HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0675.333 2022-2024From: John Casey
Sent: Friday, July 5, 2024 11:56 AM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Fwd: Maintain our" Hosted" Rentals
Subject: Please pause Bill 121 and accept a new proposed resolution requesting
the Department of Research and Development to procure a comprehensive study
on the economic and fiscal impacts of the short-term rental industry in the
county.
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From: Richard Gaul
Date: July 5, 2024 at 11:28:50 AM HST �~
To: John Casey
Subject: Fwd: Maintain our" Hosted" Rentals ` ` `-
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Begin forwarded message:
From: Richard Gaul
Subject: Maintain our" Hosted" Rentals
Date: July a, 2024 at 11:27:24 AM HST
To: "Michelle M. Galimba" <michelle.galimba@hawaiicounty.gov>
To Representative Galimba,
We recently built a house here starting in 2019 nd having "finalled" in May of
2023. During that time we ran into all the well known "pandemic" problems.
Plywood alone cost us more than double pre- Pandemic prices. We have a
small "Studio " that we rent out to visitors through Airbnb. We are not getting
rich off this but we are offsetting some of those intense price
"surprises" invoked by the Pandemic. We worked with Renee at HPM as our
main supplier of building materials and we have nothing but good things to
say about them. Renee and HPM went above and beyond in doing their best
to keep our project going even in the supply chain situation we were all in.
Since Governor Ige has opened the Island back up for visitors there seems to
be a reduced volume of people coming to the Island. The visitors who stay
at our Airbnb are overwhelmingly people " With Means" but also wanting a
much different experience than a "Resort". They pick papayas off the tree by
their room, they borrow swim fins for a sunset swim at Pebble beach below
our house and we tell them about the trail down south alongthe coast
toward the Cinder cone. Some stop and take a few minutes to replace rocks
in the trait. All wonder and the beauty and the crystal clear waters in each
cove. Some stay up late to watch the moving lights of the local fishermen
out along the coast fishing at night after a long days work.
In 1982 1 stayed on Kauai for six weeks and hiked the trail along Na Pali
Coast. When we did stay in hotels they were amazing... regular Mom and Pop
hotels with lots of fantastic interaction from our hosts.
Those Mom and Pop hotels are mostly gone. The " Hosted: experience that
we provide is modeled off of my memories of those wonderful folks who
owned and operated the Mom and Pop hotelsin Kauai back in 1982.
Please maintain the Hosted rental experience on our Island. Those who visit
get amazing memories as I did from their time here. They do not want a
sterile room with a generic set of furniture and they do not want to wait in line
at the front desk in the lobby when they ask about where and who to snorkel
with or which gift stores have the best local products., They seem to love
hearing our thoughts and suggestionsas we sit down with some Kau / Kona
coffee and chat with us. Without the Hosted" experience the type of visitor
we Host at our house will go somewhere else, they will not just go to a resort.
The Hosted vacation rental opened up a brand new niche in the type of
visitors here to the Island of Hawaii !
In our many years of experience with all our Guests we have never had one
problem with behavior. Many of our neighbors also interact with our guests
and give advice on places to go, things to do and who to contact for a
rewarding experience diving, eating, surf lessons or local handmade
artwork. etc.
Thankyou,
Richard Gaul. 808-315-0453
87-325 Kaohe Road
Captain Cook, Hawaii
P.S. My wife Amber and I are proud to walk into the office by the police
station with a check and pay our G.E.T and TAT.!