Despite low or negative movement in occupancy rate, Hawaii hotels have reported year-over-year increases in both revenue per available room (RevPAR) and average daily rate (ADR) through the first three quarters of 2018, according to a recent report from the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
RevPAR in the Hawaiian Islands increased to $225 and ADR grew to $278 during the first nine months of the year, both of which are roughly 6% increases over the same period in 2017. Occupancy rates, meanwhile, stayed relatively flat at 81% (a 0.3% bump).
"The increases in RevPAR and ADR through nine months are due to the strong performance that Hawaii hotels realized in the first half of the year," Jennifer Chun, HTA tourism research director, said in statement.
Compared to other top U.S. markets, the Hawaiian Islands ranked first in RevPAR and ADR, followed by New York City and the San Francisco/San Mateo market, but fell behind those two regions in terms of occupancy rate.
All four counties in Hawaii reported RevPAR and ADR growth, with Kauai leading the way in year-over-year increases with RevPAR up 12% to $227 and ADR at $294, an 11% boost over the first three quarters of 2017. Maui enjoys the highest overall RevPAR and ADR at $299 and $387 respectively.
Occupancy rates are down slightly on Maui and Kauai and flat on Oahu. On Hawaii Island, which experienced major tourism disruptions with several months of volcanic eruptions this summer, the occupancy rate dipped 9% in September.
Through the first three quarters of the year, occupancy is down 1% on the Island of Hawaii, while RevPAR and ADR are still up over 2017 4% and 6% respectively.
"September's results were not as bad as anticipated, especially considering the anxiety that Hurricane Lane and Tropical Storm Olivia created for the tourism industry between the latter part of August through mid-September," Chun said.