Big Island Hotels Set New Mark

Big Island hotels hit a new record for average daily room rates in July.

At $214.53, the ADR in July was up 12.4% compared to the same month last year, according to a Hospitality Advisors LLC and Smith Travel Research report in Pacific Business News.

In addition, RevPAR, the industry’s measure of revenue per available room, increased 5.4% in July to $128.93 at Big Island hotels, according to the report.

The occupancy rate on the Big Island however fell by 3 percentage points in July to 72.3%, the report noted. Hospitality Advisors said the lower occupancy rate could be attributed in part to families on summer vacations staying in condominiums instead of hotels.

Average daily room rates in July rose to $241.63 statewide, a record high for any month in Hawaii, the report said. The ADR rate for July 2013 was 11.8% higher than July 2012.

Meanwhile, visitor spending on the Big Island was up 20.15% in July over the previous year, leading the state in that category. Visitor arrivals were up 5.2% on the Big Island in July over last year.