Hawaii vacation rentals supply, demand and occupancy decline sharply in August

Hawaii vacation rentals supply, demand and occupancy decline sharply in August
Hawaii vacation rentals supply, demand and occupancy decline sharply in August
Avatar of Harry Johnson
Written by Harry Johnson

In August 2020, the total monthly supply of statewide vacation rentals was 356,500 unit nights (-60.1%) and monthly demand was 48,500 unit nights (-92.7%), resulting in an average monthly unit occupancy of 13.6 percent (-60.7 percentage points).

In comparison, Hawaiiโ€™s hotels had an average occupancy rate of 21.7 percent in August 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 August was $191, which was higher than the ADR for hotels ($158).

On Oahu, short-term rentals (rented for less than 30 days) were not allowed to operate during August. 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 August, all passengers arriving from out-of-state were required to abide by a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. On August 11, a partial interisland quarantine was reinstated for anyone traveling to the counties of Kauai, Hawaii, Maui, and Kalawao (Molokai). The majority of flights to Hawaii were cancelled in August because of COVID-19.

HTAโ€™s 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 August, Maui had the largest vacation rental supply of all four counties with 123,100 available unit nights, which was a decrease of 57.9 percent compared to a year ago. Unit demand was 12,100 unit nights (-94.7%), resulting in 9.8 percent occupancy (-67.8 percentage points) with an ADR of $229 (-38.2%). Maui County hotels were 8.6 percent occupied with an ADR of $207.

Oahu vacation rental supply was 100,600 available unit nights (-62.6%). Unit demand was 21,200 unit nights (-90.1%), resulting in 21.1 percent occupancy (-58.5 percentage points) and an ADR of $163 (-41.9%). Oahu hotels were 26.8 percent occupied with an ADR of $157.

The island of Hawaii vacation rental supply was 77,900 available unit nights (-63.2%) in August. Unit demand was 9,900 unit nights (-92.7%), resulting in 12.7 percent occupancy (-51.6 percentage points) with an ADR of $165 (-40.8%). Hawaii Island hotels were 26.1 percent occupied with an ADR of $130.

Kauai had the fewest number of available unit nights in August at 54,900 (-54.6%). Unit demand was 5,300 unit nights (-93.9%), resulting in 9.6 percent occupancy (-62.2 percentage points) with an ADR of $267 (-38.2%). Kauai hotels were 16.8 percent occupied with an ADR of $165.

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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