A recent Visitor Public Safety Conference highlighted growing use of drones, cameras, and AI in Waikīkī, raising a harder question: as surveillance expands for safety, how far should privacy be allowed to shift?
We Finally Stop Lecturing and Start Selling
HTA and HVCB have shifted from Mālama messaging to the new “Hawaiʻi Stays With You” campaign, leaning into cinematic, shareable storytelling that feels more invitational, while raising questions about reach on a limited budget.
The Green Fee Arrives. Accountability Pending.
Hawaiʻi’s Green Fee is now live, raising the state TAT to 11% and adding new cost and complexity to hotel stays, while questions remain about how the roughly $100M in annual revenue will actually be allocated.
Hawaiʻi Tops On-Time Flights List. In Other News: The Ocean Is Wet.
Hawaiʻi ranked best in the nation for on-time flights, with just 12.7% delayed or canceled, while Southwest adds a new Las Vegas–Hilo nonstop, Hilo’s first mainland route in over three years.
Bill 9, the Minatoya List, and Who Minatoya Was
The Minatoya List stems from a legal opinion upheld by Hawaiʻi courts that protected thousands of Maui condo vacation rentals as lawful nonconforming uses, making Bill 9’s rollback effort far more legally complex and contested.
Paradise Cove Closes. Making Room for Dukes and Mixed Feelings.
Paradise Cove Lū‘au is closing after 40+ years in Ko Olina as the site makes way for Waianiani at the Cove, with a full auction of tiki statues, canoes, and memorabilia marking the end of an era.
Big Slippahs to fill at Hilton Hawaiian Village
Hilton Hawaiian Village Managing Director Debi Bishop is retiring, opening one of Hawaiʻi’s biggest hospitality leadership roles as Hilton searches for a successor with large-scale resort experience.
When the Waves Reach the Hotel Walls
Rising sea levels are beginning to impact oceanfront hotel valuations, with Hawaiʻi real estate deals increasingly factoring shoreline erosion, beach replenishment, and long-term coastal risk into underwriting decisions.
Growth, Flat, or Mild Recession? Pick Your Headline.
Hawaiʻi’s economic headlines point to growth, but flat hotel performance, uneven recovery by island and segment, and mixed forecasts suggest a more cautious outlook for tourism and hospitality.
Maui’s Bill 9 Promises Homes for Locals, Critics Predict Economic Apocalypse
Maui’s Bill 9 has cleared County Council, setting a phased path to eliminate roughly 6,000 vacation rentals, reshaping housing, tourism supply, and sparking legal and economic questions still far from settled.
