Tedimed

Do not check on line. Wait and check at the desk. I have been three times in this hotel and every time I was upgraded from terrace to ocean view room. If you are diamond member or even gold, I think you will have pretty good chance for upgrade. Politely ask and with little smile aloha spirit will do the rest.
Of course that was my experience.

Kromer

I have gone there 7 years in a row and always ask for the ground level near the wedding chapel and request a room where the patio is over the pond. Haven't stayed in any other rooms, all in that area are the same

MBS MillionMiler

I know I'm late to the party, since you're already on property...But possibly for future reference...

As far as I know, the Terrace View rooms are all in the Molokini wing--the only ones on property that do not completely face the ocean. You may get a glimpse of the ocean--from a higher floor, but I think 'Terrace View' is a fancy way of saying 'parking lot, with the possibility of seeing some water if you turn your head to the right far enough'. Garden views do generally face the ocean (and are the first 2 or 3, maybe 4 floors, depending on the wing), but with the trees, pools, buildings, etc...You generally can't see the ocean--or much of it.

If you don't mind giving up a bit of privacy (people walking by your lanai and possibly being lookie-loos into your room), and there are no upgrades available, I'd go for the ground-level garden view. Especially since you're probably getting easier access to the pools and the rest of the resort, as indicated above.

I think this thread can be merged into the general GW thread. @:-)

summer01

no suddenly there is a very discreet window on the website: check out our grand refresh...

when i made a reservation a few weeks ago, there was no notice of a renovation project that's going to start soon. is anyone there now - how bad is it?

thanks!

p.s. i'm going there in january - so after the holidays, during that time they are going to stop with the renovations!

hailstorm

I think they're gonna bulldoze the Amasia building and replace it with a Starbucks. Progress!

BlueZebra

Any word on how the Napua Tower remodel is going? Not going to be there until mid February, but curious...

kirkwoodj

2nd week Feb for me! mini-DO?

MBS MillionMiler

Checked out a few days ago...As of when I left, pools are a disaster. Top pool and slide to second pool is open. 3rd and 4th pools (including Grotto bar) are closed. Slide to first lazy river is closed, therefore that lazy river is closed. The big 'rapids' slide into the second lazy river is closed. 2 of 3 hot tubs in the connected pools were closed. The lazy river that goes around the bottom pools is open, however with no water being forced downline, it's not a lazy river at all--just a long, narrow pool. Of the two 'waterpark-ish' slides, only the shortest one was operational. Water elevator and swing rope did work. Kid's pool with the faux beach was open.

Tons of noise at the pool...The lagoon wing was entirely closed, but you could hear saws, sanders and hammers going all day. The Napua Tower was indeed open...Saw people out on their lanais. The lounge appeared to have activity. I'm not sure if they did the refresh on those rooms yet, but the rooms are definitely in use.

Adult pool/hot tubs were open and operational. All restaurants that exist were open. Had an amazing dinner at Table 70 at Humu.

They're trying to get the pools done by Christmas...They looked nearly finished as of when we left. Doesn't look like the Lagoon Wing will be done by then...But that's just a guess.

The refreshed rooms are in the Wailea Tower, we were there in a deluxe oceanview on the 9th floor. Other than a fold-out power plug on either side of the bed, I think I liked the old decor better. The all-white walls felt industrial. I actually liked the coral bathrooms and lime-green walls. The new TV was huge and crystal-clear on all channels. The wicker-framed sofa was uncomfortable and felt flimsy..It did have a hideaway bed underneath.

They heard from me about the pool situation, as well as a few other letdowns. I was compensated to my satisfaction. I cannot give specifics.

Property was still beautiful, service was great, everyone was friendly. We all felt welcomed. We will be back next year!

kirkwoodj

Could you perhaps comment on other letdowns, at least?

MBS MillionMiler

Again, none of these would have warranted a gripe on their own, but since I was complaining about the pool, I felt the audience with a manager was a good avenue to let them know why I was further disappointed. Before I went into any gripe, I told her how wonderful the staff was, how great the daytime housekeeper was, the amazing meal we had at HumuHumu, the extra steps taken for us at Bistro Molokini, and the resort's attention to my wife's severe gluten allergy and how she appreciated the GF selections at all restaurants, including room service.

Anyway:

My wife and I both were kicked off wifi several times an hour and had to re-log in--even at like 5AM. For a $25/day resort fee, and the fact that as a HH Diamond I should be getting it already, I complained not only that their 5mps speed was slow, but they have the audacity to charge $15/day for a premium speed, when the double whammy (Diamond and paid resort fee) should make it free. Manager agreed and said they are working on improving wifi and sincerely said she'd take my gripe under consideration. (I believed her, it wasn't a blow-off).

Turndown service is no longer automatic (to their credit, the GW's 'turndown service' is normally a full second cleaning). You now have to call, and they'll come between 5:30-8PM. It wasn't a big deal, but the ONE day I wanted it, I called and said we'd be gone from 5:30 until 7:30 at dinner. (We went to the beach that AM, and room was cleaned when we returned, but we kind of messed it up--used the towels, some sand on the floor--we're not slobs, nor into leaving the maid a big mess, but a refresh during turndown was always a great benefit of this place). Anyway, we returned to the room at 8PM, and it wasn't done...Our 11-month old was out, and wasn't going to have them come at that point and perhaps wake her up.

We're Elite Members--the Grand Wailea paid membership (if anyone is interested, let me know, I get a bonus--you save 30% off BAR year-round except Dec 20-Jan 1, and 20% off F&B all the time! ). Anyway, we're supposed to receive a welcome gift--usually luxurious treats and a Christmas ornament. It never came. We actually forgot about it until the last day.

Again, MINOR...Neither my wife nor I are divas (or whatever the masculine form of 'diva' is ). I hope I'm not coming across as petty, because some of these gripes would fit well in the thread over at UA forum about 'least substantive things you can complain about'.

Hawkeyefan

I really want to take my wife and 2 kids to the GW, but I cannot find an early spring weekend out there to use my 2 Free Wkend Night Certs on. Been trying for over a month.
Is this place really like Ft Knox trying to use those Certs? Is it worth calling the hotel direct?

Hawkeyefan

Running into the same problem as OP.....

BlondeBomber

see other thread today on this--seems standard rooms are hard to come by and T and C state certificates only usable on standard rooms . . .

ehallison

This thread title should be changed as it's just not true that "Weekend Certificates Not Accepted" at the Grand Wailea. My family has redeemed a total of 5 weekend certificates at the Grand Wailea for bookings between Sept 2013 and January 2015.

The certificates are good for a year. You have to be flexible when booking popular properties.

ehallison

It's not worth calling the hotel (ask how I know).

We've successfully redeemed a total of 5 certificates here, in Sept 2013 and January 2015. I think that the problem you're running into is high season (spring break). I see Sunday nights available in February, but then nothing in March and April. Sorry. Something still might open up for you - we ended up adding an award night to our January trip by checking the website regularly. But you are looking at a high-demand property in high season.