text: Larry Ellison hasn't exactly been a friend to Lanai or anyone else.  Some of the things he's done, like planting palm trees in front of the Lodge at Koele, are silly, but other shenanigans have had a more serious impact.  Like closing the hotels for extensive renovations that were unneeded.  That wiped out the number of visitors to Lanai and put all the small local businesses that relied on the tourist trade in serious trouble.  The plan seems to be to raise the room rates to prices that only his fellow billionaires can afford.  If the hotels suffered from low occupancy before, imagine how empty they will be at $1,000 a night.  Meanwhile room rates at Hotel Lanai have similarly soared.  If you are a local Hawaii resident who used to enjoy going to Lanai then it's time to start looking for somewhere else to vacation.  Thanks a lot Larry.  Not.