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Maui hotel revenues, occupancy still lowest in state

Numbers improve from June to July but still far below normal rates

Maui County hotels saw a slight uptick in room revenue and occupancy from June to July but still lagged behind other counties as major resorts remain closed during the pandemic.

Hotels in Maui County were making $25 in revenue per available room in July, down 93 percent from a year ago, with an occupancy rate of 12.1 percent, down 70.7 percentage points, and an average daily rate of $206, down 52.4 percent, according to a Hawaii Tourism Authority report released Thursday.

These were improvements over June, when room revenue was $16 and occupancy was 7.2 percent. June’s average daily rate was slightly higher at $218.

Lodgings in other counties also saw increases from June to July but still fell far short of the typically booming summer months.

Hawaii island hotels fared the best, with room revenue of $40 in July, down 81.7 percent from a year ago; an occupancy of 24.7 percent, down 58.7 percentage points; and an average daily rate of $164, a 38.2 percent decline.

Oahu hotels produced a room revenue of $40 in July, down 82.8 percent over last year; an occupancy of 23.3 percent, down 64.6 percentage points; and an average daily rate of $170, a 35 percent decrease.

Kauai hotels reported similar numbers with room revenue of $38, down 83.6 percent from last year; occupancy of 21.6 percent, down 55.1 percentage points; and an average daily rate of $175, a 41.7 percent decline.

Statewide, revenue per available room dipped to $36, an 86 percent decrease from a year ago, while occupancy fell to 20.9 percent, a difference of 64.4 percentage points over last year. The average daily rate slid 42.7 percent to $174.

Hotel room revenues statewide went from $434.1 million in July 2019 to $33.3 million last month, a 92.3 percent decline. Room supply decreased 45.4 percent to 914,900 room nights, and room demand dropped 86.6 percent to 191,300 room nights.

Tourism numbers continue to dwindle under Hawaii’s 14-day mandatory quarantine for trans-Pacific travelers, an order that Gov. David Ige recently extended to Oct. 1 in light of rising COVID-19 cases across the state. July was the first full month that interisland travelers did not have to quarantine, though the rule was partially reinstated on Aug. 11 and will be in effect through Sept. 30.

Hotel officials have discussed possibly launching resort “bubbles” that would allow guests to visit but prevent them from leaving the property during their stay.

In the meantime, Maui County’s most populated resort areas remain quiet.

For July, room revenue in the Lahaina-Kaanapali-Kapalua area was $6.02, down 98 percent from the $300.76 they produced a year ago but better than the $1.90 reported in June. Occupancy was 4.3 percent, down from 82.3 percent a year ago but better than the 2.9 percent recorded in June.

The Wailea area, where many hotels are still shuttered, did not report any numbers.

Maui County hotels outside these areas brought in $48.38 in room revenue, down 88.8 percent from a year ago, with an occupancy rate of 21.8 percent, down from 83.4 percent last year.

While hotels across the county have struggled during the pandemic, they still led the state in room revenue from January to July with $197.69, compared to $126.99 on Hawaii island, $123.33 on Kauai and $111.32 on Oahu.

Maui County hotels were also tops in average daily rate at $433.26 over the same period, compared to $286.53 on Kauai, $270.03 on Hawaii island and $231.48 on Oahu.

Oahu led in occupancy with 48.1 percent over Hawaii island’s 47 percent, Maui County’s 45.6 percent and Kauai’s 43 percent.

* Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.

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