Maui hotels were 69 percent full in October, representing a 4 percent increase over the same month last year, according to a new report by Smith Travel Research and Hospitality Advisors.
The boost is attributed mostly to an increase Maui saw that month in visitor arrivals, the report said. Arrivals to Maui in October were up 5.4 percent to 177,174, including a 13 percent spike in arrivals from the U.S. West market, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
Hotel occupancy statewide rose by 3 percent to 74.5 percent in October.
Boosted by average daily rates of $317 in Wailea, Maui rooms brought in a daily average of $217.27 for the month, the highest among the major islands, and up 3.5 percent from $210 in October 2011.
The statewide average daily room rate was $189.73, up 7 percent year over year.
In the revenue-per-available-room category, Maui saw a nearly 8 percent increase to $150.13 in October. Revenue per available room, or RevPAR, is a key metric that represents the average daily rental revenue earned per available room during a given period.
Wailea saw a 14 percent increase in RevPAR to $232.25 for the month, up from $203.74 the year before.
Statewide, RevPAR increased nearly 11 percent for the 32nd consecutive month, Hospitality Advisors reported. Total room revenues for the state hit $249.7 million, an all-time high for the month of October.
"The revenue gains were supported by a 12.7 percent increase in visitor expenditures and a 6.3 percent gain in per person daily spending," the report said. "The rise in spending coincided with the growth in visitor arrivals, primarily from U.S. West (up 9.6 percent) and Japan (up 15.2 percent), as well as high-yield markets including those traveling to get married (up 9.2 percent) and independent travelers (up 12.6 percent)."
For October 2012, the survey included 162 properties representing 48,723 rooms, or 85.5 percent of all lodging properties with 20 rooms or more in the state, including full service, limited service and condominium hotels.
