Reversing the Kauai Rental, Free Lodging For Military Families
The owners direct vacation rentals to be free for active overseas military heroes. At a time when vacationers are discussing the best days to travel or the best trip with kids, Paul Juma has taken a new tact on his vacation rentals. He wants the military to enjoy some free time on the island of Kauai.
Yep, at Fern Grotto Inn in Kapaa, Kauai, the owners direct vacation rentals to be free during the occasional gaps in rentals. According to Hotel News Now, hotel occupancy rates range from just above 45 percent to approximately 75 percent depending on the time of year. For hotel and resort owners, this means that they are constantly seeing some gaps in rental usage that represent opportunity income only if they are filled.
So what does an owner do when he finds these gaps throughout his 5 year rental history? Well, in Jumas case, he chose to make them available to overseas military that frequent the Coconut Coast. It is welcome news in a time that sees so much attention paid to vacations for sale at near prerecession prices. And who can argue with some perks passed along to military families that face struggles most of us only experience through tv or the news.
The military gets more leave, or vacation, than the average worker, but when you take into consideration their deployment schedules and duties in theater it leaves little time after visiting loved ones. Add to that the fact that enlisted military salaries are not something to write home about, spending time on the beach may be a little less accessible to them. While some owners might try shoehorning in sales during these rental gaps, giving back to the military looks like a welcome trend.
The best family trip for some of our military heroes just might result when the owners direct vacation rentals to be free of charge. Sometimes its the opportunities that we give others that are more important than any business decision we could make.