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So we decided to just write about what interests us. Our only hope is that - every now and then - you find a nugget that is a slight value for you. We hope. If you want to get these rantings in your inbox every so often, Signup to get emails. Here goes.

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Political IQ's Maui Housing - Lodging Newsletter May 31, 2024

By Wm, May
Published: 05/31/24 Topics: Education, Employment, Government, Hawaii, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

Hiring competent employees has always been a challenge. Today, diligent employers conduct multiple interviews, check references, and secure background checks before giving anyone a job.

Unfortunately, when citizens "hire" politicians ("vote") they never have an opportunity interview them face to face and they rely on the media to check a candidate's background, even though today's news pundits seem determined to push their own agendas, rather than simply reporting the facts. (That is a topic for a much bigger forum than our little newsletter here.)

But the risk of stupid decisions may actually be greater for town mayors, council members, and county council members than for national politics. Wikipedia says there are 89,000 local jurisdictions in the United States which may go by the terminology of city, town, township, borough or village.

With 3,143 counties in the U.S. and presuming an average of 3 commissioners for every county and just 3 council members (likely low) each city or town, that means there are around 276,000 people elected to govern their subjects.

Virtually none of those have been as intently tested as McDonald's does when they hire high school students to flip burgers.

Unfortunately, those 276,000 people are allowed to make decisions for which they have no experience, no training, and who seldom become experts on a subject before opining about it.

There are certainly far more important subjects for politicians than warring about our measly little "Vacation Rental" industry. But if those same officials show the same stupidity toward all challenges as they do stealing away property rights, it is no wonder those bigger problems are getting bigger.

This old joke applies. "What do you call a person who graduates last in their medical class?" The answer is "Doctor" and one may be your doctor, but you will never know.

Same thing for elected city and county officials, unfortunately.

===================

The list of politicians who cannot connect the dots to make good decisions just keeps growing.

Maui, Hawaii - The latest candidates for IQ testing is Richard Bissen of Maui County in Hawaii. As you have undoubtedly heard, in August of 2023, the island suffered a catastrophic fire that burned the entire town of Lahaina and killed 100 people. Thousands were left homeless.

Help came from the state, the county, not-for-profits and even celebrities who own homes there, including Oprah, the Rock (Wayne Johnson), and Mick Fleetwood (Of Fleetwood Mac), offering cash, food and other necessities.

But now, Mayor Bissen has decided that he can help local residents by stealing property from other people. He plans to prohibit short-term rentals in 7,000 condos, in hopes those homeowners will rent them out long-term and cheaply.

Surely, many condo owners would forfeit then own occasional use for a year or two or three, presuming, of course, the government would pay for them. But no - Bissen is not planning to pay, instead by reversing the County's long held policy allowing short-term rentals, he plans to cripple owners so they will have to sell out cheap and, presumably, to local folks.

Everyone who loves Hawaii, including the owners of those 7,000 condos, feels terrible for resident losses, but the mayor's action will not work. It will years or even decades to work through the courts and will not create housing for many years to come.

The Beat of Hawaii website (www.BeatOfHawaii.com) reports that the mayor's knee-jerk reaction was actually in the making long before the fire. Now he is using the fire as a scapegoat to get what he wanted all along. It panders to residents and ignores second homeowners who don't get to vote.

The annual negative effect of killing 7,000 rentals on Maui would be $3.25 billion dollars, a loss of $707 million County tax dollars, and will eliminate 14,000 jobs from the very people Bissen pretends to help.

His disjointed reasoning is that removing vacation rentals would "Force" visitors into hotels. Unfortunately, there aren't that many hotel rooms and, as has been proven elsewhere, when guests can't rent vacation homes, they simply go elsewhere. Maui loses. Hawaii Loses. Visitors lose.

Like so many places in the U.S., the housing that Maui needs could have been accomplished long ago by eliminating the 23% of building costs that cities, counties, state and federal government extort from building projects by ignorant and unnecessary rules, regulations, inspections and permitting fees.

