High rates, lower occupancy rate than last summer month | News, Sports, Jobs

Maui County hotels again led the four counties in revenue per available room at $ 439 in August and the second occupancy rate at 73.6%. Travel to the islands increased over the summer as COVID-19 cases declined, although a recent spike in cases and the end of the busy travel season will likely slow things down for the industry. Maui News / COLLEEN UECHI photo

Maui County hotels ended a busy, pandemic-delayed travel season with slightly lower occupancy in August, but still with the highest room rates and revenues in the state.

Maui County hotels achieved average daily rates of $ 596 – a 52% increase over the same period in 2019 – and revenue per available room of $ 439 – 43.6% higher than in August 2019. The two were the best among the four counties, according to Hawaii Tourism Authority data released on Monday. Occupancy rates of 73.6% – down 4.3 percentage points from August 2019 – were second in the state after Kauai, where occupancy reached 76.7%.

Kauai also reported average daily rates of $ 357 and room revenue of $ 274.

Hotels on the island of Hawaii, meanwhile, recorded average daily rates of $ 385, room revenues of $ 282, and an occupancy rate of 73.2%, while hotels on Oahu had average daily rates of $ 245, room revenues of $ 179, and an occupancy rate of 73%.

Statewide, hotel room revenue reached $ 433.4 million last month, an increase of 6.1% from August 2019, with room demand at 1.2 million. overnight stays and a room offer of 1.7 million overnight stays.

Travel to the islands has gradually opened up since October, when the state launched a pre-trip testing program that gradually allowed exemptions for travelers vaccinated against COVID-19. Inter-island quarantine rules ended in June and fully vaccinated travelers to the United States were allowed to bypass testing and quarantine from July, opening the door to a wave of visitors that raised concerns about overtourism and an influx of people during the pandemic.

The summer season has been busy for Maui County, which has recorded the highest occupancy rate in the state (79.2%), daily rates ($ 498) and revenue per available room ($ 394 ) in June and the highest daily rates ($ 618) and room revenues ($ 505) in July. Maui County’s hotel occupancy rate in July was the lowest in the state at 81.7%.

In August, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations began to increase in Hawaii, prompting government officials to tell visitors it was not a good time to visit and urging residents to stick to travel. essential.

“The peak summer season ended with August revenues and consistently high room rates for the Hawaii hotel industry statewide compared to August 2019” Hawaii Tourism Authority President and CEO John De Fries said in a press release Monday. “However, the increase in COVID-19 cases and subsequent hospitalizations caused by the delta variant reminds us that we are still in a fluid situation as the slower seasonal fall period for travel approaches.”

The high rates and income in Maui County are due to high-priced resort areas, including Wailea, which reported average daily rates of $ 912.93 in August – a 45.9% increase from the same period in 2019 – and room revenues of $ 642.09, an increase of 12.8%. in August 2019, despite a drop in occupancy rate of 20.6 percentage points, from 90.9% in August 2019 to 70.3% this year.

Wailea’s rates were second in the state after luxury properties in Maui County, which reported average daily rates of $ 1,013.92, an 86.5% increase from August 2019, and room revenue of $ 646.07, up 40.8% from the same period in 2019. The occupancy rate was 63.7. percent, down 20.7 percentage points from 84.4% in 2019.

The Lahaina / Kaanapali / Kapalua region performed below the county average, with daily rates of $ 491.05 and room incomes of $ 374.89. However, they were still 50.7% and 50.8% better, respectively, than in August 2019. The occupancy rate of hotels in the area was 76.3% last month, the same as it was. was in August 2019.

* Colleen Uechi can be contacted at [email protected].