December 2020 Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report

News Release from HTA, Jan 22, 2021

In December 2020, Hawai‘i hotels statewide reported substantial declines in revenue per available room (RevPAR), average daily rate (ADR), and occupancy compared to December 2019 as tourism continued to be impacted significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Hawai‘i Hotel Performance Report published by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s (HTA) Research Division, statewide RevPAR decreased to $69 (-75.6%), ADR fell to $291 (-17.6%), and occupancy declined to 23.8 percent (-56.4 percentage points) (Figure 1) in December. The report’s findings utilized data compiled by STR, Inc., which conducts the largest and most comprehensive survey of hotel properties in the Hawaiian Islands.

Beginning October 15, passengers arriving from out-of-state and traveling inter-county could bypass the mandatory 14-day self-quarantine with a valid negative COVID-19 NAAT test result from a Trusted Testing and Travel Partner through the state’s Safe Travels program. Effective November 24, all trans-Pacific travelers participating in the pre-travel testing program were required to have a negative test result before their departure to Hawai‘i, and test results would no longer be accepted once a traveler arrived in the Hawaiian Islands. On December 2, Kaua‘i County temporarily suspended its participation in the state’s Safe Travels program, making it mandatory for all travelers to Kaua‘i to quarantine upon arrival. On December 10, the mandatory quarantine was reduced from 14 to 10 days in accordance with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines.  The counties of Hawai‘i, Maui and Kalawao (Moloka‘i) also had a partial quarantine in place in December.

Last month Hawai‘i hotel room revenues statewide fell by 77.2 percent to $107.9 million, down from $472.6 million in December 2019. Room demand was 72.3 percent lower than the same period a year ago. Room supply was only 6.6 percent lower year-over-year as properties continued to bring rooms back in service (Figure 2). Many properties that closed or reduced operations starting in April were reopened or partially reopened in December. If occupancy for December 2020 was calculated based on the room supply from December 2019, occupancy would be 22.2 percent for the month (Figure 3).

All classes of Hawai‘i hotel properties statewide continued to report RevPAR losses in December compared to a year ago. Luxury Class properties earned RevPAR of $168 (-71.1%), with ADR at $865 (+8.9%) and occupancy of 19.5 percent (-54.0 percentage points). Midscale & Economy Class properties earned RevPAR of $58 (-66.6%), with ADR at $196 (-6.9%) and occupancy of 29.6 percent (-52.8 percentage points).

All of Hawai‘i’s four island counties reported lower RevPAR and occupancy. Maui County hotels led the state in RevPAR, earning $130 (-68.5%), with ADR at $501 (-7.4%) and occupancy of 26.0 percent (-50.5 percentage points). The luxury resort area of Wailea earned $218 (-71.4%) in RevPAR, with ADR at $834 (-6.3%) and occupancy of 26.1 percent (-59.3 percentage points). 

O‘ahu hotels earned RevPAR of $43 (-81.8%) in December, with ADR at $184 (-36.0%) and occupancy of 23.6 percent (-59.5 percentage points). Waikīkī hotels earned $40 (-82.7%) in RevPAR with ADR at $182 (-35.1%) and occupancy of 22.3 percent (-61.2 percentage points).

Hotels on the island of Hawai‘i reported RevPAR of $88 (-66.2%), with ADR at $329 (+0.1%) and occupancy of 26.8 percent (-52.7 percentage points). Kohala Coast hotels earned $146 in December RevPAR (-62.6%), with ADR at $542 (+10.2%) and occupancy of 26.8 percent (-52.2 percentage points).

Kaua‘i hotels earned RevPAR of $24 (-90.3%) in December, with ADR at $178 (-47.9%) and occupancy of 13.4 percent (-58.7 percentage points).

Year-to-Date December 2020

Hawai‘i hotel performance in 2020 was dramatically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Of note, 2019 was a banner year for Hawai‘i’s hotel industry and 2020 began with that continued momentum. However, year-to-date, Hawai‘i hotels earned $99 in RevPAR (-56.6%), which is less than half of the $229 RevPAR reported in 2019. ADR decreased to $267 (-5.5%) and occupancy declined to 37.1 percent (-43.7 percentage points).

Total statewide hotel revenues in 2020 were $1.4 billion (-69.0%) compared to $4.5 billion in 2019. Many properties closed or reduced their supply starting April 2020, and began reopening in the fall. This resulted in room supply for the year at 14.1 million room nights, down 28.5 percent from 2019. Room demand was 5.2 million room nights, down 67.2 percent year-over-year.

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SA: Hawaii hotels have the lowest December occupancy rate in the nation