777 global mile hound

Hi All,
It has been some considerable time (4 years) since I had the pleasure of returning to Andaz Maui
Though I had a wonderful stay initially after opening back when the hotel hadn’t exploded in popularity I avoided the hotel taking my business elsewhere in past years
This was from my limited perception and from what I read here and elsewhere & generally heard from others
I didn’t feel Globalists were truly welcomed or valued.
It scared me off based on the downgrade of suite confirmable rooms to pool view accommodations and the unbelievably tight supply of award rooms
At one point I asked Hyatt Reservations a few times and they said no award space available for an entire year when I checked a few years ago
Looking back now I deeply regret the decision now to not return based on my wonderful stay just a few weeks ago .
Flyertalk doesn’t need another Andaz Maui review most of whats needed to be said has but it does need some open discussion with the ongoing challenges of award inventory
but understanding that once in house form my experience they do their due diligence above and beyond

Having said all that award space has slightly improved and has been slightly available in recent past months/past year more notably on select weekdays even if ever so modestly
Anything was an improvement
I decided to throw caution to the wind when I was able to use points for a standard room and confirm it into the base level pool view suite upgrade in advance
Not knowing or understanding if something better would be available at check in or if we would still end up on the ground floor regardless
That’s the one data point that I wasn’t able to get from my go to team of travel experts (notable bloggers and those who I depend on as well as trusted others here right on Flyertalk or other social media platforms
I want to say that I made no requests in advance on my booking at all and rolled the dice and said worst case scenario I’m looking at a pool in a suite

The Stay:

At Arrival:
The fantastic front of the house team a few there since the Grand opening rallied around us and welcomed us warmly, parked our car and gathered our belongings to bring our stuff up to the room
They were quick to always acknowledge us at every point of our stay and eager to answer questions or arrange a complimentary car to the Four Seasons and other area hotels to dine etc

Check IN:
The wonderful friendly and welcoming team let us know we had been upgraded to an Oceanview suite on the top floor of the hotel
Perhaps because I wasn’t expecting it at all I was overly ecstatic.They wildly exceeded my expectations without me leveraging any Hyatt contacts who did reach out to them
on my first stay years ago to help me with family members who were on their honeymoon,

Room:
OMG the views to die for! Is there too much of a beautiful view? Yes after 4 days I got tired of the prefect fantasy world lol
They had broken their green commitment and purchased Glass bottled Perrier as its in my Hyatt profile
A fruit and brie cheese platter of exotic fruits for my birthday. Unfortunately it was never consumed but made an amazing presentation along with a welcome note from the area GM
The beds have changed to a much harder mattress.I preferred the previous version but those that like an ironing board with no movement will be happy
Thankfully housekeeping came up to the rescue with some foam toppers and saved the day.Coming from the Ritz Carlton the new bed without the foam would have been a no go for meThe head board or lack of proper one is one of the most awkward designs of the room
The mini bar had some odd extremely limited beverage offerings but local brand of potato chips and cookies were pretty good

Breakfast:
Clearly one of Hyatt’s top 10 in the world with an incredible selection. Pretty much whatever your heart desires and likely most of it is already there .
My server Jennifer there since the Grand Opening warmly welcomed me back
Could not believe any team member would remember me having only been there once before.
The rest of the team too was a pleasure to watch them serve their guests with passion and personal care all with smiles.
We admired the beautiful young families, singles and couples all enjoying their leisure time tremendously and dining like it was the last supper
The omelet line could be challenging however when the regular guy was on duty he could handle the large volume or orders pretty much single handedly
Every interaction was genuine sincere and authentic and caring on my slightest request

I am a huge fan of this hotel and would pay revenue or points without hesitation watching how brilliantly they handled an award booking
As a long time program junkie that tells me if you are able to be trusted with my cash on revenue reservations and for today I am on board
If I weren't a Globalist and had the funds I simply would pay for what i wanted its truly a great Hyatt and I highly recommend the property
Up until Andaz Maui I avoided all Resorts.This one for me is simply a game changer.If you can afford it or find a points booking don't miss the opportunity
And if it helps to know that if you don't have the good fortune of upgrading or securing an Ocean view room or suite in advance the property is till highly recommended as the views can been seen from any public area
or restaurant and unless you plan to spend much time in the room other than size of the room preferences its still a great experience as the hotel is well managed
Cheers

ewrp12

Thank you 777 for your report. I have a confirmed Pool Side Suite in August but am very much hoping I'll get upgraded to the Ocean View Suite at check-in. For those that prefer ocean views over a pool, would you rather have an Ocean View King (non-suite) or Pool Side Suite?