Remove those and developers will come in droves to build what Maui wants.

When Bill Gates was a youngster, in a biography, it was reported that his mother after summoning him repeatedly to come to diner, finally yelled up to his room, "What are you doing up there?" He retorted "I am thinking mother. You should try it some time."

Well, Mayor Bissen, it is time to do some deep thinking and cancel such a stupid thing as killing jobs on Maui, devastating its economy, and actually making things worse instead of better.

Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0996 – 05/31/24

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Continuing Versus Continuous Education

By Wm, May
Published: 02/29/24 Topics: Education, Employment, Government, Lodging Management, Lodging Newsletter, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

How would you rate the teachers you had in school and professors in college?

Like all professions, there are people who perform well and those who do not, with the majority sitting somewhere between those extremes and with most doing well or good enough.

After formal schooling, most workers find there are continuing education requirements for their chosen career. Doctors, Dentists, Accountants, Lawyers, Real Estate Agents and many other professions require participants take courses to learn fundamental skills and periodic classes to brush up or learn new and improved methods.

Long ago, formal requirements for continuing education were unusual. Today, Federal, State and even local governments, along with professional organizations (such as the Legal "Bar") set standards and demand practitioners take classes and pass exams. States have hundreds of licenses. You'll need a training to operate a cemetery, sell cars, or operate campground sales.

In a prior career as a mergers and acquisitions intermediary selling mid-sized companies, having a real estate brokerage license was required. Taking the classes was not a burden, but provided zero instruction on how to market, structure and sell corporations.

Unfortunately, the by-product of excessive licensing implies that people who have a certificate are qualified to do the work for which they have a license. For example, it implied that someone who has taken only 60 clock hours, is qualified to help a corporation sell out. That is dangerous for business sellers and buyers. So such a requirement deceives consumers.

Lodging operators of inns, resorts and vacation rentals have no such requirements for continuing education. But meetings, seminars, and conferences have sprung up where participants can hear from experts, learn techniques, and even argue about best practices. Like many other industries, lodging education has become dominated by vendors to the industry, who have something to sell, rather than the people who are actually out running properties.

So how is a property owner to know which managers are qualified and which are not? The answer is to look for managers who are committed to continuous self-education, not just continuing education. This month's newsletter provides a guide for doing just that.

- - - - - - - - - -

Lodging Newsletter

by Wm. May, for March 31, 2024

There are vast differences in the competence of lodging managers. Education is helpful, but does not reveal the manager's commitment. Technology affects income dramatically, but do they have the correct tech? Experience is helpful, but not if the manager does not apply lessons hard learned.

In recent years, AirBnB has suggested owners could just hire a nearby neighbor to manage their homes. Or find another self-managed owner and entice them to take on your house. Unfortunately, using amateurs is risky because they know not the whole picture.

Ours is a seemingly simple industry, but saddled with hundreds of tasks, and requiring knowledge that has changed dramatically almost every month for decades, and should be expected to continue to continue to morph forever. Think of these things when interviewing prospective lodging managers.

Needs: Fully outline your expectations and needs. Do you want a manager to hold your hand on a daily basis or one who performs their duties well and reacts swiftly to changing demands like rates, competitors and, even, the weather.

Knowledge: Admit what you already know and what you do not know. Ask managers about their procedures for each and every little thing. Then, let the manager perform.

Questions: Ask manager candidates deep questions. Require that they have proven policies and procedures for most anything you can imagine. If its not written down, they do not.

Continuous: Ask how they learned their craft, how long they have been doing it, and how they continually educate themselves and staff members. Without that your house is at risk.

Commitment: Are they are available 24-76-365 for guest and property needs? While after-hours requests are rare, you want leaders who always step up and take charge. Most managers do not.

Attitude: You may find this idea unusual, but in a consumer facing business, managers who are up-beat, unflappable, and happy to serve elevate your property above the rest. (It is not easy.)

