Starwood Lurker

LOL.

Thanks. As it turns out, this is a generic pre-arrival email that isn't designed (yet) to take in consideration your Platinum status, so no beat-down required.

You are still good to go when you arrive for an upgrade to the best room available at check-in, including select standard suites, subject to availability. If you want to lock in a better room in advance of that, take them up on their offer to spend an additonal $40 per night.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

theblakefish

I have a cash+points stay coming up at this property in January and am really looking forward to it. I love Westins and find it hard to believe that all of these comments represent this entire property. We shall see.

Hey, is there a SPG Lounge at this property, and if so, where is it located? Also, I assume that they offer breakfast in the lounge, but can anyone confirm this? I checked several pages of this thread and couldn't find the answer, so sorry if it was posted earlier.

Thanks!

azeckel

Was there last week and as far as I know there is no lounge, so hence, no breakfast. For breakfast we just bought a few items at Safeway down the street in Lahaina (< 5 min drive). Ono (the restaurant on site) had pretty good food for lunch and seemed to popular at breakfast time as well. It was reasonably priced (for Maui at least).

There are also 2 restaurants right next door on the beach (to the north). Leilani's and Hula Grill. We didn't eat at Leilani's despite hearing that it was good because they had some construction going on downstairs and the sound of jackhammers didn't make it all that appealing. Hula Grill was pretty good for lunch.

Enjoy the trip! We had a bit of a snag at check-in but other than that we had a great time there. We arrived at 12:30 and our room wasn't ready until 3:30. The pool area is really nice and the beach is fantastic as well.

mingm

I was looking to do a C&P for mid-Feb but nothing is available past Feb3 through 2012 any ideas if they might become available?

azeckel

I didn't see it posted anywhere in this thread, so I thought I'd list out the additional benefits given to Gold & Platinum at this property. It's not explicitly stated in the letter, but I believe this is in response to the "alternative amenity" to justify the resort fee for Platinums.

GOLD:
- 20% discount on Westin Kids Club.
- 4pm late check out, based on availability.
- 10% discount on beach and pool-side cabana rentals.
- 10% discount on food items from the room service menu.
- 10% discount on Wailele Luau reservations.

PLATINUM:
- 10% discount on Spa treatments.
- Complimentary access to Spa lounge area (sauna, steam, and jacuzzi).
- 2 children for the price of 1 at Westin Kids Club or 50% discount for 1 child.
- 4pm late check out, based on availability.
- 20% discount on beach and pool-side cabana rentals.
- 15% discount on food items from the room service menu.
- 10% discount on laundry and dry cleaning charges.
- 1 complimentary pack of vanilla beans with the purchase of 5 pineapples from the tropical horticulturalist (no, I didn't make that up).
- 10% discount on Wailele Luau reservations.
- Complimentary premium internet access.

loopies

Same here, though it seems the Westin opens up a lot more rooms for C&P than the Sheraton down the street. If you're like me, you just check every day. I hope we're not competing for the same dates!!

Feb 24-Mar 5

ski1stoney

I just booked C&P from February 25th - March 4th...cant wait! Hopefully you were able to hold out until these became available.

theblakefish

I stayed at this property last week and had a most excellent time. I am not sure why there are so many almost militaristic reviews of this place, because I found it to be great! First of all, this is Maui, so there are gonna be gobs of children there and married couples, so get past that. This is a huge resort hotel with no SPG lounge, so no free breakfast as an elite. I waited about 10 minutes to check-in and was given a corner room in the ocean tower, with stunning views of Molokai and the Northeast shore of Maui. The heavenly bed was excellent, the room and furnishings standard, and the aircon cold. They even let me keep the room until 4pm without moving -- always an issue with the late flights back to the mainland. The restaurants and bars were quite expensive, but you are on the Beach Walk and there are quite a few places within a 100 yard walk -- at least 3 nice restaurants and then a food court right next door with a BK, McD's, and a few taco and sandwich joints. I got lunch there one day for less than $6, so don't complain about the expensive food if you are afraid to leave the hotel. :-: It is big, loud, and crowded, but I enjoyed grabbing a towel and sitting on the beach watching the waves and the islands...Lanai is also right across the channel, and I even had the thrill of seeing some whales surface a right offshore! The surf is quite strong and undertow swift, but other than that I had a great time in the ocean. It is close to other restaurants in the Ka'anapali area, although a car is a must (probably cost me less to rent a car for 3 days than the r/t taxi transfers). Overall, I had a great time and the C&P rate of 4k points + $90/nt price point for a holiday weekend (booked 3 days beforehand) was most excellent and I wouldn't hesitate a minute to recommend this place to others, ymmv. ^

cmx

I'm here now and the service has been great. Wouldn't hesitate to come back. I am plat and got put in a *91, which might have something to do with it, but I've had a very pleasant stay from the valet to the front desk to the concierge and the facilities. I'm impressed, especially considering what I read here before I came.