777 global mile hound

My pleasure and thank you for the kind words.
Having heard so much negative I truly expected the worst case scenario and came out winning the lottery
I now fully trust the hotel as much as one can based on how well they performed in such a popular property
To answer your question better so much depends on you and your own preferences.
For example at a luxury property in Las Vegas they typically upgrade me to a suite with strip view
I asked the in house reservations dept to downgrade to me to the larger non strip view
I've seen the view now for decades and its only gotten louder/ nosier and flashier.
Space & quiet is more important than view unless I'm trying to impress a first time visitor/ someone who hasn't seen it before

If I were in your shoes and extra space wasn't critical I would indicate a few things in my notes
Preference # 1 Upgrade from base level suite to ocean view suite if available
Preference # 2 Upgrade to ocean view high floor room (if view over space is more important)
or keep original booking as is if 1 or 2 isn't available

A Flyertalk poster who is a Globalist emailed me and asked what was the best strategy i could come up with to upgrade at Andaz Maui
I hadn't experienced the hotel in years when I received the message but in the end my advice seems prudent though likely not possible for everyone
My first suggestion was try and find a time where the hotel is not overly occupied
My second suggestion was if at all possible check in on a Sunday or Monday never a busy weekend on a Friday or a Saturday and try and check out by Friday if at all possible
It worked for me brilliantly
As a famous Flyertalk legend once stated YMMV no matter what!
Do share with us your own experience and keep us posted! No matter what you are likely in for a solid enjoyable stay
Cheers

canyonleo

I'm one of those. When I don't "have to have a suite" (e.g. have my small child with me and she has different sleep hours, need the big dining room table and microwave for family eating of different hours than others, number of guests need more beds/sofas/rollaways) I have downgraded my suite from pool when no ocean view was available to an ocean view king non-suite.

canyonleo

To follow up on 777's comment on upgrading, it should be noted the staff seems quite willing to Tetras (yes, the blocks game, used as a verb here as in "moving things around" in their Micros PMS app) so a guest with say a longer stay (say over a week) can split it up and get the upgraded suite for part of the trip at the "expense" of doing a room change mid-visit. For me, such an inconvenience is well worth having at least part of my visit in the nicer and view suite... others might not agree of course.

777 global mile hound

Despite the limited pool of award inventory which I still object to despite the slight improvement I can't get over the experience overall
The GM and his team should be truly congratulated.
The sense of cooperation,welcoming environment and kindness was apparent at every point of contact and while the accommodations
weren't Park Hyatt standard though fun,trendy and highly satisfactory
Though the service could have been.For those that know me on these boards I am not one to say kind words easily and quite critical when its called for
Just look at my past Park Hyatt New York comments
And to this day though the PH NYC has come a long way they are still not where they truly need to be
For example the breakfast
at Andaz Maui buries Park Hyatt New York by far in almost every way except the hard product
Have to go back to Andaz Maui! Even if only for a mileage run.

iahphx

I'm not a huge fan of award stays at ultra-expensive resorts with no perks. As a mere "Explorist," I thought I could get some lounge access and breakfast by redeeming one of my four annual Lounge Access Certificates. But Hyatt says there's no lounge at the Andaz, so they can't do anything for me. That kind of sucks. I'm wondering if I'd be better off at the Hyatt Regency in Kaanapali where I could use my certificate. I know that property is older, but with the benefits, would I have a better stay? FWIW, I've recently stayed at the W-A Grand Wailea, so I'm not necessarily opposed to a change in scenery.

canyonleo

How much value can one put in access to a lounge and a breakfast. Sure, Andaz breakfast is really, really good... but unless "breakfast" is one's thing how bad is an in-room grocery type cold breakfast followed by a lunch experience (expensive poolside dining or in two local experience or some more pricey restaurant)? And, the hotel does have a "convenience store" that has some breakfast options (great acai bowl).