Managers who are newer will be unable to answer every question, and may be unable to answer most questions. Experienced, leader-type managers will have seen about every possible scenario when it comes to managing homes. Such as:

Guests who arrive early before the home is re-cleaned or leave late, cutting cleaning time. Storms that flood roads. Counties that fight rentals. Advertising websites that act irresponsibly. Guests who try extortion a free stay. Credit cards that bounce.

Professionals who already know how to handle those situations are primed to take care of them without fuss. These are the managers who will produce the best possible outcome for your property.

Cost: The first question that most property owners ask managers is, "what is your fee?". While that is important, there are dozens of other questions that will affect the property's profit even more. Rates, advertising, reservation staffing, accounting and, even, legal staff. Balance them all to get success.

Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0986 – 02/29/24

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Vacation Rental Politics - Lodging Newsletter April 30, 2024

By Wm, May
Published: 02/29/24 Topics: Education, Employment, Government, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

Politics and Vacation Rentals make strange bedfellows. That makes sense for lodging where providing "beds" is the name of the game. But for politics, the operative word is just plain "strange".

Politicians have been known to praise tourism as good for local economies, all while they are hand cuffing travelers with excessive taxes, lodging promotion contributions, and repugnant regulations.

The latest incursion on travel is where naive local politicians attempt to circumvent the traveling public's wants, by profiting from vacation rentals or burdening them with unnecessary and poorly conceived regulations

Marketing of any product is simple - "Ask consumers what they want. And then you give it to therm." Businesses don’t tell consumers what to buy. They give it to them. That is especially true for travel.

Politicians like to ignore that undeniable truth, by dreaming up more ignorant ideas, all of which will cut travel in their areas and, thereby, cut those locals jobs that support their constituents.

The latest stupidity is how Chelan County Washington fabricated laws that add costs for visitors and saddle homeowners with unnecessary costs. Worse yet "Drop Dead" clauses permanently strips owners of their Constitution bundle of real estate rights for any imagined violation.

Washington State lawmakers want to allow cities and counties to add an additional whopping 10% to the sales and lodging taxes. They figure if consumers are stupid enough to pay the current 10 to 14% tax, they are dumb enough to pay 20 to 24%.

Consumers know when they are getting ripped off. They disappear never to return. The gossip mill warns other visitors that they are not wanted in Chelan County.

On top of all that, Chelan County's egotistical Community Director fools spent $300,000 for a software system to encourage neighbors spy on visitors, only later to admit that any traveler fines won't be enforceable to offset the cost.

There are bigger problems in the world than what vacation rental owners face. But if governments approaches all problems as they have for rentals, is no wonder they fail to solve those bigger issues.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Here is an open letter to the Chelan County Commissioners. Sounds like they believe their super citizen role gives them the right to ignore fair play and smart thinking.

Dearest Commissioners & Bureaucrats:

If you myopically thought that soaking visitors with never ending taxes would not decrease tourism, congratulations - you have fooled even yourself. Why be surprised that County Lodging contributions have dropped hugely?

If your goal was - To decrease sales for every business that relies on visitors, you should be congratulated for crushing commerce in the county.

If your goal was - To increase unemployment by causing those companies to cut jobs, you should be congratulated for hurting the very people who you are supposed to be protecting.

If your goal was - To get rid of all those pesky out-of-town land owners, you should be congratulated. You did it and devastated those people who don’t get to vote in your election. Smart really.

If your goal was - To trick people into thinking second homeowners would rent them out as affordable housing, thereby prohibiting their owner's use, congratulations on an idea that has never worked anywhere else.

If your goal was to - Kick people out of the county, who have owned there and loved it (As you do) for decades, congratulations for that kind of apartheid.

If your goal was - To pander to those citizens who hate everyone and everything, you should be congratulated for creating your own kind of hate crime.

If you goal was - To make those people hate heavy handed government, you should not be congratulated for tricking and treating people like fools.

If your goal was - To rake in more unnecessary taxes and increase costs, adding layers of paper shuffling bureaucrats, congratulations, now you have more people sucking money for no valid reason.

