Owner FAQs

Who is Koko Resorts?

Koko Resorts is a full-service vacation rental property management company, focused on Honolulu and other Hawaii destinations. As vacation rental owners ourselves, we understand the stress, dedication, and detail it takes to manage property. We also know what it takes to optimize the marketing, management, and care of the property in order to make the greatest return on investment possible. Our priority is our partners (you), the property, and to ensure a great vacation rental experience every stay.

Why should I choose Koko Resorts?

Our primary focus is outstanding service to all of our property owners and vacation rental guests. Our product can be defined as the entire vacation rental process, from the time a guest gets on our website until they get back home.

Beyond exceptional service, we know owners expect several things from their management company: a high percentage of occupancy at an optimum nightly rate, proper care of their property, and ongoing communication.

We provide a high percentage of occupancy by executing innovative, aggressive and comprehensive marketing and guest communication campaigns.The maintenance and care of your property is the number one reason for complaints by owners and guests alike. Through personal detailed attention and follow-through of repairs and housekeeping services, Koko Resorts offers solutions not quick fixes.

Communication should be done at the convenience and on the terms of the property owner. Electronic communication is convenient, but does not replace the need to pick up the phone and talk. Koko Resorts understands that communication is the key to a successful relationship with property owners and vacation rental guests.

Do I need to use a property management company?

The state of Hawaii requires that all vacation rental owners must have a property manager on the island on which the rental is located. If you do not live on the island, then we would highly recommend that you find a property management. Please protect yourself and verify the license of your management company directly with the State as not all managers are properly licensed and operating legally.

Is Koko Resorts licensed?

Yes. Koko Resorts is a fully licensed real estate brokerage and meets the State of Hawaii legal requirement that all owners must have a property manager on the island. We are happy to provide references upon request. Your funds are FDIC insured and protected in a special trust account.

What kind of contract would I enter in with Koko Resorts?

When you partner with Koko Resorts, you’ll be free to come and go from our program as you please. All we ask is that you give us 90 days notice if you do choose to unlist your home with us. If you are interested, please inquire now and we will more than happy to send you our homeowner agreement so you may review.

How do I get started with Koko Resorts?

When you inquire with us, one of our licensed property managers will contact you. Normal activation includes shooting new photos, creating a detailed listing, setting pricing, activating advertising on the main internet channels and beginning to take reservations – all in less than a couple weeks!

How does Koko Resorts promote our property?

We have a separate webpage/landing page on our website www.kokoresorts.com for your property, as well as in many cases ads with VRBO, FlipKey, Trip Advisor, and Home Away, just to name a few. Koko Resorts covers the cost of all marketing as part of our management fee. We also send out a quarterly electronic newsletter to our database of owners and thousands of past guests.

What if I already have listed my home on those sites?

Many of our partners have already listed their property on various vacation rental sites (VRBO, AirBNB, etc.), so we’ll work with you to migrate your listing. This will also include new photos, writing a professional description for your listing, and setting pricing as needed.

How do you find guests?

Most of our marketing is done online through vacation rental websites as well as through other tourism related websites. We communicate with previous guests and potential guests through email marketing campaigns and special promotions.

Can I promote and rent my own property?

We recommend that you promote your property as much as possible. Once in our system owners are welcome to make reservations as needed.

How are rates established?

We research the comparable properties to get a base price then we evaluate the condition of the property, location and amenities.

Will my property be photographed?

Yes. All units are professionally photographed for marketing. Along with photos, we will provide the property details, rates, calendars, and marketing description.

What precautions are taken to ensure my property is not damaged?

We require at least a 3-night minimum on all reservations unless we receive permission from homeowners for a specific reservation.

Koko Resorts has made inspections a priority. Before a guest arrives and after the cleaning crew has finished cleaning, an “arrival inspection” is done. This allows us to ensure the property is ready for the guest, and to assess the condition of the property.

