Originally Posted by
pinniped
Anyone know if the building and rooms are new? Or did they repurpose part of the existing Outrigger hotel for this?
The property opened as the Outrigger Waikoloa Beach Resort in 1999.
In 2002, Outrigger signed a franchise agreement with Marriott, and the property became the Waikoloa Beach Marriott.
Last year, work began to split the property into two Marriott brands under one roof:
Marriott’s Waikoloa Ocean Club opened in May 2017, while other resort renovations were still in progress.
West Hawaii Today had an article about the resort on July 4, 2017:
Originally Posted by
pinniped
The use the term "suite" instead of "villa". Are the rooms smaller than typical MVCI units? Even at MVCIs where the units are in large buildings, they still often call them "villas".
EDIT: Found a couple of my answers in the SF article. Looks like existing buildings, renovated rooms. If their photos are of a one-bedroom suite, then it's relatively similar to other MVCI's I've stayed in. It looks pretty solid all around. ^
Purpose-built Marriott Vacation Club "villas" have full kitchens and condo-like floor plans.
Marriott’s Waikoloa Ocean Club reuses the footprints of the hotel rooms, with 1-bedroom "suites" based on two hotel rooms and 2-bedroom "suites" based on three hotel rooms. The "kitchens" do not have ovens or stoves, but should be useful for cold meals and microwavable hot items. Every suite has a washer and dryer, which is useful and convenient for a longer vacation.
Originally Posted by
pinniped
Surely some FTer has made their way to this property by now???
I'd be interested too because I have a reservation for the Vacation Club side for later this year. Marriott.com only has reviews for the Marriott full-service side, not for the Marriott Vacation Club side. TripAdvisor treats the property as a single resort.