beachfan

Thanksgiving Week 2022, I was offered the upgrade for 400 after inquiry and declined (7 day stay).Countered $300 and they declined. Stayed in the crummy suite one night and was offered $300 and accepted .

This was on top of TSU.

josephstern

$300/night for that upgrade is really a pretty good deal, in my book. I'm not one to usually opt for that kind of thing, but I would have taken that one, no question - maybe even without the view.

Last time I was there the beach was pretty small but still swimmable, and they were still putting out chairs, but most activities (save for outrigger) were canceled. So the beach is even smaller now? This happened up at the Hyatt Regency also. Could take some time for it to come back, but I think there is a vague annual cycle to it in Wailea.

777 global mile hound

The hotel has stopped upgrading Globalists typically to ocean view desirable suites right before the pandemic
Even when available and folks have been asked to pay for their upgrades or told they are fully committed when they are unoccupied
At least then you could get a blah pool side suite with partial views.

So essentially pay or deal with the no view suites below seal level or an ocean view room if your lucky
Since the hotel essentially eliminated all desirable suites from the upgrade pool of inventory
it now looks like a good deal to pay $2400.00 dollars extra for your stay?
Eyes of the beholder of course as if its worth it
Hotel is brilliant as its a great money grab by refusing to upgrade anymore! Won't be me!

For years they did upgrade to those ocean-view suites based on availability.
Like the Park Hyatt in NYC welcome to the way Hyatt does/allows things.
I expect this trend to follow at most of their hotels
Won't be returning anytime soon.My stay simply wasn't as good as it was in the past
not bad just not the extra care/recognition as in years past
when they were at the top of their game caring for your loyalty.

Some parts of the hotel last year were run down in and out of the room
or made less desirable by so called enhancements to the facilities.
For those with deep pockets understood you would rather pay than negotiate
and just get what you want as the hotel is playing hardball.
As a real estate investor you want every revenue stream/ ROI possible.The heck with loyalty!
Like the Las Vegas business model pay up or get out!
Unless a high roller.
End of the day the current GM here has a history of this business behavior and I attribute it mostly to her.
Understood many of us love the basic property views and location.The business culture here is just sad in my eyes.
I have met some great folks on the team at this property who I admire and wish them well.

canyonleo

Pretty much my take, too. I'll just VRBO now. And, it's as much about Hyatt as this property/GM.

DealDetective

The ocean view room we were initially assigned had been refreshed, and we were told that all of the rooms had been completed a couple of weeks ago. We didn't observe any construction activity on site.

DealDetective

Occupancy was low, so it really felt they were trying to generate more revenue from an award stay on a suite that would probably have stayed vacant, but they were offering lower level Partial View suites as "Premium" for 90,000 points/night, so I think we extracted good value from our points with the cash upgrade. This was the first time we've ever paid for an upgrade on an award stay, but it really made the difference between a mediocre and an excellent stay, especially since we were able to whale watch from our lanai.

By the day we left (2/5/24), the beach situation was improving. They were able to put out chairs, but no umbrellas due to insufficient sand. The boat ramp was still washed out, which meant outrigger and kayak activities continued to be cancelled, but the surf was finally calm enough for snorkeling and paddle boarding. We'd never been to Maui during winter before, so now we know that ocean activities can be more unpredictable than we are used to. That's the trade-off for coming during whale season, which we enjoyed, especially with the excellent views from our lanai.


Mokapu Beach 2/5/24


2/5/24 Mokapu Beach erosion


Mokapu Beach boat ramp 2/5/24


Mokapu Beach access with steep drop-off 2/5/24

Bodhi

Perhaps counter point to some of the conversation above. I recently had a two night stay (very end of January) on points booked into an Andaz suite that was proactively upgraded to an ocean view suite prior to arrival. While this may not be the norm, it's certainly not a guarantee that you won't be upgraded beyond the Andaz suite. Occupancy did seem low (maybe about 50%), so I'm sure that didn't hurt upgrade chances. I personally wouldn't hesitate to come back, but I'm often swimming in UR points so I can find the value in redemption here.

