Grand Renovation

Maui

In a little more than a year, the Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa has renovated 400 guest rooms, remodeled its fitness center and retiled the pool, all without ever closing the resort. “Our goal is to present as little disruption to guest experiences as possible because, while it would be great to be able to do all these things at once, it’s much more guest-friendly to spread it out and keep the project isolated,” says Matt Bailey, managing director at the Grand Wailea.

There’s still more work to be done. The first phase of renovation began in March 2007 and cost $50 million. Guest rooms received the most work, stripped down to the concrete and outfitted with new carpet, paint, furniture and amenities, such as 37-inch flat-screen TVs. The Grand Wailea also installed “probably the state’s most state-of-the-art fitness center,” with $500,000 worth of new equipment. The Spa Grande lobby and resort retail shops have been remodeled as well.

The resort also began construction on Hoolei at Grand Wailea, a collection of luxury town homes adjacent to the resort. When completed, 120 three-bedroom units will be available. Owners of the town homes can partner with the Grand Wailea in a rental program operated by the resort. Owners and renters will have access to all of the Grand Wailea’s amenities. The final phase of construction will renovate the remaining 300 rooms. Total cost for renovations will be around $100 million, Bailey says, and should be completed by the end of 2009.

“We already enjoy one of the highest daily average rates in the state. With that come very high guest expectations, so a good portion of the renovation work is really to keep up with our guest expectations and provide the product that they’ve come to expect,” Bailey says.

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