Hawaii Timeshare protests are causing headaches for Hilton December 23, 2010
Posted by John Stephens in : Hawaii timeshare, Hilton Grand Vacation , add a commentMost of the time, the thought of taking a vacation at a Hawaii timeshare conjures up visions of relaxing on fantastic beaches, soaking up the sun or perhaps catching an “awesome” wave. Side note: remember when it was only the surfers that used words like “awesome”? But that’s a topic for another blog.
Visitors to Hawaii who are planning to stay at a timeshare are now being met with a new type of welcome. According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, members of a local hotel workers union, Unite Here Local 5, are handing out anti-timeshare flyers at the Honolulu Airport and the Ala Moana Center in protest against Hilton regarding a labor dispute with the Hilton Hawaiian Village resort.
Negotiations have been underway since May, when the previous labor contract expired. Hilton has reportedly offered higher wages and full benefits to the workers, but the union has said the offer doesn’t meet their needs and is looking for more jobs and better job security from the company.
So far, Hilton has not commented on the situation, and can you blame them? In the current economic climate, for Hilton to offer better wages and full benefits when the majority of the hospitality industry has seen both reduced over the last two years seems to be fair, to say the least.
While Hawaii’s hotel occupancy rate stands at a solid 71.2% statewide and visitor numbers were up 14% in October year over year, keep in mind that 2009 was the bottom of the barrel for tourism and the numbers had nowhere to go but up. Room revenue is still down 20% from 2006 levels and it’s the revenue that pays the bills or, in this case, wages. The point is, while the union may be looking at the improving visitor numbers and translating that into leverage for their side, the money doesn’t appear to be there, yet.
Timeshare occupancy rates have held steady at about 80% nationally, which speaks to the strength of the product and the loyalty of owners to continue taking their vacations in the midst of the recession. It is the timeshare industry that has almost single-handedly kept the hospitality industry afloat in Hawaii when the bottom fell out over the last couple of years. Hawaii is a notoriously pro-union state, and we don’t pretend to know all the inside details of the negotiations. But, hopefully, these parties can get together to work out their differences without involving the very visitors that are paying all of their wages.
Meanwhile, smart timeshare buyers continue to look at the bargains available in Hawaii and you can find some great deals on Hawaii timeshare by clicking here and reviewing the products advertised on Buyatimeshare.com.