Maui Hotels Have the Highest Rates But the Lowest Occupancy

[slip]

I think it will be less expensive for us to live in Hawaii than on Long Island.

I hear this often from many people who live in California too.

 

[Tamaradarann]

I hear this often from many people who live in California too.

I didn't even mention that we don't need to or pay some one to mow lawn, trim the trees, pick up leaves and pine needles, shovel the snow, maintain the pool etc. We also don't need to worry about putting down ice melt to avoid slipping on the ice.

 

[lynne]

Just to throw this out there again. The only thing that has been proposed is a $50 fee for visitors and paying for some parking on areas on Maui is starting next year. I haven't seen any talk about changes in taxes.

I agree with you 100%. I don't understand how the thread initially got sidetracked to taxes but it surely invoked some lively comments (me included). Maybe it is time to close this topic until there is more clarification on Maui parking plans and start over.

 

[slip]

I agree with you 100%. I don't understand how the thread initially got sidetracked to taxes but it surely invoked some lively comments (me included). Maybe it is time to close this topic until there is more clarification on Maui parking plans and start over.

I don't mind the banter but that's all it is.

 

[jehb2]

Really, it's about $0.50 worth of food. If you believe the shrimp doesn't come frozen out of a bag, I have a bridge from Big Island to Maui to sell you.

The price of food has gone up everywhere so having it go up alot in Hawaii where much of it must be imported for thousands of miles

We were sitting in the food court in the Queen’s Shops in Waikoloa Village on the Big Island. A worker at one of the food court “restaurants“ walked in with a big flatbed shopping cart with groceries from Costco. He had bags of the same chicken nuggets I gave my kids. I just remember thinking 2 order of nuggets at his ”restaurant” costs more than what he paid for the entire bag of nuggets. Thank goodness for timeshares with full kitchens.

 

[Tamaradarann]

We were sitting in the food court in the Queen’s Shops in Waikoloa Village on the Big Island. A worker at one of the food court “restaurants“ walked in with a big flatbed shopping cart with groceries from Costco. He had bags of the same chicken nuggets I gave my kids. I just remember thinking 2 order of nuggets at his ”restaurant” costs more than what he paid for the entire bag of nuggets. Thank goodness for timeshares with full kitchens.

I totally agree with eating meals in a timeshare. We always eat breakfast and lunch and at least 5 dinners each week in the timeshare.

 

[Tamaradarann]

I agree with you 100%. I don't understand how the thread initially got sidetracked to taxes but it surely invoked some lively comments (me included). Maybe it is time to close this topic until there is more clarification on Maui parking plans and start over.

I went back to find out how we got on the subject of taxes from the higher hotel rates on Maui. I am the culprit that started it; when I mentioned that since raising the hotel rates lowered the occupancy on Maui perhaps they found the magic bullet to reduce the number of tourists coming to Hawaii and with the increase in taxes on the higher room rate they don't need to implement the $50/person tourist tax which I labeled chintzy.

 

[ScoopKona]

We were sitting in the food court in the Queen’s Shops in Waikoloa Village on the Big Island. A worker at one of the food court “restaurants“ walked in with a big flatbed shopping cart with groceries from Costco. He had bags of the same chicken nuggets I gave my kids. I just remember thinking 2 order of nuggets at his ”restaurant” costs more than what he paid for the entire bag of nuggets. Thank goodness for timeshares with full kitchens.

If people realized just how badly they're being [censored] by most restaurants, they would get up and walk out, never to return.

The big-picture problem is that average Americans have become so disconnected from food that they have no idea if they are being ripped off or not. They don't know what raw ingredients cost. They don't know what's in season. They don't even know what's grown in their region. So they're incapable of making informed choices in restaurants. Hence, the $30 tater tots I've been mocking for the past few months.

And it's not just Hawaii. It's nationwide. The sad part is that there are small places which are "bringing it" from a culinary standpoint. But they're languishing because diners choose TGIMcFunsters*, where most food is dumped out of a bag into a deep fryer. The perceived "deal" of fried agricorp food has squeezed out the places that are actually trying to cook. Since our populous has become hopelessly ignorant about food, they're easy prey.

And even in fine-dining, where there is less shenanigans, there are still shenanigans -- such as "truffle" oil.

* A Bourdainism

 

[davidvel]

I propose that Hawaii raise its income tax to a flat tax of 90% of net income, with a credit to native Hawaiians bringing the tax down to 30% at the top levels, and 0 for the lowest levels.

Then add a sin tax for all alcohol and coffee of 95%, and give all proceeds directly to native Hawaiians. Problems solved.

