Weatherboy

I was doing some reading on Christopher Hemmeter who was key at revolutionizing how grand Hawaii mega-resorts should be built. He's the mastermind behind the Waikoloa Hyatt and the Westin Kauai... among other things.

The Waikoloa Hyatt is pretty much the same as it was built, so it seems, with just a modernized tram system and some tweaks here/there (i.e.: new Mahalo Lounge near the lobby, new eatery by the pool, etc.) albeit now branded as a Hilton.

I was reading descriptions of the Westin Kauai that had "it's own private road from Lihue Airport" where guests were brought in by horse-drawn carriage. And when the resort opened in the late 80s, there were exotic animals roaming the grounds around a "2 acre reflecting pond."

Am I correct in assuming that the Kauai Marriott is now what was the Westin, albeit on much scaled back terms? Between a direct impact by Hurricane Iniki and a weak economy, I seem to recall that the property was badly damaged by the storm and the economy and broken-up & purchased by Marriott. But some searches for images/articles on Google have come up empty. Does anyone have more to share about that property and its transformation? It looks like the "hill" above the Marriott is where the canals (that had gondolas) were, although that area appears to be a mostly empty/foreclosed real estate area gone bust by the Ritz Carlton group.

On Maui, Hyatt also opened up the Grand Hyatt Wailea, which some consider to be the largest, most over-the-top place on Maui with it's pools and extensive acreage. That too is now in the Hilton family (as the Grand Wailea), but can anyone constrast/compare how things are at the resort now vs. when it opened?

And other than the two resorts on L'anai that have changed owners but not really changed properties, is there any other resort(s) on the islands that had their grand moments in the 80's/90's or earlier.... only to be scaled back to what they are today?

AZ Travels the World

This could be a really interesting discussion.

You might post a note in the Luxury Hotels forum drawing attention to this thread. In my experience, many of the folks there have some long-time luxury resort experiences in Hawaii, and may well have a rich perspective on the topic.

dhuey

I'm not sure the Grand Wailea really deserves the "super-luxury" label -- I'd call it a 4-star resort with a water park designed mostly for kids ages 4-13. If someone had told me it is a Disney property, I'd have believed it. Regardless, I can tell you that since I first visited the place in 1993, I haven't noticed any substantial changes. I'm sure they've done their share of renovations and minor additions here and there, but the place still looks pretty much the same.

FWIW, I think the place is overrated. To me, it makes sense only if you have kids who will love the water park. The Four Seasons next door really is "super-luxury", and its understated elegance is a huge improvement over the overdone, Trumpesque decor of the Grand Wailea.

Weatherboy

It looks like the Stouffer Kauai resort eventually became a Marriott Timeshare resort after being abandoned for many years. After the earthquake a few years ago on the Big Island, I know there were some resorts shuttered due to damage. I think it'd be interesting to explore abandoned properties in Hawaii... especially those on a grand scale, like the Kauai Lagoons project.

I also think there's a closed resort in the heart of Kona on the water...I was there a few years ago, and it looked like some parts were falling apart from the fences that keep onlookers away.

dhuey

The resorts, if you can call them that, in Kona town all look like they are well past their prime. It will only get worse for them given the more recent development of much nicer and larger resorts to the north, and the frequent presence of vog, which is much less of a concern the more you go north.

Still, bargain-hunters can find some pretty good deals in Kona town.

MauiFan

You are correct--the Westin Kauai was destroyed by hurricane Iniki and was reborn as the Marriott Kauai.

The Marriott is much scaled back and is now a 4 star property and not in league with either the Grand Hyatt Poipu or the St. Regis up in Princeville. Both of those properties are 5 star facilities.

Chris Hemmeter was an amazing architect and was the first one to have the vision that the hotel facilities could be on a scale with the natural beauty of Hawaii.

In my opinion his best effort was the Hyatt Regency Maui which opened in 1980. It was the first resort that literally had a majesty on order with the surroundings. It still looks great today--I stayed there in June and it was just fabulous!

The Westin was his second effort on Maui...but it was just a re-model of the old surf hotel build in the 1960s. Hence the rooms are small and the Ocean tower rooms lack built in closets.

It just does not compare to the 40 acre Hyatt.

The Hyatt Waikoloa (now a Hilton) is where I think Mr. Hemmeter went too far. This hotel does not some much rival the surroundings but in fact over comes them....it goes too far.

1st Cav Vet

If one considers Oahu...the Kahala Hilton (once) was considered real luxury.

Bishope2

The Grand Wailea was orginally built as a Grand Hyatt. Shortly before or after it was completed, it was sold by Hyatt and renamed. If you really think about it and look around, I believe it was a Hyatt. Just look at the pool area. Just as grand as the Hyatt up in Kaanapali and over on Kauai.

The Four Seasons on Maui, Hawaii and Lanai are all five star hotels. Walked through the Maui resort and when Starwoods owned the hotels on Lanai, walked through them on a day trip over to Lanai 12 years ago.

Luxury is in the eye of the customer. We stayed at a five star Ritz Carlton in Florida last year. Beautiful hotel but I didn't see any difference between a four star and the five star rating. Maybe I missed something. Our most recent trip to Hawaii, we stayed at 2 different four star properties. One was closer to a three star and the other was closer to a five star. My reason for this observation was the staff.

IntoTheWind

Reading this thread reminded me of my first visit to Hawaii in 1981. My wife and I were in Honolulu for a three night stay on a business trip for me at the Bank of Hawaii. We had already planned to stay an additional five days, but had not decided where. The people at Bank of Hawaii recommended the Hyatt Regency Maui, and offered to make reservations at the "bank rate" for us. It was FABULOUS!! As we arrived, we saw Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers filming an episode of the TV show "Hart to Hart" which was aired in 1982. Although I have stayed at other properties on subsequent visits, I have always visited the Hyatt and its beautiful surroundings. I fell in love with Maui in 1981 at the Hyatt.

FlyinHawaiian

One of my family members used to work for Hemmeter Aviation (FBO) and we got some insane rates - $25 for the Westin (now Marriott) Kaua`i and Maui, the Hyatt Regency in Waikiki and $50 for Waikoloa, IIRC.

I remember all the old "Surf" properties; the Kaua`i Surf and Maui Surf became Westins and the Kona Surf is now the Sheraton.

obscure2k

I'll bet we are the only one's who remember the Hanalei Plantation on Kaui. What a gorgeous site.

Weatherboy

What was that?

davesam12

We miss the W Honolulu and its Diamond Head Grill. In the W tradition it was a lovely property and Diamond Head Grill was a Waikiki hotspot for food and nightlife. Fond memories. Its now the Aqua Lotus. No Grill. :-(

Ancien Maestro

Lets not forget about Kona Village on the Big Island wiped out by the Tsunami a few years back. Rumor was back and forth whether Michael Dell would rebuild. To this day the resort has not reopened.

l etoile

I don't consider the Hemmeter properties luxurious by any means. They seemed to more go into self-contained family properties. I stayed at all mentioned here early in their openings and would say the changes since have been to make them more self-contained properties that families never need leave, with additions of water slides, spas, kids clubs and wedding facilities. I don't think of them as enhancing their surroundings, but detracting.

The true luxury and genteel hotels were/are the Moana and Royal Hawaiian and bungalows at Mauna Lani as well as Four Seasons, etc.

As for some others that have changed/closed/been renamed: Kuilima (now Turtle Bay) and Molokai Ranch (not exactly luxury, but novel and originally pricey).