Oprah Winfrey Ventures into Vacation Rental Market

Vacation rental market continues to attract investors world wide

Rumor has it that Oprah Winfrey is getting into the vacation rental business on Maui.

Maui County Council has, this week, given initial approval to a bill granting O.W. Ranch LLC a conditional five-year permit to operate a 12-bedroom vacation rental in the former Silver Cloud Guest Ranch in Kula.

Tom Welch, an attorney and Maui representative of O.W. Ranch, would not confirm the celebrity's involvement in the venture, indicating that Ms. Winfrey likes to keep her personal life private.

But Gideon Kaufman, a Colorado based legal representative of Winfrey and an officer of the O.W. Ranch, indicated: "I'll let the initials stand for themselves."

According to Maui property tax records, the 9-acre property which the former Silver Cloud Guest Ranch sits is owned by O.W. Ranch, with the listing of a Santa Barbara, California, address in care of Bob Greene, Winfrey's friend and personal trainer.

O.W. Ranch also owns an adjacent 6.3 acres, with a registered address identical to Winfrey's Chicago-based Harpo Productions.

The plan is to restore the property to its structurally, with subsequent remodeling.

It is anticipated that the Silver Cloud will feature the main Plantation House where guests in six rooms will share a communal kitchen, dining and living area, a Mauka Hale bunkhouse featuring five units with private kitchens, bathrooms and lanai, and a separate Lanai Cottage for honeymooners.

"We're looking forward to operating Silver Cloud like it once was," Kaufman said.

It is suspected that this is Ms. Winfrey’s first venture into vacation rentals.

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