Can you ever comprehend that responsible people are entitled to take care of their properties without more mind-numbing rules, regulations, risks and abuse? You should be congratulated for doing the opposite.

Can you admit - That right now is the time to cut the vacation rental regulations down by 90%. Have a simple form to ensure everyone pays taxes, has safety equipment and lists how to contact owners if there is an issue.

Of course, all the haters in the county will castigate you for prohibiting them spewing their hatred. But it is time to do the right thing, so that maybe you could be congratulated for standing up for fair play.

Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0992 – 02/29/24

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Permit Anarchy - Lodging Newsletter April 30, 2023

By Wm, May
Published: 04/30/23 Topics: Government, Lodging Newsletter Comments: 0

Technology is a wonderful thing. Not just today's ever-present software news and artificial intelligence, but the earlier technologies of telephones, radio, television, and even medicine.

Just a hundred years ago people died from diseases that today are cured with vaccines and affordable drugs. More people died of tuberculosis in history than there are people alive on the globe today. Just 100 years ago, the chance of dying from an impacted tooth was unacceptably high.

But technology, in the form of software, has also squashed us in many ways. In an earlier newsletter I made the case that Bill Gates (he being a stand-in for the entire software industry) was responsible for over-complicating the world that we live in today.

Until personal computers and word processing, lawmakers didn't draft laws that were hundreds of pages long, because editing, debating and changing the document was simply unwieldy. Laws could be understandable and enforceable.

The internet further added to the stew of confusion because it allows anyone and everyone to participate in government, or better said, to harass government officials Was Ben Franklin clairvoyant when he said, "Freedom of the press should be reserved to those who can afford one"?

Thomas Jefferson, when asked a thorny question, said "It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg, what business would it be of mine?" He foresaw that the right of the individual should be paramount.

Sadly, today Jefferson's wisdom has been swept aside by cities and counties that grant themselves supreme power to manipulate every little aspect of our lives.

In the scheme of things, the vacation rental industry is not earth-shatteringly important. But even here bureaucrats embrace intricate schemes to usurp property owners' rights by limiting or prohibiting the renting of homes.

With the noose getting tighter on vacation rental rights, lodging managers and property owners now have no choice but to waste time and money to comply with unnecessary regulations that serve no valid purpose.

This newsletter talks about those and urges every person to diligently protect their rights.

================

If common sense was common, then governments that provide regulation for regular property rentals, would draft regulations identical to those for short term rentals, but they do not. City and county councils, made of people with no experience in property rights (or governing in general), fabricate the silliest of ideas. Here are a few:

No vacation rental allowed within 1,000 feet of another rental.
Lighted exit signs are required on every door.
Have a wall map showing guests how to get out of the house.
Septic pipes should not be too low in the ground.
No neighborhood should have "too many" rentals.
Stopping short-term rentals will cause owners to rent their houses out affordably.
Occupancy should be severely limited.

These ignorant ideas prove that officials have no valid goals and no experience in regulating housing. If you think some of these don’t seem too bad, remember the, "What's good for the goose is good for the gander" should apply. Those same politicians would never dream of imposing these rules on long-term rentals, or goodness sake, on their own homes. They enjoy the freedom while taking yours away.

These exclusionary regulations are not a far cry from others which were found to be reprehensible over time. Such as red-lining that discouraged mortgages to minorities and even deed covenants that harassed religions out of their neighborhoods.

CONSIDERATE BUT CAUTIOUS

Until such time as wiser minds make laws based on foundational ethics rather than discrimination, here is what property owners must do to protect their rental rights.

Never presume officials will treat you fairly.
Never believe that bureaucrats give a wit about you.
Organize local groups of owners to fight back.
Attend every government meeting about rentals and keep recordings.
Speak up vociferously against rental discrimination.
Make sure every application is pristinely prepared.
Keep copy of all documents, and forever.
Submit permits well before deadlines.
Phone officials repeatedly to check on approval.
Demands officials send notice of any regulation changes (by mail).
Disallow the use of unreliable emails for notices.
Invest in attorneys to challenge every incursion.

