We do not agree
In response to Christy Hinkson’s letter to the editor, and any others that think STVR should be reopened: We do not agree with her No. 5 that owners can monitor guests better than hotel staff. Here lies just one problem Ms. Hinkson, unhosted, of which there are loads and loads of, owners don’t.
This has been brought up numerous times in letters to the editor. Unhosted STVR in residential neighborhoods run rampant, doing whatever they want when there is “no” on-site manager or owner. Many of these unhosted vacation renters own more than one rental and live thousands of miles from Hawaii. They do not care about trashing our neighborhoods, let alone monitoring quarantine renters. They are too busy counting their money while living far from Hawaii.
You do not see this in hotels, condo complexes or time shares. Why, because the management is present and does not allow it. This problem generally does not exist in rentals located where the owner lives. Again why, because the owner is present and does not allow disruptive renters around them. Maybe, if Ms. Hinkson had one of these “unhosted” renters next door to her where there is no regard to the neighborhood and the owner is thousands of miles from here, she might understand the problem. We cannot expect our police to have to monitor these STVR for quarantine violations, they have enough other things to do.
No one is against STVR in resort areas where they belong. STVR in resort areas, hotels, condo complexes and time share resorts also employ loads of managers, cleaning staff, grounds keepers and others, probably many more that one single STVR owner does.
One other thing, why did these unhosted owners buy houses in residential neighborhoods if they need to rent them out to pay the mortgage? There are many nice condos in resort areas that could have been bought and rented out to pay the mortgage.
Teresa Tagon
Keauhou
Tourists violating
quarantine with impunity
My daughter will be arriving today, Monday, June 8, on an American Airlines flight originating in Dallas and landing in Honolulu at 2:21 p.m.
She says the plane is packed, and most of the people on it are obviously tourists.
I do not believe for one second that these people plan on spending good money to sit in hotel rooms for the next 14 days.
Our leaders have failed us. Almost all of us were so careful to protect our neighbors by complying with the stay-at-home order. Now all of those sacrifices will be for naught so that the cheaters can profit.
That is not the way civilization works.
Judy Howard
Waimea
Letters policy
Letters to the editor should be 300 words or less and will be edited for style and grammar. Longer viewpoint guest columns may not exceed 800 words. Submit online at www.westhawaiitoday.com/?p=118321, via email to letters@westhawaiitoday.com or address them to:
Editor | West Hawaii Today
PO Box 789
Kailua-Kona, HI 96745