RDU4vr

Just got back from a stay last week -- 5 nights at the Westin followed by 3 at the Sheraton. Had a great time at both resorts. I wanted to mention here, in case someone influential is reading this, that my husband and I both really love when resorts have "take one, leave one" bookshelves/libraries for their guests to use during their stay. We stopped by the Westin bookshelf (near the kids' club) every day of our stay and enjoyed seeing if anyone had taken the books we had already left behind and refreshing the shelf with new material. We actually loved it so much that we made a special trip over from the Sheraton back to the Westin to return a book my husband had originally picked up from the Westin shelf and were surprised to see that the shelf was completely gone, replaced by a seating arrangement. The concierge couldn't tell me what had happened to it since we had checked out 2 days earlier.

You'd be surprised how little things can make a big difference to different people, but that bookshelf was a highlight of our stay and we were both really bummed to see it had suddenly vanished. The Sheraton's was still there (as of Saturday), near the business computing area. Hope it'll make a comeback.

WindyCityTraveler11

Do you think you could give us a quick review of both resorts seeing as you just stayed at both? I am trying to decide which one (Westin or Sheraton) to book for our 10 day honeymoon in November and am having a really tough time. I am plat member so am hoping for an upgrade to a syuite so any insight on that would be great too. thanks!

jerseygirl

RDU4vr

Sure thing. I'm a gold, so can't help you with upgrade info. Got a room overlooking the lobby waterfall at the Westin, which I had read on here could be a real noise problem, but it was fine. Soothing even, by the end of 5 days. At the Sheraton, we had a view of the tennis courts on the non-ocean side of the resort. No problem there, it was fine.

In general, we're pool people more than beach people. I specifically booked more time at the Westin because I had read that their pool is heated and the Sheraton's isn't. I only tried to go in the pool at the Westin one day, and it was so cold I could barely stand it. Got out after about 15 minutes. At the Sheraton, on the other hand, the pool temperature was perfect. Got right in and stayed in. This may have had something to do with having been in the ocean for a while beforehand. Whatever the reason, the Sheraton was the winner. The beach at the Sheraton was gorgeous, with awesome snorkeling right there in front of the hotel. We actually spent more time in the ocean than the pool, which is unusual for us.

We liked the Westin just fine, but it wasn't "magical" for us. The Sheraton, owing to the much better beach and the lovely pool, absolutely was. If I were to go back, I'd take the Sheraton if I had a choice. That said, there's certainly nothing wrong with the Westin. It just wouldn't be my first choice. Especially now that it doesn't have a library anymore.

If you have any specific questions, let me know. We didn't eat at either hotel, except for Starbucks. Strangely, the Sheraton gave me a 20% off coupon for a restaurant at the Westin, after we had checked out there. Whalers Village is a shopping center right next door to the Westin or a very easy walk from the Sheraton. Yummy frozen yogurt there, plus free hula shows three nights a week.

RDU4vr

The Westin bookshelf was pretty good until it abruptly vanished. I picked up a copy of "The Help" and left behind "The Hunger Games," and my husband was thrilled to find something by Patrick O'Brian (thematically relevant since we were whale watching and dreaming of long sea voyages).

Tak

I just stayed one night using C&P.
Only the room they could find as Platinum Upgrade was lower floor garden view room.
So I declined the upgrade and stayed at Mountain View room.
Premium high speed internet was included as the platinum member, but nothing else.
No platinum benefits except internet and 500 points were explained when I checked in.
I guess the rep did not see me as a vacationer.

If they charge resort fee, at least they should include slippers/bath robes in the room as the resort hotel.

I just stay overnight for business, but always prefer Wailea side of Maui to Kaanapali.
I wish Starwood takes over one of the Wailea hotels.