Originally Posted by
FreeLunch
HockeyInsider - in this article it says "Construction is hoped to be completed by fall 2019, Matsumoto said."
Brand new: The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort debuts - West Hawaii Today
With your info and this article, I called the hotel and they said middle 2019 is when they will be finished. I was thinking about staying sometime in summer 2019, but wasn't sure if it would be a gamble by then. I would like to think that the heavy construction now would be done by then and by the summer they'd be doing quiet things -- painting, etc.
What got me hooked on SPG was how they treated me on my hawaii vacations when I used to travel every week. I would stay at some crappy Starwood hotels just to build status/points, knowing it would pay off when I went to Hawaii. I guess we will all see how things change with Marriott.
To be clear, 100% of the hotel construction is finished. This is a former hotel building that was sold for timeshares to a developer. Construction only recently started on it -- the noise is pretty bad -- and as of Monday the front desk manager said construction should be finished in December. Maybe he meant exterior construction. Not sure. I'm considering a return in December, but won't come back if the construction isn't finished.
The breakfast buffet here is better than any Marriott or legacy SPG hotel on Oahu. I just don't like getting lied to by the front desk regarding upgrades. The lack of a lounge, considering other legacy SPG properties in Hawaii have done, is disappointing. Also, other legacy SPG properties like the Westin Moana Surfrider have turndown service. This property doesn't.
What I will say is this is a weird property because some of the staff wear "Mauna Kea, Autograph Collection" uniforms and all of the stuff -- shirts, towels, cupholders, etc. -- sold in the gift shop all says "Mauna Kea, Autograph Collection." Only the employee name tags say Westin. It's almost like an annex of the Mauna Kea.