his work here: http://herbkaneart.com/

Lower Rates Mean Lower Income

Aloha Kakou:

The current round of rate cutting by hotels means that US hotel's net operating income will drop by 37.8% this year, the worst drop since the 1930's.

RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) is expected to decline 18.7%, according to this article in Travel Weekly.

The decline in pricing is more dramatic than it's ever been," says Smith Travel Research president Mark Lomanno.

Condotel Unit Owners Know About HI's Tourism Decline Firsthand

Aloha Kakou:

This article from Monday's Honolulu Advertiser discusses how the current difficult economy is affecting the owners of "condotel" units. While not strictly the same as condominium ownership, this type of real estate investment also comes with risk.

When talking about force majeur, Steve Winter, vice president of Outrigger's condominium management division is quoted as saying, "The question is when do you pull the trigger. Hopefully we don't have to."

Also note the sidebar, which says some condotel owners are getting only 25% of unit revenue compared to that received by Outrigger Maui Eldorado owners.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090713/NEWS01/907130346/Hawaii+condotel+unit+owners+feel+pinch+as+tourism+continues+to+fall

Blue Sky Tours Features 1 Bedrooms

Aloha Kakou:

Check out Blue Sky Tours' Hot Deals page.

They're featuring Outrigger Maui Eldorado one bedroom partial ocean view units for only $186 per night, based on quad occupancy.

http://www.blueskytours.com/HotDeals.html

Outrigger Maui Eldorado Deal With WestJet

Aloha Kakou:

Here's the Outrigger Maui Eldorado's latest offer, as presented by WestJet Vacations, a Canadian wholesale agent.

http://content.westjetvacations.com/destinations/outrigger-maui-eldorado.html

Maui Beach Conditions

Aloha Kakou:

For updated Maui beach conditions, please click the link below.

Beach conditions are updated 3 times per day, at 9 a.m., 3 p.m., and 7 p.m. or as conditions change. I've added this website address to the list of Links section on the right, so you may access it at your leisure in the future.

http://oceansafety.soest.hawaii.edu/index.asp?i=maui

Maui Real Estate Market "Dreadful"

Aloha Kakou:

Only 560 Maui homes and condos were sold in the first six months of 2009, compared to 989 for the same period in 2008.

The median price of a single-family home on Maui was off 14 percent to $510,000 compared to 2008. The condo median sale price was off 27 percent to $420,000.

With approximately 1300 licensed real estate agents on the island, at this rate, sales for the year will average fewer than one per agent, should the current sales pace hold for the rest of 2009.

http://mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/520829.html?nav=10

Outrigger Maui Eldorado On TravelZoo

Aloha Kakou:

Outrigger Maui Eldorado is featured on this TravelZoo (an online travel agency) page.

Notice our rate is lower than Royal Lahaina and Aston/ResortQuest/Aston.

http://vacations.travelzoo.com/hawaii-vacations/609787

Waikiki Icon Closes

Aloha Kakou:

The iconic Ilikai Hotel in Waikiki shuts down today.

The hotel, made famous in the Hawaii 5-0 television series which aired from 1968 to 1980, has new owners due to foreclosure. The new owners say they cannot profitably operate the 203 room hotel, with losses each month in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The building has been divided into condos and timeshares in addition to the hotel. Those portions of the building remain open.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090708/NEWS01/907080359/Ilikai+shutting+down+as+Waikiki+hotel

http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090709_Ilikai_employees_fear_for_future.html

Quote Of Note

Aloha Kakou:

Let's take these paragraphs from an article in June's Lodging Hospitality magazine:

Steve Joyce, President & CEO of Choice hotels, reminded owners success is a shared burden: It’s Choice's role to drive guests to the properties; franchisees must make sure their hotels are clean, in good condition and staffed by well-trained and friendly employees.“In this down economy, Choice’s value-oriented brands are in a great place to capture guests from other hotel companies,” said Joyce. “That’s why it’s so important that our hotels all deliver a top-notch, consistent experience to every guest, every time. Those hotels that can’t meet their brand’s guest-care standards must be improved or removed.”

Can you see the relationship between Outrigger and our owners in these words? Outrigger Maui Eldorado owners are the hotels; Outrigger is the franchisor. Outrigger brings the guests to your unit; is your unit ready to meet those guests' expectations?

Hana Highway Closures

Aloha Kakou:

On weekdays from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm, between July 6 and 17, Hana Highway will be completely closed between mile markers 19 and 21 for rockfall mitigation.

See the Maui County website for more information:

http://www.co.maui.hi.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=845

At Least This Is Old News...

Aloha Kakou:

May's low occupancy and revenue numbers were reported today both in the Maui News and in the national media (see links below).

Terryl Vencl, executive director of the Maui Visitors Bureau, said Monday she thinks that Maui's tourism industry should not expect a quick return to previous occupancy and revenue levels once when the larger economy recovers.

"It will not be like a switch is turned on," Vencl said. "People need reassurance, that they have jobs, they have a house, that their finances are a little more secure before a vacation lands at the top of their list of things to do."

Maui's RevPAR for May was down to an historic low of $117.70, down from $161.58 last May, with Revenue per Available Room similar to that normally experienced by Waikiki. Statewide, revenue per available room was at $102.67 in May, down from $130.11 for the same month in 2008.

http://mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/520674.html?nav=10
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31776541/ns/travel-news/

Outrigger Maui Eldorado On Future Vacations

Aloha Kakou:

Future Vacations, an on-line travel agency (OTA) is promoting the Outrigger Maui Eldorado with a 4 day/3 night stay at $324 per person for the entire stay, based on double occupancy.

See the offer here:
http://www.futurevacations.com/promotion.aspx?id=33456

and all of their Outrigger Maui Eldorado offers here:

http://www.futurevacations.com/property.aspx?prop=ogg0001&code=maui

May Hotel Results Dismal

Aloha Kakou:

Hotel occupancy results for May are officially in. Maui's average occupancy of 55.9% was only that high due to the addition of usually high timeshare occupancy numbers.

http://www.starbulletin.com/news/hawaiinews/20090706_mays_hotel_figures_bottom_out.html
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090706/NEWS01/907060336/Hawaii+hotels+report+occupancy+dropping

PDX-OGG

Aloha Kakou:

Effective Friday, July 3, Alaska Air will begin it's thrice-weekly nonstop flight from Portland, OR to Maui.

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2009/06/29/daily46.html

Outrigger Maui Eldorado Video Link

Aloha Kakou:

Apparently the Outrigger Maui Eldorado video from our website has made it to YouTube. From there, this blogger picked it up and posted the video on her blog yesterday.

The more exposure, the better!

http://travelerscouncil.com/outrigger-maui-eldorado-video-tour/