We were there in September. I'm not sure I can speak to the renovations because we'd never stayed before...but our room was in good condition. We didn't see any construction or evidence of renovations going on during our stay.

Plat Premier recognition was good. There were no suites available for our stay (I checked before arrival) but our room was upgraded to a true ocean front room. It not only faced the ocean but was literally only about 20 feet away. We've stayed at at least 8 other Hawaii properties (Hyatt, Hilton & Marriott brands) before and have never had anything like this. Usually we get upgraded to something like "ocean view" which means we have an angled ocean view far in the distance. This was a great room. The only problem is that this ocean-front building is at the far end of the property. Quite a walk to the restaurant, beach, and pool. It went something like this: Walk down the hallway, take the elevator down one floor, walk down the next hallway, take the elevator (slow) or walk stairs up 2 flights, walk down another hallway, take the elevator down 8 floors. This puts you at the closest end of the beach and pool. Walk more for restaurant. Anyway, the view was worth it, but it was kind of a pain if we forgot something in the room.

More plat benefits: Free parking (and it was close to our building). The lounge was closed earlier in the year, so now Plats get breakfast in the restaurant which was pretty good.

The location at Black Rock was great - we snorkeled every morning we were there and saw sea turtles. But get your gear from The Snorkel Store nearby which is much cheaper than the resort price.

Although this was less luxurious than other Hawaii properties, we were really happy with the location and the Platinum recognition so we'd definitely stay again. It was also a budget-stretching decision as we had spent a few days at the Ritz Carlton before moving here to extend our time on Maui. It was nice to pay less than $20 for a tropical drink.

One more note: There was a union march and demonstration during our stay. It didn't effect us as it was only one day and they stayed near the main check-in area. But apparently the workers are currently on strike. I imagine if you are there now, you are not having a great stay.