Hotels booked solid for marathon
The room shortage is compounded by a delay in the opening of the Embassy Suites in Waikiki
Marathon runners and concertgoers seeking last-minute accommodations are in a tight spot, given that even fewer hotel rooms than anticipated were available this year.
The Outrigger Enterprises Group's expected opening of a portion of the Embassy Suites will not happen as planned this weekend, according to Barry Wallace, executive vice president of hospitality services.
One tower, offering between 180 to 200 units, was originally scheduled to be open for the public before the marathon, but construction delays have pushed that back a few days, until after the event, said Wallace.
There was a waiting list for the hotel rooms, but no formal reservations have been taken until Dec. 22.
The 34th annual Honolulu Marathon had 26,790 registrants, at last count, though that number may grow to 28,000 or 29,000 by race day on Dec. 10.
Hotel rooms throughout Waikiki, meanwhile, are booked solid. Accommodation seekers can try travelocity.com, expedia.com and travelzoo.com, but nary an available Waikiki area room can be found for this coming weekend. Some are said to even go as far as neighbor islands seeking hotel rooms.
"It is pretty jammed up here, as I hear from our friendly competitors," said Wallace.
Outrigger's approximately 4,100 rooms in Waikiki, which includes condominium hotel properties, are booked. Honolulu Airport Hotel and Plaza Hotel, which together offer about 600 rooms managed by Outrigger, were also booked.
Besides the Embassy Suites, a number of hotel properties, such as the Outrigger Reef on the Beach's Ocean Tower, are closed for renovations.
The 404-room Wyland Waikiki, formerly Ohana Waikiki Surf, and Yacht Harbor Tower at Ilikai Hotel, are also closed.
Rooms typically are booked solid during marathon weekend, but this year, additional demand came from visitors seeking accommodations for the U2 concert.
The perception among many hotel managers throughout Oahu is that this year, rooms filled up quicker.
"The whole city has been booked for several months," said Jamal Coleon, general manager of the Ala Moana Condominium Hotel, which only has about 1,000 rooms in the rental program.
"It's kind of a perfect storm," said Christopher Kam, director of market trends at the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau. "You've got room reduction, you've got U2 and the marathon."
Every room at the 125-room New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel, including its five penthouse suites, with rates starting at $900 per night, were booked, said general manager J.P. Cercillieux.
Rooms were booked earlier than usual this year, he said, as early as three to four weeks ago. This time, he said, the hotel does not have a waiting list in case of cancellations.
Even the 359-room Pagoda Hotel, outside of Waikiki on Rycroft Street, is booked solid for marathon weekend.
Several desperate seekers have posted messages on honolulu.craigslist.org for available rooms over marathon weekend.
One cruise ship couple, who had been unaware of the race, posted a message saying they were "counting on a miracle" in finding accommodations on Dec. 9 and 10, and willing to pay cash.
The total inventory of hotel rooms, however, did not drop significantly between this year and last year.
There was only a 1.1 percent decline of hotel rooms in Waikiki for October, according to Joseph Toy, president of Hospitality Advisors.
October figures released yesterday by the company show that Waikiki's hotel occupancy declined to 78.3 percent from 85.9 percent a year earlier. Occupancy statewide fell to 75.7 percent from 79.4 percent in the same period in 2005.
