Hawaii vacation rentals on the upswing

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) issued today the Hawaii Vacation Rental Performance Report for the month of November utilizing data compiled by Transparent Intelligence, Inc.

Hawaii vacation rentals statewide reported substantial increases in supply, demand, occupancy and average daily rate (ADR) in November 2021 compared to November 2020. However, in comparison to November 2019, ADR was higher in November 2021, but vacation rental supply, demand and occupancy were down.

In November 2021, the total monthly supply of statewide vacation rentals was 547,600 unit nights (-1.3% vs. 2020, -40.4% vs. 2019) and monthly demand was 343,900 unit nights (+96.0% vs. 2020, -45.5% vs. 2019) (Figures 1 and 2). That resulted in an average monthly unit occupancy of 62.8 percent (+31.2 percentage points vs. 2020, -5.8 percentage points vs. 2019) for November. Occupancy for Hawaii’s hotels was 59.7% in November 2021.

The ADR for vacation rental units statewide in November was $248 (+7.8% vs. 2020, +17.5% vs. 2019). By comparison the ADR for hotels was $333 in November 2021. It is important to note that unlike hotels, units in vacation rentals are not necessarily available year-round or each day of the month and often accommodate a larger number of guests than traditional hotel rooms.

In November, legal short-term rentals were allowed to operate in Maui County and on Oahu, Hawaii Island and Kauai as long as they were not being used as a quarantine location.

In November 2021, passengers arriving from out-of-state could bypass the State’s mandatory 10-day self-quarantine if they were fully vaccinated in the United States or with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing Partner prior to their departure through the Safe Travels program.

The data in HTA’s Hawaii Vacation Rental Performance Report specifically excludes units reported in its Hawaii Hotel Performance Report and its Hawaii Timeshare Quarterly Survey 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 does not determine or differentiate between units that are permitted or unpermitted. The legality of any given vacation rental unit is determined on a county basis.

Island Highlights

In November, Maui County had the largest vacation rental supply of all four counties with 189,300 available unit nights (-15.6% vs. 2020, -37.8% vs. 2019). Unit demand was 122,700 unit nights (+87.2% vs. 2020, -46.9% vs. 2019), resulting in 64.8 percent occupancy (+35.6 percentage points vs. 2020, -11.1 percentage points vs. 2019) with ADR of $285 (+19.5% vs. 2020, +16.3% vs. 2019). In comparison, Maui County hotels reported ADR at $531 and occupancy of 65.4 percent.

Oahu vacation rental supply was 158,100 available unit nights (+29.3% vs. 2020, -37.4% vs. 2019) in November. Unit demand was 90,600 unit nights (+114.6% vs. 2020, -46.8% vs. 2019), resulting in 57.3 percent occupancy (+22.8 percentage points vs. 2020, -10.2 percentage points vs. 2019) and ADR of $191 (-1.1% vs. 2020, +9.8% vs. 2019). Oahu hotels reported ADR at $225 and occupancy of 53.4 percent.

The island of Hawaii vacation rental supply was 121,300 available unit nights (+3.8% vs. 2020, -45.8% vs. 2019) in November. Unit demand was 81,900 unit nights (+125.9% vs. 2020, -39.3% vs. 2019), resulting in 67.5 percent occupancy (+36.5 percentage points vs. 2020, +7.3 percentage points vs. 2019) with ADR of $207 (-3.7% vs. 2020, +24.0% vs. 2019). Hawaii Island hotels reported ADR at $354 and occupancy of 70.3 percent.

Kauai had the fewest number of available unit nights in November at 78,900 (-13.9% vs. 2020, -43.1% vs. 2019). Unit demand was 48,800 unit nights (+55.1% vs. 2020, -48.3% vs. 2019), resulting in 61.9 percent occupancy (+27.5 percentage points vs. 2020, -6.2 percentage points vs. 2019) with ADR of $329 (+18.1% vs. 2020, +27.9% vs. 2019). Kauai hotels reported ADR at $329 and occupancy of 71.6 percent.