It has been said, "The way to never get in trouble is to never do anything wrong." That applies to how to win and keep a vacation rental permit. Keep homes well maintained, hospitality clean and overseen by local executive level managers.

These managers have years of experience at operating homes well, controlling guest behavior and being your local voice.

Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0958 – 04/30/23

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Managing a business from within the CHOP

By Wm. May
Published: 06/29/20 Topics: Government Comments: 0

I wanted to be a musician but one day learned there were people I could never compare to. I saw concerts by Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Joe Cocker, Blood Sweat and tears, Chicago, and yes the Beatles. But the most intimidation was William Awihilima Kahaiali'I. Read more

A Storm is Brewing - Lodging Newsletter December 31st, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 12/31/19 Topics: Government, Lodging Newsletter, Regulations Comments: 0

In case you are unaware, there are storms brewing in the vacation rental world.

The first is the constant drumbeat of government officials to tax, regulate, or even prohibit owners from renting out their homes on a short-term basis.

Having followed the industry for many years, this is nothing new but, the drums are getting more frequent as the number of rental homes increases and as government officials see vacation rentals as a scapegoat for other problems they face.

Their lack of perspective is astounding as they try to stifle the best thing that has come to many communities in decades. Vacation Rentals create jobs and income for geographic areas where employment can be scarce.

Scaring away families who buy second homes, love the community, spend time there and then invite others to use their homes is a terrible disservice to their local economies.

======================================================================

There are many political issues of more importance than Vacation Rentals, but now property owners are finding they must fight to retain the "bundle of rights, that come with real estate ownership; the rights of possession, control, exclusion, enjoyment, and disposition."

Recently, a group of officials from multiple counties met in secret to figure out how to whittle away at that bundle. They want to prohibit or regulate vacation rentals to death, using impossible requirements not required of homes in general.

Immediately after the meeting, counties began imposing moratoriums on vacation rentals, ostensibly to "study the issue." County Council members were duped. Moratoriums are often used to confront new situations, but there is nothing new about vacation rentals.

Even the founding fathers stayed in rented homes on a short-term basis. Officials who did not plan for and reasonably regulate rentals beginning decades ago were not doing their jobs.

Over time, opponents of vacation rentals have concocted many ridiculous reasons when attempting to control their neighbors' property rental rights, such as comments about too many cars, noise, septic systems or xenophobia, "I just don't want people next door that I do not know."

At one review meeting, the county Sheriff testified that there are far more problems with homes occupied by full-time owners and long-term tenants than vacation rentals. In fact, he reported, "We don't really have any problems with short-term rentals."

That is because vacation rental home owners have strong economic motivation to keep their homes in good condition, to qualify guests and to control their behavior. Failure to do so would result in bad reviews and less income.

Oblivious officials are hallucinating if they think that disallowing short-term rentals would cause second home owners to rent out their homes on an "affordable basis" to local citizens. That is an spurious idea for two reasons.

One: People buy second homes to USE THEM intermittently for family and friends, but renting long-term would prohibit them from doing so. And, two: Second homes tend to be of higher value and owners would be never rent their costly investments for cheap.

On the other hand, Vacation Rentals do help local citizens. They create jobs by bringing upscale visitors to town, where they dine out, buy groceries, require cleaning, undertake activities, and spend money that supports the local economy and jobs. That is especially true in some rural and recreational areas, where jobs are scarce and economic benefits are so greatly needed.

So this is a call to arms. If you believe that property owners should retain their bundle of rights, then watch your city and county officials very carefully, now before they can sneak in dubious regulations or prohibitions. Start lobbying them right away to educate them on what a great value vacation rentals are for your community. Go to a meeting. Tell them how wrong they are.

Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0717 – 12/31/19

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Its Always something - Lodging Newsletter November 30th, 2018

By Wm. May
Published: 12/24/18 Topics: Advertising, Dynamic Rates, Government, Lodging Newsletter, Online Travel Agents (OTAs) Comments: 0

In 1977 Gilda Radner, one of the original cast members from the first years of the "Saturday Live" television sow, invented a character that made her famous.

