What You Can Do About Soaring Hawaii hotel prices.
178 thoughts on “Updated Hawaii Hotel Prices Avg. To $913 | Hawaii Vacation Rentals Avg. $251”
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I’ve been using VRBO to rent condos for many years and I’ve never stayed in a hotel in Hawaii, so in 2009 when I bought a condo and put it on the vacation rental market, it was a very easy decision to list it on VRBO. I’ll admit that I’m concerned about the new “service fee” they are adding to the cost now, but time will tell how that work out.
I agree with most everything you have to say about condo rentals, except your recommendation to only book through management companies. We self-manage ours and have an on-island contact for emergencies. If we used a management company, we would have to raise our rates to pay their commission or it would put us out of business. We have a total review score of 4.8 stars with 50 reviews and several repeat guests. So my advice to renters is that when you are looking at a listing, check the reviews and call the owner if you have questions, but don’t hesitate to rent directly from the owner. Most owners take great pride in their properties and want you to enjoy your stay in beautiful Hawaii.
We also prefer private rentals. The hotel industry is getting really expesive, why pay over 400 a night for the same condo that you can rent privately for much less in the same complex?
Another advantage to renting privately is that you are not locked in to an area in which to stay. You can move around the islands in the time span you like and stay in the areas that are so different and uncrowded than the hotels are. For instance, on the Big Island, there are 4-6 areas worth staying in, hotels are only in 2 of those.
Another advantage is the convenience of cooking meals which saves money and you don’t have to vacate for maid service.
We prefer rentals…best is a house. then condo. Like you say, the vacation rental feels more local and real than the plastic resorts. I can tell you that the one time we splurged and had a suite at the old side of the Royal Hawaiian it was very nice.
Our most recent trip included three nights at the Kuaui Palms, two nights at the Wild Ginger Inn in Hilo and then a rental outside of Captain Cook. The kitchen and w/d make a world of difference. It feels like home pulling in to the house after a long day of scuba diving.
My last two trips to Oahu have been booked through VRBO. I prefer a vacation rental over hotel rooms because the resort fees really annoy me. I cannot justify one particular hotel chain charging $30.00 per nite for trolley, phone calls and internet. Really ? That is more for internet in one day that I pay in a month at home. No more hotels for me (- :
Interesting article in that it feels that they treat all condos as non-hotels regardless how they are booked, i.e., Aston, which have condo properties with the same amenities as hotels (daily maid service, etc) and even show up on Expedia/ Travelocity, etc like a hotel.
We did the Pleasant Holidays/ Costco vacations the first couple of times especially when it was the first time to a particular island. But they’ve always been condos, not actual hotels. I can’t imagine not having a kitchen and a washer/ dryer available. Since then, we’ve always booked thru VRBO/ Homeaway.
Benefits through VRBO/ABnB (non-travel agency)-
Cost savings can be significant.
Additional perks – some VRBO owners act as concierge and give really good advice on activities.
The ability to pick the actual unit
Downsides –
If you’ve rented a condo from the owner you “Can’t call front desk”.. for anything including maintenance issues or needing extra towels.
No daily maid service… for us, this was a benefit. No need to worry about someone coming in and making sure any valuables were locked up.
If you like the control of picking the unit you are staying in & saving $, I can’t imagine not using VRBO or AirBNB, after doing the proper research.
If you don’t think you aren’t paying for these in a hotel booking, you are mistaken. At least in using a PtoP booking the charges are upfront. “There are negatives about vacation rentals too. Fees usually include cleaning, security deposit and sometimes a reservation fee.”
I own a rental condo and you CAN call the front desk for issues, 24 hours a day.
Just don’t rent through VRBO Bin program where you are padding the pockets of Expedia and getting nothing in return.
We rented through VRBO as well. We stayed in hotels for our honeymoon 18 years ago…which for a honeymoon couple I think is great. 2 kids and a bff later we want more of a family place where I can cook, the kids can do homework (summer homework!), watch movies, laundry and have space. The prices cannot be beat and we get to review a lot of different condo’s and resorts. We are staying in a resort on both Maui and Kauai that are owner rented but still have the pools and amenities you get with a hotel (albeit probably not as grand a scale but still lovely). We always use VRBO for our vacations on the east coast as well and was very happy with the selection for Hawaii. The candid reviews and photos are very helpful..you know you are getting THAT condo and not just the best/most expensive room the resort photographer could find.
Hotels just are not giving the personalized service for the buck. Fees are crazy, restaurants overpriced, rooms outdated etc. If you want an extended vacation with family VRBO is the way to go.
We use airbnb when we travel and also rent through airbnb and vrbo. It’s a great value for us.
You’re lying or wrong claiming that traveler’s are better off with management companies. They charge about 30% of the gross to do a mostly poor job. I and my on island rep handle problems better than any management company in existence. I’ve been managing my own vacation rentals for years and I not only take great care of issues when they come up, I better maintain and stock my properties so they don’t come up.
With growing boys I prefer a vacation rental. Everyone can have their own bedroom and having the advantage of shopping at the farmers market and cooking just elevates the vacation. I have never had a bad experience and typically go through VRBO.
Stayed at the old Moana about 36 years ago and had a great experience. Still return to the banyan tree bar for the best Mai Tai on the Island.
We have done hotels over the years and have a Worldmark Timeshare which provides about a week a year on the Islands.
We use VRBO for all other stays, but they have gotten more pricy with extra charges for cleaning, security deposit and credit card fees. Some units are getting pretty old, so if the price is low you have to be careful.
Love your web site. Used the car rental link several times.
Mahalo Paul!
My husband and I are planning a trip to Oahu and Hawaii in April. After learning how expensive hotels are in Hawaii we decided to look into other options, and we selected 4 different places to stay. We haven’t gone yet, but if they are as good as they look we probably won’t be using hotels often in the future.