Kaua’i luxury hotels lead state in occupancy

Luxury hotels on Kaua’i enjoyed a luxurious occupancy rate in November, 78 percent, nearly eight percentage points better than the next-closest island or quality class.

According to figures from PKF-Hawai’i, LLP (limited liability partnership), an O’ahu-based accounting and management firm, the Kaua’i luxury rate (for hotels with average room rates over $200 a night) was the only bright spot in a dismal month that saw hotel occupancies slip from 68.3 percent in 2000 to 61.8 percent in November of 2001 on Kaua’i, while the other counties showed even greater drops.

Among hotels when grouped by quality classes, only Kaua’i standard hotels (room rates around $78 a night) showed a growth in occupancy in November 2001 compared to November 2000, or 57.6 percent in last year’s November, up from 55.3 percent in 2000’s November.

Statewide occupancy took a tumble, too, to 60.3 percent in November of 2001 compared to 75.7 percent in November 2000.

For the first 11 months of last year, Kaua’i luxury properties also led the state, with an occupancy rate of 80.3 percent, down from 87.3 percent for the same period in 2000.

Kaua’i overall occupancy for the first 11 months last year was 69.4 percent, down from 76.6 percent over the same period in 2000, while statewide occupancy dropped to 72.8 percent for the first 11 months last year, from 78.9 percent during the same period of 2000.

There wasn’t much encouraging news at all from Kaua’i properties when categorized by size of establishment, either for November by itself or for the first 11 months of 2001.

Hotels with 201 to 350 rooms recorded occupancy rates below 50 percent in November both in 2001 and 2000, improving a bit (to 59.3 percent) over the first 11 months of last year. Kaua’i hotels with 100 to 200 rooms did fairly well over the first 11 months of last year, at 71.8 percent occupancy.