Hawaii trip rental occupancy charges outperform motels

HONOLULU (AP) – Hawaii’s vacation rental market has outperformed hotels in occupancy every month since October.

Vacation rental owners across the state said the increased demand was due to pandemic-induced attitudes changes that emphasize space and seclusion for getaways, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reported Monday.

Other rental apartment operators have indicated that the pandemic-induced reduction in some hotel services, such as B. daily housekeeping, which has narrowed the service gap between apartments and vacation homes, reported the newspaper.

Matt Beall, CEO of full-service real estate agent Hawaii Life, said the company is enjoying its best year for vacation rentals.

The dramatic increase in demand came as some counties tried to regulate the industry.

A public hearing by the Honolulu Department of Planning and Approval on draft regulations regulating and registering short-term rentals in Oahu is scheduled for Tuesday.

The hearing stems from an ordinance that required the city ministry to issue regulations to limit the number of vacation rentals outside of permitted areas such as the vacation destinations of Waikiki, Ko Olina and Turtle Bay.

The department expects to review the public hearing comments and adopt a final draft before August 1.

Longtime hotelier Jerry Gibson said regulating vacation rentals is important for citizens and to help restore jobs for hotel workers.

“Vacation rental rentals were 7 percentage points higher than hotels in 2020,” Gibson said. “The current situation is affecting job restoration for hotels. It also affects the mood of residents. The general public would rather have people in the tourist zones than in their neighborhood. “

Andreea Grigore, co-founder of the Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance, said each island has reasonable limits on legal vacation rental.

“Our goal is to work hand in hand with government officials to stop the proliferation of illegal vacation rentals and thereby contribute to the responsible management of tourism in Hawaii,” said Grigore.