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I'm sure a lot of the old-timers here will have stories of staying at King Kam in Kailua-Kona. It was a decent hotel with quirks but affordable with nice rooms and a great location. Rates were generally around $100 for locals and so on.
Now it seems to be a top Marriot resort with rooms, right now, going for ~$400 a night at best.
Has anyone stayed there since it became a Marriot and is the additional $300 a night worth it? What's changed in the hotel that makes it so much more expensive to stay there?
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Location, location, location.
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Well, OK, but it hasn't moved, and location has been important for decades, so what has changed?
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Supply/demand/competition.
(Vacation Rentals).
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Maybe I should ask the question differently. What improvements has King Kam made to make it worth spending $300 more a night than before?
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The King Kam has been a Marriott property since 2011. Our last stay there was in December 2015.
I stay at Marriott hotels frequently for work and have high ranking with them. The King Kam was our first choice when we used to stay in Kona due to the fact that we could use my points for free stays, or a reduced room rate because we are Hawaii residents.
According to their website, they have renovated every room. Their room rate appears to be competitive with other hotels in the immediate area. As far as improvements that justify the cost, every customer has different things that are important to them. We don't stay there anymore because they won't allow pets.
My 2 cents is correct...supply/demand/competition.
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All hotel and other room rates on island have sky rocketed post-Covid. Demand. Demand. Making up for lost revenue over those quiet couple of years. $300 is sort of on the low end of resort/hotels now. Crazy, I know!!!
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Demand. Demand.
Exactly.
Kona prices have gone up, but compare Hawaii Island west side rates with Maui. I looked at Kihei Wailea a few months ago and most everything was around $1000 a night. Lahaina side was booked to capacity too.
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I was thinking that the reduced number of vacation rentals had a strong effect on supply/competition, which of course increased demand for the hotel rooms and drove the prices way up. I also believe this was the desired outcome of those actions.
I guess I'm just a conspiracy theorist.
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If I have to stay on the kona side, there are beautiful condos in Waikaloa that go for $250/night. I'd rather have more space and privacy. Restaurants right near by. Manago Hotel is still the best deal but pretty far south.
Certainty will be the death of us.
