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By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Waikiki hotels were 80.4 percent full last month as
they enjoyed a strong March along with the rest of the state.

Hotel occupancy surges

The Big Island's Kohala Coast
led the way in March with a
14.7 percentage-point gain
over the year-ago period

By Russ Lynch
Star-Bulletin

Hawaii's hotels, which had slumped early in the year, recorded a strong boost in occupancy and room rates last month, benefiting tourism operations on all islands.

In its monthly report, hospitality industry consultants PKF-Hawaii said yesterday that statewide occupancy of hotels and resort condominiums averaged 83.2 percent last month, up 5.8 percentage points from 77.4 percent in March 1999, with some areas showing significantly higher improvement.

The Big Island's Kohala Coast did particularly well, showing a 14.7-point occupancy increase to 87.8 percent last month from 73.1 percent a year earlier.

That helped bring occupancy on the Big Island as a whole to 83.4 percent, up 10.5 percentage points from 72.9 percent in March 1999.

Waikiki hotels were 80.4 percent full last month, up 5.5 percentage points from a year-earlier 74.9 percent. The full-service hotels along Waikiki Beach were up 6.7 points at an average occupancy last month of 79.4 percent, compared with 72.7 percent in March 1999.

Oahu's overall occupancy level was 80.1 percent, up 5.9 points from 74.2 percent a year ago.

Maui occupancy was up 3.2 points at 90.2 percent, from a year-earlier 87 percent; Kauai occupancy was up 3.8 points at 80.6 percent, from 76.8 percent; and Molokai averaged 55.3 percent last month, up three points from 52.3 percent.

March continued the industry's bounce back from a flat January, when travel was hurt by fears of Y2K computer problems and inflated prices related to millennium travel celebrations. Last month, PKF reported the best February Hawaii occupancy rate in four years.

Statewide daily room rates also rose last month, averaging $158.31 last month, up 6.5 percent from $148.69 in March 1999.

The increase in revenue per available room was much stronger and is considered a better indicator because it shows the actual cash received rather than just a posted room rate that may have been discounted. That average statewide was $131.63 last month, up 14.4 percent from $115.10 in March 1999.

Just as it did in occupancy, the Kohala Coast scored highest in room-rate improvement, showing revenue per available room averaging $217.06, up 24 percent from a year-earlier $175.08. The Big Island average revenue per available room was $150.99, up 21.8 percent from $123.95.

Waikiki's average was $96.95, up 12.2 percent from $86.37, while Oahu's was $95.82, up 12.9 percent from $84.87.

Maui's average was $184.81, up 13.1 percent from $163.47; Kauai was up 11.3 percent at $141.68, from $127.30; and Molokai averaged $43.45, up 9.6 percent from $39.64.