Posted on: Friday, May 14, 2004

BUSINESS BRIEFS
Gas prices rise on Maui, O'ahu

Advertiser Staff

Gasoline prices jumped yesterday, pushing average prices to records in Wailuku, Maui, and Honolulu.

The increases pushed the statewide average for regular up nearly 5 cents overnight to $2.224 a gallon, according to AAA travel club. California led the nation with an average of $2.271 a gallon.

In Wailuku, the average rose 3.7 cents to $2.456, while in Honolulu the average for regular climbed 2.5 cents to $2.137 a gallon. In Hilo, the average for regular rose to $2.279 a gallon, up more than 4 cents.

Tourists spend most in Islands

Hawai'i remains the most expensive state for vacationers at an average cost of $497 per day for food and lodging for two adults and two children, AAA's annual vacation costs survey found.

But vacations are getting cheaper: Hawai'i's average is down $36 from last year. The average cost of a vacation in North America is $235 per day, down about 4 percent from 2003. The numbers do not include transportation.

Smoke-free hotel popular

The OHANA Reef Lanai, a hotel that went smoke-free last November, has seen increases in occupancy as nonsmokers sought it out, according to Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, operator of the OHANA hotels.

For the first three months this year, the OHANA Reef Lanai posted an average occupancy rate of 87.4%, up from 70.5% in the same period last year.

The hotel's occupancy also beat Waikiki's average of 81.4 percent during the first quarter, as calculated by Hospitality Advisors LLC.