With tourism way off, Hawaiian hotels are offering unprecedented discounts, freebies and other incentives in hopes of drawing tourists to the islands and surviving the economic slump.
Every hotel has offers on its website or through travel agencies. The industry is being forced to ante up because fewer tourists are coming to Hawaii. And the ones who do make it are spending less.
Toy said the incentives were being offered as early as 2007 and the offers accelerated last year. They are now standard. Hotels prefer incentives instead of discounting the room rate, because once they drop rates, it’s hard to bring them back up.
“The incentives can only work for so long. If the downturn is so steep and dramatic, as it is here, then you start to see the rate go down,” Toy said. “Now you’re seeing tremendous value in the market.”
Here are some of the more interesting deals:
John Lopianetzky, general manager of the hotel, said with free in-room entertainment, the package is “so affordable that guests will find their money will go farther on other activities.”
On the other hand, most guests probably don’t come to Hawaii to play video games and watch movies, though it does rain on occasion.
The vehicles are included by booking one of Halekulani’s premier suites, which includes the Royal Suite, Vera Wang Suite or the Orchid Suite. They run about $7,000 a night. Speeding tickets are not covered.
Guests staying in the standard guest rooms can also order the cars by the day if available. The rates run from $250 for the Lotus Elise to $995 for the Bentley.
Don’t want to drive? The Bentley and Maserati are offered with the option of a chauffeur.
Peter Shaindlin, chief operating officer of the Halekulani Corp., said Halekulani “appeals to the style, sensibility and needs of the globally affluent.”
“It is only befitting that Halekulani offer the world’s finest automobiles, whose global brands exude a comparable passion for excellence as reflected in their superior technology, style and innovation,” he said.
The deal marks Hawaii’s 50th anniversary of statehood. It includes a $50 resort credit, a fifth night at $50 and for numismatists, a “keepsake memento” of two commemorative 2009 Hawaii quarters. Approximate value of two quarters: 50 cents.
The only catch is that rooms start at $725 a night. It is, after all, just one of three hotels in the state and 109 nationally given the prestigious AAA Five Diamond Award.
Prices run as low as $88 a night at the Aston Maui Lu in West Maui or $90 a night at the Aston Waikiki Circle Hotel.
Murray Towill, president of the Hawaii Hotel & Lodging Association, said hotels are just trying to stay afloat financially, keep people working and fill airplanes.
This all adds up to a great time to travel.
“There are truly deals to be had,” Towill said. “We’ve always felt that our destination is a great value. You really got your money’s worth. Well, you’re getting your money’s worth and then some now.”
