NIUMALU — During a time when hotels and resorts are clamoring for more visitors, Donya McKnight of the Kaua‘i Inn is enjoying the respite. “We were full through the holidays and at about 90 percent occupancy until after Easter,” said
NIUMALU — During a time when hotels and resorts are clamoring for more visitors, Donya McKnight of the Kaua‘i Inn is enjoying the respite.
“We were full through the holidays and at about 90 percent occupancy until after Easter,” said Jami McKnight, owner of the Kaua‘i Inn in Niumalu. “Right now, we’re at about 50 percent occupancy, but that’s about to change as we have bookings starting early June.”
Donya, a former Sheraton employee, said she’s been in charge of the Niumalu resort as Jami and Tom McKnight spend time at some of the other projects they have on Kaua‘i.
“We’ve had full occupancy up until this month,” Donya said of the hotel’s 45-room offering. “We weren’t used to seeing so many people. It looked like an ant farm with people coming and going and mingling about the pool area. There was so much activity.”
The latest visitor arrival figures released by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority on April 27 show 79,586 total arrivals to Kaua‘i for March 2010. That equates to an increase of 8.2 percent compared to the same month last year, as compared with O‘ahu and Maui which showed increases of 9.5 percent and 14.2 percent, respectively. The Big Island arrival numbers reflected a 0.2-percent increase while Moloka‘i figures for March showed a 3.4-percent decrease. Lana‘i had a 2.4-percent increase, putting Kaua‘i third in terms of increases in visitor arrivals by island.
The McKnights have been able to capitalize on visitors by turning to Jami’s daughter Megan Armstrong who graduated from the Western Washington University with a degree in graphic design, specializing in new media design.
“Megan started advertising,” Donya said. “She got us on the Internet, on Expedia, and everything just blew up.”
Jami said since Megan’s efforts in marketing the Niumalu property, a member of the Kaua‘i Visitors Bureau and the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce, the quaint hotel near Niumalu Beach Park has been getting top travel reviews and has been fortunate to secure high-visibility spots on travel websites. It also released its own website.
“Our goal was to keep our employees employed,” Jami said. “Since Megan’s work, we’ve been fortunate in that we’ve had to hire two more employees in a time when everyone else is laying off people.”
Due to its small size consisting of 45 available rooms located in four, two-story buildings, the McKnight ‘ohana has been able to capitalize on personalized care for Kaua‘i Inn guests, offering a free continental breakfast daily from about 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
“We just love it here,” said Eddie and Barbara Scholes of Liverpool, England, who arrived Monday for a five-week stay. “The view of the mountain, the colors of the plants and flowers — everything is so beautiful here. This is our seventh trip to Hawai‘i, but after coming to Kaua‘i, we’ve been back six times, and we always stay here.”
Both are retired school teachers, Eddie saying he has participated with the Kaua‘i Amateur Radio Operators’ field day and, while here, he and his wife spend some time shopping, but mostly enjoy the outdoors, especially hiking.
The Scholes said because of the Iceland volcano, their trip here took extra time because they had to fly around the ash, but that gave them an opportunity to see the volcano from the air as their trip was detoured.
They make up some of the 8,305 international arrivals to Kaua‘i, an increase of 5.1 percent in March, according to the HTA figures.
Jami said when the Scholes come, they always bring treats for the mascot canines that laze about the registration area, adding another homey touch to the Kaua‘i Inn.
She said some of the notable guests include Mike Rowe of the “Dirty Jobs” television program aired on the Discovery Channel; Pato Banton, a European reggae performer; and a steady stream of performers and artists arranged by Carol Yotsuda of the Garden Island Arts Council, as well as a contingent of McDonald’s workers from China last summer.
“We just do the best we can down here,” said Jami, whose new job is also to answer the toll-free hotel number.
Visit www.kauaiinn.com for more information.