Her "Roseanne Roseannadan" was a recurring character on their "Weekend Update" feature offering consumer reporting by reading a letter from a "Mr. Richard Feder, " form New Jersey, with a series of questions to which Roseannadanna then made derogatory comments.

In later shows, for some inexplicable reason Mr. Feder moved to Mt. Saint Helens, Washington State in our neck of the woods.

Invariably while answering the questions, Roseannadanna digressed, launching into stories having to do subjects which had nothing to do with the questions until - and finally - the news co-anchor Jane Curtin would intercept her saying with the catch phrase "Roseanne, you're making me sick"

Roseannadann would smirk and then pause and then conclude, "Well, Jane, it just goes to show you, it's always something - if its not one thing, then its another."

It does seem odd now however, that forty years later, in business in general and our micro world of vacation rentals and lodging we still spend most every day deal within one thing or another.

This is an industry that continues to grow and morph and change and yes "It s always something."

=============================================================================

Yes, in this industry it really is always something. Something unexpected, something unknown, something new..

REGUATIONS - After decades of operating alternative lodging for guests, cites and towns have begun to restrict, regulate and even prohibit vacation rentals ostensibly because they take away affordable housing. It is silly to think that people with expensive second homes are going to rent them out long term for low rates. Its always something out of the blue..

OTAS - Online travel agents like Expedia, HomeAway, AirBnB and so many others are a great way to advertise but make no mistake they are all out to beat out each other. to guest by restricting communications by requiring guests to communicate using their closed-walled messaging systems. That means dozens of new systems to track and master. Its always something more complicated.

EXPECTATIONS - It is rumored that, decades ago, vacation rental customer service consisted of these words, "Here are the keys, good luck." Today guests want quality furnishings, high speed internet, hot tubs, hotel grade mattresses and much more. Its always something, so we provide it.

GUEST SERVICES -

GOOGLE HOTELS - Wanting to dominate the world, Google is rolling out advertising where lodging operators can display their wares directly on Google pages, possibly by passing those pesky OTA's. Its always something jiving.

ODD ADVERTISING - Ever heard of Glamping? Or Camping? And why would they have anything to do with vacation rentals. We'll websites with odd goals are becoming just another place for guests to find us. We must be diligently looking for the whatever is the new way that consumers are shopping. Its always something innovative.

RATES RACE - As use of dynamic pricing, and automated supply demand response, rent by owners and insufficiently distributed lodging operators rush to lower rates in a dangerous race to the bottom price. Wide adverting, creative imagery, instant service and more allow us to stay ahead of the pack. Its always something innovative.

LOCALIZE - Venture Capitalists are rushing into the vacation rental industry, but allow want to build global brands that reject the local hospitality that guests have come to prefer from vacation rentals. We use local brands, local partners and local tourism to provide more fun and more happiness Its always something local that is better.

FLEXIBILITY _ Unlike other managers with a "one-size fits all" approach we offer flexible programs from full-service Do-It-Yourself assistance and extra bookings. Its always something that must fit what property owner clients want.

Author: Wm. May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0628 – 12/24/18

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Christmas Trees Endanger the World

By William May
Published: 01/17/15 Topics: Government Comments: 0

This is not a story about prohibiting Christmas trees from governmental property due to freedom of religion restrictions. Instead, it’s a new taking of your ability to put a Christmas Tree in the lobby of privately owned condo buildings, restaurants and more. Geeeesh. Is nothing sacred? Read more

Government Officials Driving Tourism Economy Away

By Ron Lee
Published: 06/01/12 Topics: Government Comments: 0

Tourism is a clean, responsible industry that brings in visitors anxious to shop, attend events, tour attractions, rent lodging, and pay the taxes that go with them. So why do local government officials want to drive away vacation rentals and turn away the easy spending guests who want them? Read more

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