Upon departure and before the cleaning crew arrives another inspection is done and is compared to the arrival inspection. This often allows our inspectors to be in a property twice a day. By doing an arrival and departure inspection we can charge the guest for any damage beyond reasonable wear and tear. During the off-season or whenever a property is vacant more than one week we do an inspection to ensure everything is in order.

What is the cost for service calls?

There is no charge to have our on staff maintenance personnel go to a property to assess an issue. If the required repair is beyond the scope of their abilities a specialist may be called and there may be a service call fee for that individual. To maintain our standards we reserve the right to replace or fix any non-emergency problem without an owner’s approval if the cost is less than $500. If it is an emergency, i.e. broken pipe at 3:00 AM we will respond immediately to the problem.

What are some of the normal expenses for the rental program?

Periodic maintenance and repair to your property. Quarterly deep cleanings and carpet cleanings. Replacement of pillows, comforter, mattress pad/protector, and other household inventory items that creates a comfortable guest experience.

Can you tell me about your housekeeping service?

Yes, we staff our own housekeepers. They are all very professional and have many years of experience. Each unit is cleaned after every guest departure. It is then inspected by one of our Executive Housekeeping Supervisors. We pride ourselves in the cleanliness of each unit, and strive to keep it as nice as possible.

Do you take care of bed bugs?

Koko Resorts takes a preventative approach to do all we can to prevent any bed bugs in our properties. We have periodic pest control established to insure the properties are bug free.

What about regular maintenance?

We have a very qualified and experienced maintenance team that also knows their limit. We won’t ever try to do any maintenance that we don’t have extensive experience with. For these type of maintenance issues, we have a list of trusted vendors and companies that we work with. Our maintenance motto is, “If you’re going to do something, DO IT RIGHT the first time.”

How do you support guests and owners during their stays?

Our onsite offices are open from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM on weekends, and 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM on the weekends to serve owners and guests. We have an after hours emergency phone that rotates through our management team to respond to guest and owner inquiries. emergencies.

How do guests interact with Koko Resorts?

Guests can have as little or as much interaction with us as they want. Since check-in and check-out are done automatically, the guest can simply enter their room without needing to talk with us.

If the guest needs anything, they can either come to the office in the Waikiki Banyan, give us a ring, or drop us an email. There is also an emergency line set up for them for 24/7 service.

Who stays with Koko Resorts?

We have guests from all over the world come and stay with us. Many come for couple retreats, as families, or people on business trips. The main reason they choose a us over a hotel is because they want to enjoy all the comforts of home while on vacation.

How do guests pay you?

Guests are charged a $150 deposit fee if the reservation is made over 45 days before check-in. This is a non-refundalbe deposit. Reservations made within 45 days of arrival must be paid in full at the time of booking. Reservations not paid in full within 45 days of arrival are subject to cancellation. Refunds, if any, will be made in accordance with our Cancellation Policy. All transactions are done securely either through our system (Streamline) or through whatever 3rd party service they used for the booking (VRBO, AirBnB, etc.).

How do you deal with noisy guests?

Please know that we have a strict policy of evicting guests upon any sign of noise, partying, or over-occupancy. We want guests to enjoy themselves, however, we do not tolerate abuse at your property and contractually have heavy measures in place to evict and charge additional fees. In an effort to keep your guests and property safe, we will install several types of noise monitors and customize the decibel level settings for your specific property. Our local teams will receive an alert if the noise volume exceeds these settings and address it for you.

How do you make the guest experience unique?

We strive to accommodate them in any way we can. Here are a few of the things that Koko Resorts does for our guests:

• If a guest mentions in their booking comments that they are in Hawaii for a specific purpose, such as a graduation, anniversary, honeymoon, or even funeral, they are greeted with a special gift and note upon arrival to their room.
• We offer suggestions and have guide books for exploring Oahu.
• Our office is equipped with sporting goods and some beach toys for guests to borrow.

We are constantly looking for ways to improve the guest experience here at Koko. Any suggestions on how you as an owner would like us to treat your guests is very welcome.

Are there restrictions on how often I can stay at my property?

