Hawaii timeshare occupancy ticked up in second quarter

An April flood on Kauai and an erupting volcano during May and June on the Big Island didn’t seem to deter timeshare visitors to Hawaii, according to a state report released Wednesday.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority reported that occupancy of timeshare properties statewide averaged 91.5 percent in the second quarter, up from 89.9 percent in the same April-June period last year.

“During a quarter that had worldwide media coverage of flooding on Kauai in April and lava covering homes and property on the island of Hawaii in May and June, timeshare owners were undeterred by these images and continued to come to Hawaii and stay in their timeshare properties,” Jennifer Chun, HTA tourism research director, said in a statement.

Timeshare owners are sometimes described as more resilient tourists because they already have paid for their lodging, which encourages them to visit.

By comparison, statewide hotel occupancy, including condominium hotels, was 80.6 percent in the second quarter, up from 79.3 percent a year earlier.

HTA noted in the report that only about half the occupancy at Hawaii timeshare properties was from people who own fractions of annual use in those properties. These timeshare owners accounted for 54 percent of the occupied room nights, the report said. The balance was from owners of timeshares outside Hawaii (20 percent), nonowners renting rooms like they would in a hotel or owners renting extra time (17 percent) and guests for marketing purposes (9 percent).

About 220,000 visitors stayed at a Hawaii timeshare in the second quarter, and 172,000 of those visitors stayed exclusively at a timeshare during their stay, the report said.

HTA’s report said timeshare visitors represented 9 percent of all Hawaii visitors in the quarter.

Chun said in a statement that increases in both timeshare and hotel occupancy indicates that the timeshare industry didn’t appear to adversely affect hotel demand.

“It’s noteworthy (that) timeshare and hotel occupancy both grew at similar rates during the second quarter at a statewide level,” she said.

HTA’s report is based on a survey of 52 timeshare properties produced by Kloninger & Sims Consulting LLC. Those properties represent 81 percent of the 11,233 timeshare units in the state.

ON THE MOVE

Hawaiian Properties Ltd. has hired the following for its senior management team:

>> Daniel Kent is the company’s new vice president and senior property manager. Kent previously was a community manager for Community Management Inc. in Portland, Ore.

>> Selkie Khoo is the company’s new assistant vice president and senior property manager. Khoo previously was the director of professional services for Associa Hawaii.

Wet’n’Wild Hawaii has hired Tammy Kaopua as human resources manager. Her 11 years experience in human resources also includes payroll and HR coordinator for Reynolds Recycling Inc. and payroll specialist for Island Palm Communities LLC.