Author ORCID Identifier
Ingrid Lin: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7649-7936
Executive Summary
This report examines how hotel pricing structures in Hawaiʻi; specifically, Kamaʻāina discounts, visitor rates, and destination fees interact to shape perceptions of fairness, transparency, and booking behavior.
Using survey data from 192 respondents and a pricing audit of 57 properties in Oahu, Hawaii, the findings reveal a structural disconnect between pricing intent and guest experience. While Kamaʻāina discounts range from 20–30%, mandatory destination fees averaging $37.69 significantly erode realized savings, particularly at mid-tier price points. As a result, 62% of residents perceive hotel pricing as unfair, compared to 27% of visitors, and nearly 70% of respondents report abandoning bookings due to pricing concerns.
The evidence suggests that dissatisfaction is driven less by price levels than by how pricing is structured and communicated. Transparent fee disclosure, fee-inclusive pricing for residents, and verifiable sustainability-linked messaging emerge as critical levers for improving both trust and booking conversion.
Recommended Citation
Dominguez, Kody and Lin, Ingrid
(2026)
"Pricing Hawaii: When Discounts, Fees, and Transparency Collide in Hotel Pricing,"
ICHRIE Research Reports: Vol. 11:
Iss.
2, Article 4.
DOI: www.doi.org/10.61701/123348.708
Available at:
https://via.library.depaul.edu/ichrie_rr/vol11/iss2/4