Owner’s come first – zero black out dates for owner stays. We realize one of the best reasons to own a vacation property is so you can stay there.

How do I book myself, friends, or family at my property?

In our reservation software, Streamline, you’ll be able to view availability and book through the tool. There is no charge for booking your own. The only charge would be the cleaning fee, which would be at a highly discounted rate.

Will I have access to confirmed reservations?

Yes. We believe in transparency so you will be privy to the reservations and what type of revenue to expect so there are no surprises.

What If I book a reservation on my own?

If you make a reservation for one of your own rooms, we will not collect the full management percentage. Instead, we will only collect 1/3 of the percentage.

What system can I use to see reports, reservations, etc?

We use Streamline as our reservations and reporting software. When you partner with us, you will receive a username and password to the owner side of the Streamline reservation system. Here you can view the reservations in real time and also create your own owner bookings.

What if a guest damages the unit extensively?

To demonstrate our commitment to protecting your property, Koko Resorts offers an exclusive $1,000 vacation rental Property Protection Guarantee! Koko Resorts will repair or pay to have repaired any tenant caused damage to your property up to a full $1,000 per tenant. Please contact Koko Resorts for details.

What do you do about locks and keys?

For all buildings that permit it, we will install keyless locks. This will ensure that no keys are lost, no need for locksmiths, and makes the unit much more secure since each guest will receive a unique PIN, which expires when their reservation ends.

Is there anything I am required to have at my home?

Nothing is required. We can furnish and the stock the room with anything that it might be missing – i.e., TV, furniture, beds. These items would be charged up front to our owners at cost of the item. We will also standardize the room with kitchenware and linens.

Do I need to have Wi-Fi or a traditional phone line/landline installed?

As part of our marketing to potential guests, we advertise that we have free Wi-Fi in every room. We do ask that all our owners have Wi-Fi setup for their room. Business codes require that every room has access to an phone line in case of an emergency. A landline will be required. We can help you with this process if needed.

Can I do my own decorating?

Yes! We encourage homeowners to make their property their own in regards to décor and furnishing. Guests want a unique experience, so any personal touch can improve that experience. We are of course here to give advice if you want it.

What do you charge for full-service vacation rental management?

National rates for property manager services average roughly 35%, ranging as low as 20% and as high as 60% depending on the type of home and market. Koko Resorts full-service property management package is 30% of revenue made on your room. So if you don’t make any money on your room, we don’t either.

What does it cost me initially to list my property with your company?

Services with fees attached:

• A linen start up fee. The cost will vary depending on bed and bath size.
• A professional photo shoot.
• Keyless lock installation.
• Stocking the essentials in the kitchen to bring it up to our company standard. This is a “if necessary” charge.

What’s included in your fees?

Full services include; All marketing, reservations and payments, setting nightly rates for each season, guest correspondence and satisfaction (including emergency issues, requests and complaints), bill pay, collecting and filing taxes, general maintenance, housekeeping, Certified Public Accountant (CPA) for accurate reporting, detailed owner reports, and more …

What can I expect in regards to booking percentage?

The amount of nights you can expect is dependent on several factors including the economy, sleeping capacity, location, owner use, rates, season, and décor. When you initially partner with us, your dedicated owner manager will sit down with you to review your home, and set expectations.

How do I receive our rental proceeds?

We currently pay owners once a month. Expect to receive an owner statement and an ACH deposit to your bank account by the 10th of every month. This statement and deposit will cover all guests that check out during that month. If you have a guest crossing over one month to the next, the payment for that reservation falls in the month they check out.

What do you offer in regards to reporting?

Each month, you will receive a detailed statement of costs and income. Our Streamline reservation software also offers a variety of reports that range from very simple to very detailed. We can help create customized reports for you upon request.

Does Koko Resorts handle my taxes and bills?

Yes! We file GET & TAT taxes as part of our standard services. We will also pay other bills for you such as internet and phone bill.

Are there “hidden” fees I should know about?

Nope. We charge a standard percentage and nothing more. If the unit is not booked, we don’t get paid.