Hawaiʻi’s Green Fee advisory council has proposed $126.4M in resilience and tourism projects, but a dispute over bond funding versus direct fee revenue, and new transparency demands, signals the program’s first political test.
Intent vs. Execution
Maui’s Bill 9 aims to phase out more than 6,000 short-term rentals, but rejected zoning carve-outs and likely court challenges highlight the ongoing collision between housing policy and the island’s visitor lodging reality.
Speed Lawmaking, Hawaiʻi Style
Hawaiʻi’s 60-day legislative sprint is underway, with bills targeting TAT marketing funds, comp room charges, vacation rental enforcement, tourism governance, and Michelin funding, all carrying real implications for hospitality.
A Star Is Born… If We Write the Check
A proposed Hawaiʻi bill would use state funds to bring Michelin to the islands, raising a broader debate over whether public dollars should pay for global validation of an already world-class dining scene.
When Liability Explodes: The Messy Reality of Condo Management
A lawsuit following a deadly grill explosion at a Maui condotel exposes the tangled liability of condo and vacation rental management, raising hard questions about who is truly responsible when multiple owners, brands, and operators overlap.
Heads in Beds, Hands in Cuffs
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?
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.
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.
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.
“The Right Kind of Tourist”
A reflection on why tourism shouldn’t chase the ‘right kind of visitor,’ but instead invest in education, infrastructure, and community values to shape better experiences for both residents and travelers.
