Hawaii vacation rentals down 60.8% in September

Hawaii vacation rentals down 60.8% in September
Hawaii vacation rentals down 60.8% in September
Avatar of Harry Johnson
Written by Harry Johnson

In September 2020, the total monthly supply of Hawaii statewide vacation rentals was 401,500 unit nights (-52.5%) and monthly demand was 35,400 unit nights (-94.0%), resulting in an average monthly unit occupancy of 8.8 percent (-60.8 percentage points).

In comparison, Hawaiiโ€™s hotels had an average occupancy rate of 19.6 percent in September 2020. It is important to note that unlike hotels, condominium hotels, timeshare resorts and vacation rental units are not necessarily available year-round or each day of the month and often accommodate a larger number of guests than traditional hotel rooms. The unit average daily rate (ADR) for vacation rental units statewide in September was $191, which was higher than the ADR for hotels ($149).

On Oahu, short-term rentals (rented for less than 30 days) were not allowed to operate during September. For Hawaii Island, Kauai and Maui County, legal short-term rentals were allowed to operate as long as they were not being used as a quarantine location.

During September, all passengers arriving from out-of-state, as well as traveling interisland to the counties of Kauai, Hawaii, Maui, and Kalawao (Molokai), were required to abide by a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. The majority of flights to Hawaii were cancelled in September because of COVID-19.

The Hawaii Tourism Authorityโ€™s (HTA) Tourism Research Division issued the reportโ€™s findings utilizing data compiled by Transparent Intelligence, Inc. The data in this report specifically excludes units reported in HTAโ€™s Hawaii Hotel Performance Report and Hawaii Timeshare Quarterly Survey Report. In this report, a vacation rental is defined as the use of a rental house, condominium unit, private room in private home, or shared room/space in private home. This report also does not determine or differentiate between units that are permitted or unpermitted. The โ€œlegalityโ€ of any given vacation rental unit is determined on a county basis.

Island Highlights

In September, Maui County had the largest vacation rental supply of all four counties with 151,500 available unit nights, which was a decrease of 48.2 percent compared to a year ago. Unit demand was 8,200 unit nights (-96.2%), resulting in 5.4 percent occupancy (-68.8 percentage points) with an ADR of $236 (-34.0%). Maui County hotels were 16.5 percent occupied with an ADR of $149.

Oahu vacation rental supply was 98,000 available unit nights (-56.4%). Unit demand was 14,200 unit nights (-91.4%), resulting in 14.5 percent occupancy (-59.0 percentage points) and an ADR of $161 (-38.1%). Oahu hotels were 21.3 percent occupied with an ADR of $152.

The island of Hawaii vacation rental supply was 89,800 available unit nights (-56.7%) in September. Unit demand was 9,600 unit nights (-92.2%), resulting in 10.7 percent occupancy (-49.2 percentage points) with an ADR of $167 (-35.5%). Hawaii Island hotels were 20.9 percent occupied with an ADR of $130.

Kauai had the fewest number of available unit nights in September at 62,100 (-48.9%). Unit demand was 3,500 unit nights (-95.8%), resulting in 5.6 percent occupancy (-62.3 percentage points) with an ADR of $273 (-32.7%). Kauai hotels were 15.1 percent occupied with an ADR of $152.

About the author

Avatar of Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson has been the assignment editor for eTurboNews for mroe than 20 years. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is originally from Europe. He enjoys writing and covering the news.

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