 

[slip]

If people realized just how badly they're being [censored] by most restaurants, they would get up and walk out, never to return.

The big-picture problem is that average Americans have become so disconnected from food that they have no idea if they are being ripped off or not. They don't know what raw ingredients cost. They don't know what's in season. They don't even know what's grown in their region. So they're incapable of making informed choices in restaurants. Hence, the $30 tater tots I've been mocking for the past few months.

And it's not just Hawaii. It's nationwide. The sad part is that there are small places which are "bringing it" from a culinary standpoint. But they're languishing because diners choose TGIMcFunsters*, where most food is dumped out of a bag into a deep fryer. The perceived "deal" of fried agricorp food has squeezed out the places that are actually trying to cook. Since our populous has become hopelessly ignorant about food, they're easy prey.

And even in fine-dining, where there is less shenanigans, there are still shenanigans -- such as "truffle" oil.

* A Bourdainism

So how are you going to combat all that and have a successful place on your farm? Sounds like if you bring it, you could put a lot of money into a place that could languish. Restaurants have a 30% failure rate.

 

[slip]

I propose that Hawaii raise its income tax to a flat tax of 90% of net income, with a credit to native Hawaiians bringing the tax down to 30% at the top levels, and 0 for the lowest levels.

Then add a sin tax for all alcohol and coffee of 95%, and give all proceeds directly to native Hawaiians. Problems solved.

There we have it, case closed on the taxes.

 

[daviator]

So how are you going to combat all that and have a successful place on your farm? Sounds like if you bring it, you could put a lot of money into a place that could languish. Restaurants have a 30% failure rate.

Actually 30% failure is just in the first year. 60% of new restaurants fail within the first three years. It's a hard business, more a labor of love than a real money maker for many/most mom and pop restaurants.

 

[slip]

Actually 30% failure is just in the first year. 60% of new restaurants fail within the first three years. It's a hard business, more a labor of love than a real money maker for many/most mom and pop restaurants.

Yes, you are correct. I thought about adding to that after I posted but now I don't have to. Mahalo

 

[ScoopKona]

So how are you going to combat all that and have a successful place on your farm? Sounds like if you bring it, you could put a lot of money into a place that could languish. Restaurants have a 30% failure rate.

I'm not opening a restaurant. I already own the farm outright. And our business model is agritourismo -- if visitors/locals don't buy the food we make, we'll just eat it. No way to lose.

Thankfully, the laws in place are almost agritourismo without having to fight the county. Wouldn't take but a nudge to make them the same as Italy.

 

[slip]

I'm not opening a restaurant. I already own the farm outright. And our business model is agritourismo -- if visitors/locals don't buy the food we make, we'll just eat it. No way to lose.

Thankfully, the laws in place are almost agritourismo without having to fight the county. Wouldn't take but a nudge to make them the same as Italy.

I guess not opening a restaurant would solve that.

 

[sponger76]

I propose that Hawaii raise its income tax to a flat tax of 90% of net income, with a credit to native Hawaiians bringing the tax down to 30% at the top levels, and 0 for the lowest levels.

Then add a sin tax for all alcohol and coffee of 95%, and give all proceeds directly to native Hawaiians. Problems solved.

Then you're screwing over a lot of other people. A ton of Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, etc. were brought over to work the sugar cane plantations waaaay back in the day. You gonna tell people whose families have lived in Hawaii for generations now and have no real connection to Asia but don't have Native Hawaiian blood "sorry, screw you, starve to death or move out of the state?"

 

[davidvel]

Then you're screwing over a lot of other people. A ton of Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, etc. were brought over to work the sugar cane plantations waaaay back in the day. You gonna tell people whose families have lived in Hawaii for generations now and have no real connection to Asia but don't have Native Hawaiian blood "sorry, screw you, starve to death or move out of the state?"

No, just consider them natives. Only screw the rich people from out of town.

 

[sponger76]

No, just consider them natives. Only screw the rich people from out of town.

Wow, you're such a peach.

 

[davidvel]

Wow, you're such a peach.

Sorry about the sarcasm.

 

[magmue]

This article from Town & Country on "high value low impact" travel reminded me of this discussion. A snippet:

"The tiny Himalayan Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan .... in September committed what may seem like touristic suicide: It raised its already hefty visitor tax to $200 per person per day, the highest in the world. Called the “sustainable development charge,” the tax is earmarked by the government to fund projects designed to protect Bhutan’s culture and environment: community education, conservation, organic farming, carbon-neutral infrastructure."