We track and keep an eye on Hawaii visitor and accommodation performance statistics. Armed with this data, you can make the best decisions about when to plan your Hawaii vacation. Let’s dive in to view what the trends from 2024 tell us.
Occupancy
With a review of Hawaii hotel occupancy rates, we can determine when the busiest and quietest times to visit Hawaii. For 2024, the statewide average hotel occupancy was 73%. Overall, that means that the hotels aren’t pushed to maximum capacity, which is great for visitors who wish to have some “elbow room” at the pool, in the restaurants and even on the beach. Now let’s look at the monthly averages, which haven’t veered much off the historical norms.
April, May and the autumn months continue to be some of the months with the lowest occupancy. If you’re looking for extra elbow room, those are the months to plan your Hawaii vacation.
Typically July boasts the highest occupancy rate, however, in 2024, February exceeded July.
The statewide average hotel occupancy was higher in 2022 (74.8%) and 2023 (74.9%) as compared to 73% in 2024.
Hawaii Hotel Room Rates
In a bit of an unusual trend, the average daily hotel room rate dropped in 2024 compared to 2023. The average statewide room rate in 2024 was $365. In 2023, that rate was $378.
As with occupancy, the hotel rate numbers don’t veer too far from historical norms. The months of May, September, October and November continue to be the least expensive months to have a Hawaii vacation.
The months of July and December have historically been the most expensive months for a Hawaii vacation and the data from 2024 reiterate those historical trends.
Hawaii Hotel Rates vs. Vacation Rental Rates by Hawaiian Island
We thought it would be interesting to compare hotel rates by island. On top of that we’ve added in the average daily rates for a vacation rental by island. (Note that vacation rentals are vacation condos, villas, and homes like you’d typically find on VRBO.)
This chart shows us all kinds of interesting nuggets. Overall, it’s less expensive to choose a vacation rental versus a hotel.
As expected, accommodations on Maui are well above the statewide average. Another interesting fact about Maui is that there’s a marked difference in hotel rates versus vacation rental rates.
Oahu continues to be the “cheapest” island for accommodations and below the statewide averages. This number is driven, in part, by the large number of budget-friendly hotels and rentals in Waikiki Beach.
How many people visited Hawaii in 2024?
A total of 9,689,113 visitors arrived in 2024, a slight (+0.3%)growth from 9,657,607 visitors in 2023. When comparing 2024 arrivals to the record-setting 10,386,673 visitors in 2019, 2024’s totals represent a 6.7% decrease.
Where did these visitors go in Hawaii?
- Oahu: 5,814,176 visitors
- Maui: 2,345,288 visitors
- Kauai: 1,369,012 visitors
- Hawaii (Big) Island: 1,729,027 visitors
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Did any of this data surprise you?
Sheila Beal
