KALAHEO — The Beat of Hawai‘i is celebrating its fifth anniversary. Owners Jeff Tucker and Rob Kvidt offer strategies for cheap travel deals, visitor industry news, tips to make trips to Hawai‘i better, along with anything off-of-the-beaten-path about visiting the
KALAHEO — The Beat of Hawai‘i is celebrating its fifth anniversary.
Owners Jeff Tucker and Rob Kvidt offer strategies for cheap travel deals, visitor industry news, tips to make trips to Hawai‘i better, along with anything off-of-the-beaten-path about visiting the state.
Based in Kalaheo, the www.BeatOfHawaii.com website started when Tucker and Kvidt operated a large consulting firm and needed frequent travel needs to be more cost effective. They initially hired an in-house travel planner, but started looking outside of the box for travel-savings solutions.
From their research, Tucker and Kvidt realized there were lots of great deals to be had in travel.
“We started commenting on Arthur Frommer’s blog,” said Tucker.
Frommer is a travel writer, publisher and consumer advocate who launched a series of travel guides and a magazine bearing his name.
After several conversations with Frommer and his wife Paulette, Tucker said he mentioned Beat of Hawai‘i in his book, Ask Arthur Frommer.
“He said, ‘If you’re a fan of Hawai‘i, go to Beat of Hawai‘i,’” Tucker said. Their site was immediately inundated with travelers looking for deals and the site crashed.
The site has grown quickly over the past five years and had more than a million page views in 2012.
Started as a labor love, Tucker said Beat of Hawai‘i had no advertising for the first three and half years it was running.
“It was pure,” he said. “We used it as a way to give back to Hawai‘i while building a following.”
Tucker said the decision also allowed him and Kvidt the freedom to write about whatever they wanted while developing a strong voice, which has allowed them to become leaders in the travel industry from the comfort of their home office.
First to be notified of Hawai‘i deals are the 30,000 daily subscribers who receive free email updates, along with followers on Facebook and Twitter.
Beat of Hawai‘i also offers a VIP alert for an annual fee that allows a text to be sent out to a subscriber right after a deal is posted for travel to specific cities.
Kvidt said people new to the site may not fully understand what they are about as they offer really quick deals on travel. Sometimes the offers may only be good for a few days or even a few hours.
In addition, flying on the cheap often requires off season travel and flexibility for the best deals.
“We test deals before publishing them,” Tucker said. “Airlines get rid of last minute inventory and love that we can help move seats.”
He said that while airlines may not like their honest editorials, they are still helping move excess inventory that would otherwise go unsold and can cause airlines such as Alaska, Allegiant and Hawaiian Airlines to rethink their schedules while some airlines are looking at reducing flights.
The site is currently tracking increased demand for annual peak travel to the islands between June 7 and mid-August, and then from Dec. 18 through early next year.
It is becoming increasingly essential to book these peak Hawai‘i travel periods early because demand appears to be exceeding supply, Kvidt said.
After finding a deal on Beat of Hawai‘i, Tucker recommends on-line booking directly with the airlines for the best price.
During peak travel times, Tucker also suggests, “locking in a Hawai‘i car rental before purchasing airline tickets for summer and holidays. Otherwise, the cost for rentals may be excessive or cars may be unavailable.”
“The airlines adjust fares rapidly and are considered masters of supply and demand,” Tucker said. “We expect to see rising prices across the board for Hawaii travel. Therefore finding deals quickly when they do arise will be key to an otherwise elusive, economical Hawai‘i vacation.”
