Is a condo-hotel right for you?

If you are planning to stay more than a few days, renting a condo may be an option that you should consider.
In their favor, condo rentals, also known as condo-hotels offer the following
advantages:

Basically the same facilities that regular Hotels do, but with cooking facilities.
• Lower rate.
• NO resort fees added.

Most times you can rent a "Premium" condo-hotel with a quality equivalent to a 3 or 4 star hotel for the price of a room in a lower end hotel. Units are fully furnished including bed sheets, spreads and towels. There are however some differences that you need to be aware of. The same way that going camping or RVing is not for everyone, vacation rentals have their own select group of followers and are not for everyone either.

What you should consider:
If you have never rented a condo in Hawaii there are some things you should consider that set condos apart from Hotels:

a- Cleaning fee:
When you stay in a regular hotel, maids normally clean your room every day (some every few days) and this service is included in your hotel daily rate. When you rent a condo, it is like being at home, you clean your own room, do your bed and wash your sheets and towels. There is still however a cleaning fee at the end of your stay to get the unit ready for the next tenant. That cleaning fee normally goes from $65.00 to $180.00 depending on the size and quality of the unit you rent. The fact that you are paying a cleaning fee does not mean that you can return the unit a mess. You are supposed to return the condo reasonably clean.

b- Reservation deposit and payment:
Payment will depend on where you make a reservation at. Even though hotels are slowly drifting towards prepayment, you can still book a hotel with a one night charge to your credit or debit card and the rest to be collected upon arrival. With conductress that reservation deposit is at least $300.00. Prepayment of your stay is mandatory and is normally executed 2 to 4 weeks from arrival date unless otherwise specified by the agent.

c- Security deposit:
Upon arrival, regular Hotel operations will charge your credit or debit card anywhere from $100 to $300 security deposit for any incidentals, lost keys, damage to the room, etc,. When you check out, they refund the deposit minus any charges. With condo-hotels, the security deposit is at least $300 but can be more for larger units or if you stay for longer periods of time. This deposit minus any damages (key replacement, parking pass or card replacement, etc.) must be returned within 14 days of your departure.

d- Cancellations and changes:
Most hotel room cancellations are free of charge as long as they are made with more than 72 hours prior to your scheduled arrival date (except for the Holidays). With condo-hotels, cancellations or changes are NEVER FREE. There are not fixed rules but most will charge you a cancellation fee no matter how much advance notice you give them, from as little as $50 to as much as 100% of your deposit. It is also good to purchase travel insurance to cover any unexpected circumstances.

e- Cutting your stay short:
When you stay in a regular hotel operation, unless it is a prepaid special, you can check out days earlier and in most cases, as long as you check out before check out time (12 noon for most hotels), you will only be charged for the nights that you have spent. When it comes to condo-hotels there is no cutting your stay short, you are bound for the whole duration of the original reservation.

f- Quality:
There are 2 types of condo-hotels, "Economy" and "Premium", Economy condo-hotels are the equivalent of a low end Motel, "Premium" conductress on the other hand are about the quality of a 3 or 4 star hotel.

G- Final note:
If you think that renting a condo for your next visit is and idea worth considering, check our condo rental rules and policies or call us at 808-394-2112, Mondays to Fridays 8 am to 6 PM and Saturdays 9am to 5PM Hawaii time.


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