Interesting news from Hawaii's hotel scene: Hawaii News Now is reporting that the state's hotels are, on average, 85 percent full, with 93 percent occupancy on Oahu offsetting lower figures on neighbor islands.
The state occupancy figure, covering last week but issued Friday by Hospitality Advisors LLC, was within fractions of being the same as the occupancy figures reported for Los Angeles and San Diego and far above the national occupancy rate, just below 70 percent, reported Thursday by Smith Travel Research LLC. Most of the Hawaii occupancy and room rate figures were up from last year at the same time.
Oahu hotel occupancy, above 90 percent for most of the summer, has continued that high since the conclusion of the RIMPAC naval exercises, and actually rose two points last week to 93 percent, with average room rates up 18 percent from last week to top $200 a night. Most oceanfront hotel rooms cost much more; rooms a few blocks back from the beach can cost less.
Hotels on both Maui and Kauai averaged 80 percent full last week, down slightly from the week before but better than last year at the same time, with average room rates well above $200 a night.
Hawaii Island occupancy fell from 70 to 69 percent last week, still seven full percentage points better than year-before levels, with average room rates slightly below $200 a night, about the same as last year. The Big Island occupancy figure, while lagging the other islands, compares favorably to Orlando, reporting 64 percent occupancy now that schools are open and theme parks are less busy.