If the Andaz has what one wants vs. the Regency (plenty of posts up-thread on detailing that topic) then I wouldn't let lack of a lounge and no free breakfast impact my decision making. But, I love what the Andaz offers if merely a beachfront location on Ulua reef with two amazing strips of sand (Mokapu and Ulua)... but some people like Digme Beach, too.

Aventine

I think the breakfast here is worth paying for too. I realize this gets extremely expensive for a family of 4 but it is really well done.

canyonleo

Well, some really like breakfast. I'd rather have an acai bowl (if it was included). For a family, breafast is or can be an "event", but so can more time on the beach or doing a hike or going snorkeling.


I'm just pointing out that for many (not all), 10-20 minutes/day in a lounge for a sugary fake guava juice or some real juice or some cookies and a mini-dinner, and free breakfast in a lounge shouldn't impact picking a location(property).



Some do a trip to Maui and don't even notice the difference between Kaanapali and Wailea (hell, don't even leave the property for days at a time). Others buy a trip to Wailea and Kaanapali is as "far away" (different) as Naples or Punta Cana .

...yes, a slight exageration

jameswes

Hyatt is pretty up front that the Lounge Access certs don't do anything if the hotel doesn't have a lounge.

That really depends on how valuable "free" breakfast, and evening snacks are worth to you. I stayed at both last fall, both are great places to stay, but a little different. HR is definitely older, but it's still well maintained and renovated Not the 'luxury" feel that Andaz has, but still a great location, great hotel and it has one of the better lounges in the Hyatt system (excluding Asia).

777 global mile hound

Just to chime in
If an exceptional experience matters to you that you can remember for a long time to come by all means spend the money and go for breakfast
at least one day at Andaz Maui and earn points on it!.Its one of Hyatts Hallmark of fame experiences
If a good quality high value more typical routine resort stay with good hospitality is all that matters The Hyatt Regency also makes a solid choice
They are more pro active in advance to requests in advance than Andaz Maui
However as you note its an older property that's in need of a renovation which is coming
Both hotels are solid but Andaz is when you want a bit more wow factor and something far from common or routine
I wouldn't hesitate to stay at either and have stayed at both during a trip to Maui in the past.

At the end of the day its what matters most to you and what you personally value in a stay
I wouldn't miss a stay at Andaz Maui or a breakfast even if I had just one day to experience it
but like you I will seek out value over the lions share of stay as long as I'm not sacrificing something of major importance
Bed comfort shower pressure fitness center etc
At the end of the day Andaz Maui is truly one of Hyatt's true triumphs in hospitality historically and while other Andaz properties may fail to deliver once in house Andaz Maui delivers
in all or most key areas when on point making the brand proud.

I too like the W-A Grand Wailea very much but its no Andaz Maui if you are after or value uniqueness, contemporary style
that is trendy young fun and sexy with world class views and not what your parents or grand parents ever stayed in
Its young filled with those that are fairly financially secure successful educated and not likely off the cruise ship, group tour etc

iahphx

Thanks for the opinions, guys. I had my wife read the recent FrequentMiler comparison between the two properties and -- coupled with our own walk-through the Andaz a couple of months ago when we were staying at the Grand Wailea, we've decided to stick with the Andaz.

One thing that did factor into our thinking was the fact that, from the Andaz, you can easily walk to the Island Gourmet Market and get a very pleasant breakfast for about $8, It's certainly no Andaz breakfast, but still. That said, on principle, it does make me a bit unhappy that our Explorist status gets us basically nothing at the hotel. That seems wrong.

josephstern

Gotta go for Globalist next year!

I really feel like unless there's a lounge, Explorist is fairly worthless. So, unless I'm mistaken, that excludes all Andaz and Park locations.

WantOnlinePoker

If you're staying on cash - maybe cancel and re-book through Prive, then you'll get breakfast for free. If on points, add on a single night with a Prive booking so you get the breakfast one day at least. Also the $100 property credit. Explorist should still get you a non-suite room upgrade if they're not full.