This reported in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin today:.

Local hoteliers, who expect to see a 10 percent to 30 percent year-over-year drop in fall bookings for the industry's bread-and-butter hotels, plan to ask the Hawaii Tourism Authority for emergency action, including special marketing programs and working with airline partners, at the next annual board meeting Tuesday in Waikiki.

Whoa! So, two fall strategies come to mind. First, your chances of getting a dynamite walk-up deal at a Hawaii hotel are probably going to be higher than ever this fall. That's a gutsy move, given the fact that you'll be flying long distance but those deals get determined at the front desk and won't be publicized. I can't guarantee that this will work but these are desperate times in Hawaii. A second and safer strategy would be to watch for special extra-day room deals out of the hotels. They hate cutting published rates so they side-step that by adding free nights of stay, free meal credits, and other goodies that lower the effective cost of your trip without lowering published rates. Watch closely as these could be stellar offers in the next four months. An example - Outrigger Resorts' "Stay 4, Pay 3" package, an effective 25% discount on a four night stay that includes some of the hotels nicer beachfront properties.

—Alex, 07/23/08