Courtesy/News Source: hawaiinewsnow.com

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) -Last week’s opening of a 185-suite Residence Inn by Marriot in Kapolei should be a sign of things to come.

This is the third Hotel built in Kapolei, and like the prior two, it will be popular and fully occupied from the beginning.

It shows that there is significant demand for hotel rooms outside of resort areas – especially as those areas are pricing themselves out of range for most people.

Experts say there will be even more demand for this type of accommodation as real enforcement begins on illegal vacation rentals which are the scourge of many suburban neighborhoods.

And that’s a welcome development. One reason things got so out of whack in our visitor industry was reluctance to allow suburban hotels, which are common in most cities, but rare in Hawaii.

So while resort hotels got more expensive, demand grew for illegal vacation rentals.

Our county governments should look more favorably on allowing moderate-sized hotels – on commercially zoned land outside of resort areas.

Perhaps the past resistance to small hotels might be overcome by the understanding that that they will reduce the demand for outlaw rentals, and provide affordable places for friends and family to stay when they come to visit.