Kama'aina rates leaving bad taste in mouths of everybody

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Want to liven up your next dinner party? Want to strike up a debate while you wait in line to check in at the airport? Want to get tons of cranky e-mail? Just mention two words: kama'aina rates.

It seems everyone has an opinion on them one way or another, and nobody is happy.

Talk to visitors from the Mainland, and they'll tell you how much they resent being asked to pay more than Hawai'i residents.

Some frequent visitors get crafty and get themselves a Hawai'i drivers license to take advantage of the deals at hotels, golf courses and attractions. They actually brag about beating the system. Others ask friends or family who live here to make reservations for them to qualify for kama'aina discounts.

Then there are hotel public-relations departments who are adamant that they're practically giving away the place to people with valid local IDs. They resent any insinuation that residents are not welcomed with open arms.

Hilton Waikoloa Village wanted to make sure people knew they have a number of kama'aina packages, including a room-and-breakfast deal for $169 single or double occupancy. It includes daily continental breakfast for two adults and each in-room guest gets a voucher for $20 off any Dolphin Quest encounter. (They also want you to remember that blackout days apply, and prices may change without notice.)

Likewise, the two large Lana'i resorts want to emphasize their welcoming of visitors. This is from their public-relations firm:

"The present Kama'aina Program offered by the Lodge at Koele and Manele Bay Hotel is $179 per night, not $199 as stated in your column. Yes, this is for a 'garden view' room, but we always try to upgrade our guests upon check-in whenever availability allows. The $179 rate also includes a $25 daily dining credit. If you break that down, it's quite a substantial savings off the rack rates, which start at $375."

Then there are those kama'aina who feel no matter how fancy the hotel is, $179 a night is hardly a deal when the tourism industry is so slow. Charge half of that, they say, and ask corporate owners to take the hit while the workers stay on the job.

But the real emotional stuff kicks in when talk moves from economics to attitude. There are still too many stories out there about local people being treated differently. That's putting it nicely. There are too many stories about local people being treated badly.

A woman wrote about a business trip she and a colleague recently took to Maui. Her room had a partial ocean view (the lean-over-the railing kind) and was described as an "upgrade" while her colleague's room had no view. Her colleague asked the front-desk clerk why the rooms were the same price because they were clearly different. The clerk responded that she couldn't lower the price on the no-view room, but if they objected to the cost, she could raise the price on the first room.

Another reader wrote about a disappointing anniversary trip to Kona, where the front-desk clerk at a hotel ignored her and said, "We have VIPs to take care of!"

The stories tell of small slights to shocking insults, but all point to a belief that local people just aren't wanted.

"I think the reason posh hotels aren't giving significant discounts to us locals is because it's an image thing," one reader wrote. "They'd rather lose money than have us middle-class people mingling with their stuck-up, snobby Massie types. Why else would they be sticking us in the back of the house when they do offer a discount?"

It is clear that kama'aina patronage, particularly at deeply discounted rates, will not make up the difference in this time of crisis.

But as some hotels have learned, cultivating a loyal base of local guests provides a stability and goodwill that carries through good times and bad. As one reader pointed out, kama'aina have long memories.

"Hawai'i people are generous as a whole and they will remember and patronize those businesses that have shown their willingness to do their part after this difficult period has passed."

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.