The honest answers
We'd rather over-explain how the platform works than have anyone book a vendor or pay a subscription wondering what's actually going to happen.
Booking through Hanahou should feel like asking a trusted friend who they used. These are the questions we hear most often.
Is Hanahou free to use as a planner?
Yes, completely. Browsing vendors, sending inquiries, saving a workspace, getting calendar invites, leaving reviews: all free. Hanahou makes its money from monthly subscriptions vendors choose to pay for visibility, not from planners, and not from a cut of your booking. You will not be asked for a credit card to use Hanahou as a planner.
How do I book a vendor?
Browse by island or category (Performers, Visuals, Food, Cultural, and so on), open a vendor profile, and click Get a quote. The vendor receives your inquiry by email and in their dashboard, replies through the platform, and (if you both agree on scope) confirms the booking with a calendar invite. Every message lives in your account so you have a record of the whole conversation.
Does Hanahou handle payments between me and my vendor?
No. Hanahou is an intro platform, not a payment processor. Once you've connected with a vendor through Hanahou, you'll work out payment directly with them. They'll let you know what works for them: Venmo, Zelle, check, deposit and balance, day-of cash, contract terms, whatever. Hanahou doesn't touch the money, hold deposits, or take a cut of the booking. We just helped you find each other.
Does Hanahou take a cut of my booking?
No. Hanahou does not process payments, hold deposits, or take commission on bookings. You pay your vendor directly under the terms you agree on with them. We make our money from monthly subscriptions vendors choose to pay for visibility, not from skimming bookings.
What if a vendor doesn't reply?
New inquiries that haven't been answered within twenty-four hours trigger an automatic reminder to the vendor. If you still don't hear back after a few days, that's a useful signal. We recommend reaching out to a couple of similar vendors in parallel rather than waiting on one. You can always email hello@hanahouhi.co and we'll check in on it.
Can I cancel an inquiry or a booking?
Yes. Inquiries can be left to lapse; vendors will close them out on their end. For confirmed bookings, both you and the vendor can cancel from your account or dashboard. Cancellations send the other side an email with your reason, free up the calendar date, and give the vendor or planner a chance to fill the slot.
How are reviews verified?
Reviews submitted through Hanahou are tied to a real booking on the platform. That's the “Verified booking” signal you'll see next to a reviewer's name. After your event, we email you a link to write your review. New reviews enter a twenty-four-hour grace window before publishing so vendors can flag any that look defamatory or fraudulent.
Why are some vendors marked Premium or Pro?
Premium and Pro are paid subscription tiers vendors can choose. Premium vendors appear higher in search and on the homepage carousel; Pro vendors appear above Basic vendors in their category and on relevant searches. Within the same tier, sorting falls back to rating and review count. Tier doesn't affect what you'll get from a vendor; it affects where you find them.
Is my information shared with anyone?
Vendors you contact see the inquiry details you send them: name, email, event details, and your message. Beyond that, your information stays inside Hanahou. We don't sell or share your data for advertising. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.
If you run an event business in Hawaiʻi, here's how the platform works on your side.
How much does it cost to be on Hanahou?
Listing your business on Basic is free. Pro is $10/month and adds visibility plus an analytics dashboard. Premium is $30/month and adds the homepage carousel and category benchmarks. See the full feature breakdown on our pricing page.
What's the founding-vendor offer?
Our first hundred vendors get three months of Pro on us with the code FOUNDING-100 at checkout, plus a permanent Founding 100 badge on their profile. The offer runs through July 30, 2026.
Do I need a verified GET license?
We ask for your Hawaiʻi General Excise Tax license number during onboarding so we can show a verified-business badge on your profile. If you don't have one yet, you can still list and add it later, but the badge stays off until the number is verified.
Can I cancel my subscription?
Anytime. Subscriptions are month-to-month. Pro and Premium vendors can self-serve through the “Manage subscription” button on the dashboard: cancel, switch tier, update payment, view invoices, all in one place. Or email hello@hanahouhi.co if you'd rather we handle it. We don't prorate the current month, but you won't be charged going forward.
Who owns my photos and listing copy?
You do. By posting on Hanahou you grant us permission to display your content as part of operating the marketplace, but the content itself remains yours. Full terms in our Terms of Service.
Who built Hanahou?
Hanahou is built and run by Kaliʻinoa Maeva, who grew up around the kinds of Hawaiʻi celebrations the platform exists to support. Every vendor application, every review flag, every email reply lands with her. The about page tells the longer version of the story.
Is there an app?
Hanahou works beautifully on your phone. Open hanahouhi.co in Safari (or Chrome on Android), tap the Share button, then tap Add to Home Screen. Hanahou will live on your home screen like any other app: full-screen, no browser chrome. A native iOS and Android app is something we're looking into; for now we're focused on getting the platform right with our founding vendors first, and the timing depends on what our community tells us they need.
Do you actually drive bookings, or are you just a directory?
Honest answer: we are a new platform. We're not pretending to be Yelp. What we offer is a place built by someone from here, for the people who make our gatherings what they are. Planners can browse by island, by category, by the kind of party they're throwing, and we're putting marketing dollars and editorial work behind making that real. Vendors who join early get the benefit of being among the first to be found.
How do I get in touch with a real person?
Email hello@hanahouhi.co. We read every message and reply within a day or two.