Maui's February Occupancy, Revenue Up

Aloha Kakou:

Compared to last February, Maui's hotel room occupancy jumped from 70.1% in 2009 to 77.9% in 2010.

Some analysts consider this information as evidence that the islands have turned the corner towards an economic recovery.

"We seemed to have bottomed out in losses in terms of room rates," said Joseph Toy, president and chief executive officer of Hospitality Advisors. "As occupancies get firm, hotels are going to be able to manage those rates a little bit better and start raising."

February's highly discounted room rates were more than offset by the gain in room nights.

http://www.starbulletin.com/business/20100409_Mauis_hotels_gain_revenue.html

Opaque Hotel Deals Spread To Traditional Wholesalers

Aloha Kakou:

When you think of opaque hotel deals, you usually think of Priceline or Hotels.com, where you "name your own price" and if your rate matches the rate offered by one of the hotels, you've bought yourself a room. In these situations, the name of the hotel is revealed only after you've paid and locked in a reservation.

While this situation may work fine for some travelers, anyone who is more choosy about their accommodations may not be happy with the result, as the attached article illustrates.

http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/a-mystery-hotel-promotion-shows-its-not-always-about-the-stars/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tripso+%28Consumertraveler.com%29

Molokai Radio Station Changes Hands

Aloha Kakou:

KMKK, at frequency 102.3, Molokai's only radio station, was taken over by its new owner, Ohana Broadcast Group last Friday.

The station will feature a broad mixture of songs from the classics to today's contemporary music, all commercial free, at least for now.

http://themolokainews.com/2010/04/05/a-new-radio-company-on-molokai-ohana-broadcast-group-debuts-hawaiis-na-mele-102-3/

Municipalities Eyeing Hotel Tax Increases

Aloha Kakou:

Across the country, various municipalities are considering increasing taxes on visitors as their coffers run short.

Hotel room taxes run from 10.05% in Burbank, CA to 17.95% in New York City.

State legislators last year increased Hawaii's Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) one percentage point as of July 1, 2009. A further one percentage point increase is scheduled for this July 1, making our total TAT 13.4166%.

Raising the TAT in Hawaii may be more of a negative impact here as most visitors are leisure, and they already have the idea that Hawaii is an expensive destination. Even thought the new tax only adds another $2 per night on a $200 a night room, just hearing that the tax rate is 13.4166% may be enough to make potential guests reconsider.

When I'm talking to our guests about our tax rate and they start to be upset, I ask them what the hotel tax rate is in their city. Most people are completely unaware of how visitors to their own town are taxed.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/hotels/2010-04-05-1Ahoteltax05_ST_N.htm

A Different Review Site

Aloha Kakou:

IgoUgo.com is a site similar to TripAdvisor.com, where guests can post hotel reviews. Here's what they had to say about the Outrigger Maui Eldorado:

http://www.igougo.com/lodging-reviews-b164649-Lahaina-Outrigger_Maui_Eldorado.html

Travelers Say The Darndest Things

Aloha Kakou:


I laughed at this article about the questions travelers ask. You might find some of them humorous yourself.

http://www.consumertraveler.com/today/there-are-no-stupid-questions-but-some-people-try-hard/comment-page-1/#comment-21715

While here on Maui I have been asked:

Where can I change my money to Hawaiian money?
Does the water go all the way around the island?
Where do you keep the whales at night?
And my favorite: Can you give me driving directions to Pearl Harbor?

Everybody's Getting Into The Act

Aloha Kakou:

While competition for design has, in the past, been the most feverish between upscale hotels, now even motels are getting into the act. The design competition between budget chains like Super 8 and Red Roof Inn is becoming intense as properties remodel their rooms away from the traditional, dowdy, downscale look to rooms with design and amenities that are fresh and contemporary. Perhaps we need to consider how we, too, can become a bit more stylish.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/travel/04prac.html?src=me&ref=travel