Owner Newsletter Fall 2015
Aloha to all of our Owners  

Fall officially begins this year on September 23, early in the morning at 4:21 A.M. 
The mainland looks forward to experiencing the beautiful changing colors of autumn, longer nights, shorter days, and with no doubt less enthusiasm for the drastic fall in temperature in many areas.  In Hawaii, our climate remains fairly constant and it is the number of sunbathers on Poipu Beach, cars in the parking lot at Kukui'ula Village Shopping Center or the length of the line outside Keoki's at dinnertime that determines what season we are in! Island events and festivals mark  the passage of time.  A reminder that Fall is soon to arrive is the The  Kauai Marathon, held annually during the first week of September. Also our vacation rental higher summer rates drop slightly to regular rates on Sept 8th to encourage visitors during the typically slower fall season. The Mokihana Festival runs from Sept 20-26. 
Presley has started third grade and is very excited to start soccer training for the first time! Here she is at her very first soccer practice at the park in Koloa. Blake, our Head Honcho of Maintenance, is training her and his twin girls, Kaya and Shyan. We are looking forward to supporting them at their soccer games this season!

Shift to Mobile

While desktops remain the technology of choice for online travel planning activities, a major shift to mobile is occurring. According to a 2014 survey on digital lifestyles, travelers are now more likely to own a smartphone (87%) than a laptop (79%) or tablet (59%). For the first time ever, the majority of U.S. online travelers used their mobile device to plan a trip (including destination selection, shopping, and/or booking) in 2014. Nearly seven in ten travelers planned a trip using a mobile device, compared to fewer than half in 2013. Travelers are more likely to use a mobile device during the destination selection and shopping phases.
 Tech Savvy Software  
We have been extremely satisfied with the functionality of our property management software, Liverez. Our vacation properties are beautifully displayed, the reservation process is simple and streamlined, calendars are accurately maintained and informative reports are easily generated for our staff and for our Owners. Liverez continuously works with us to provide progressive solutions to streamline our business and maximize  our potential. We have been successful in creating new CRM (Customer Relationship Module) that auto-responds to our guests, providing them with the information and confirmation that they are seeking in the fastest way possible.

We are also excited to launch our new "Responsive website" in October. It is essential to provide an intuitive and functional website version for all mobile devices as the reliance on mobile phones and tablets, in addition to laptops and larger desktop screens, is increasing exponentially. Web users are beginning to expect websites to adjust to the screen of access and, if it does not, the result is often a very frustrated user. In addition to our new responsive design, we will also be providing our guests with an extensive Kauai Vacation Travel Guide that has informal articles on everything Hawaiiana to entice them to visit and offer useful tips and information about the island to utilize during their stay.


Electronic Locks for Owners 
When I attended the Vacation Rental Managers Association conference in Portland this April it reinforced how important electronic locks are for safety and efficiency of vacation rentals. We are in the unique position of having the first time integration of a vacation rental software company, LiveRez, our software provider, and an electronic lock company, Point Central. We have started to install the locks in the homes and condos where they are allowed, at no cost to our owners. As owners you will receive a code that is unique to you and will allow you to enter your property at any time. I will send these to you in an email as they are installed. Great Vacation Retreats will own the locks and we'll keep your current locks in a safe place in case you ever need them.

These locks are amazing. They produce a unique code for each guest. Each cleaner, vendor, employee, etc. receives their own code so we can monitor who has been in and when. We can control the access and limit to certain times, days or one time if necessary. If a guest gets stuck and can't get in, the administrators of the system can let them in remotely from their phones. When the cleaner is done, they put in a closing code which alerts the inspector to go in and when the inspector leaves their code will let the guest know that the condo or home is ready for them by email and text. There are no keys to lose or keep track of!

We are very proud of getting in on this early as all vacation rentals will most likely be on this system eventually. Just another way to protect your investment while providing excellent customer service to our guests.

Linda Sylvester (RB)
Owner Liaison

Bananas - thriving in the tropics
See how they have grown! Our bananas have shot up at least 4 feet since we showed them to you in the Owners Summer newsletter three months ago. They will provide welcome shade to the westerly side of our office and a plentiful harvest. 
We wonder if we will have our first stalk of bananas by Christmas? The first owner to accurately predict the month in which our very first banana flower spike (inflorescence) appears, will receive and Island Soap and Candle Works Gift basket! Send us an email with your best guess!
 

#kauaivacations on INSTAGRAM
Owners who are active on Instagram please post and hashtag pics of your vacation properties and experiences when visiting Kauai e.g. beautiful sunsets, interesting images that highlight the unique appeal of your property and your island vacation.
Use the hashtag #kauaivacations
To visit our Instagram account use the link provided below:

View on Instagram

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. travelers (71.5%) use the internet in some capacity when planning a leisure vacation. The most popular online sources for travel planning include travel provider websites (34.9%), search engines (27.6%), social media (24.3%), online travel agencies (23.8%), and destination websites (23.6%) 
The vast majority of U.S. travelers (89%) actively participate in a social network. Eight in ten travelers report logging onto social media at least once a day, while one quarter are logged on continuously. Facebook remains the preferred social network, with 83 percent of travelers using the platform, whereas 38 percent use Twitter and 29 percent use Instagram. 

Hawaii Visitors Convention Bureau


At a Glance - Air Service to Hawaii
Air service to Hawaii remains strong. Scheduled air seats from North Ameri ca are expected to be up +4.1 percent year-over-year from August through Oc tober 2015. More than 1.7 million seats are scheduled to arrive from U.S. West, 221,000 from U.S. East, and 61,000 from Canada. The markets seeing the highest growth in seat inventory include San Francisco (+17.4%), Seattle (+15.5%), At lanta (+11.5%), and Chicago (+11.0%). 

Hawaii Visitors Convention Bureau
Kauai Marathon Kickoff Celebration
Poipu Beach Athletic Club offers our guests a wonderful sporty family environment. Visitors to the club can play tennis, basketball, pickle-ball, shuffleboard, badminton, croquet, work out in the fitness center or relax by the pool. The club offers various fitness classes, including Aqua Aerobics, Vinyasa and Hatha Yoga. Join them for special events, Movie on the Lawn nights and Live Music Performances.

GREAT VACATION RETREATS 
808.742.9202
info@greatvacationretreats.com