Also sad to see the beach erosion DealDetective mentioned above. We had planned to snorkel one of the days we were here and had to make it a pool day instead. Even as a former competitive swimmer, I was not about to get into the water around those rocks with the beating being inflicted on them by the waves.

I can't speak to the views from the standard Andaz suites, but I was happy with what I had from room 320 (I think?) as seen below. Not as nice as DealDetective's view, but I can't complain. The space in the suite was actually more than needed for a couple, but we used it to spread out our luggage. I'd definitely take the view over the extra space.

Room 320 (IIRC) view:

777 global mile hound

Good to hear I think
I do not have plans to return @ present and unlikely anytime soon to pay so much and gamble
Do understand those that do or willing to pay for whatever they want
I too received an Ocean View suite one year ago but only when I escalated that empty suites were available
Which is a first for me ever at the hotel

I'm ok with not being upgraded when its sold/occupied but IMO any Globalist should be able to upgrade based
on availability shy of the villas etc
Was told by corporate/Concierge team that the hotel no longer upgrades to ocean view suites
as they are now and have been for some time
considered to be premium suites.So you did win the lottery

So now they not only deny as they see fit but don't tell the truth or deliver consistently.Not a good reflection
IMO the no view suites below the lobby on level 1 should be a last resort in placing top tier elites
Perhaps if truly unavailable offer an option for ocean view room as a possible plan B
At least the suite upgrades previously booked into the pool suites and they routinely did better at arrival without discussion
Hopefully the tide is changing and I look forward to others and their experiences

scotty00

You hit the nail on the head. Even after my concierge contacted the hotel prior to our arrival too say we wouldn't take one of the "Andaz Suites" and we would otherwise prefer a direct ocean view balcony room, the front desk agent (who only made eye contact once during check in and never made a single reference in any regard to the hyatt rewards program) said our room was on floor 1 in one of the Andaz suites. I said that we weren't going to stay below ground and that there should be notes on the reservation that if a premium ocean view suite wasn't available, then a direct ocean view room was the next option. After a humph and a sigh, she just said "that room won't be ready for 2 more hours." Whatever. At least we got a direct ocean view balcony room, albeit small even for just 2 people.

With regard to the front desk service, at least the breakfast servers and pool attendants are friendly and nice. It was not a good start to the stay though.

pronichkin

Yes, the front desk agents might not be too friendly, but from what I can tell, it's not an Andaz thing, but rather a Maui thing. We just spent a week here, from last Wednesday to this Wednesday, and visited a bunch of nearby restaurants. In almost all of them, the waiters were friendly (sometimes even too friendly to my taste), but all the hosts were cold as ice.

Speaking of Andaz more specifically, we did get a very nice "full ocean view" room. Of course, we asked for a suite (and asked again a few times). But by the day of check in, there were no suites available. (Which was in line with what I saw on the website.) There were a few suites available for the last three nights of our stay, and I told them I don't mind changing rooms. But then they asked for $800 per night for upgrade, which I declined. I was ready for $300 or maybe $400 but not $800.

Can't say anything bad about the room. The bed was great, the views were stunning, everything worked flawlessly. My only nitpick (as often) is floor plan in the bathroom. The vanity area is on the small-ish side, the closet barely fits two suitcases, but the shower is overly—no, it's comically big. It's almost like it was designed for a bathtub, but then someone said "no, mere mortals don't deserve a tub, this privilege is for suites only." So, they switched it into a gigantic shower area without giving it too much thought.

A few more notes about the floor numbers. This might be confusing, so don't be fooled by their designation of "high floor" vs. "lower floors." The whole hotel is situated on a steep slope. You walk into the lobby from what was the ground level from the side of the road. But in fact, you're already on the fifth floor out of seven. The restaurant is on the third floor, and the ocean side views from there are fabulous. Even the lower two floors would probably have great views if not obstructed by tents and poolside infrastructure.

But of course, the higher the better. Our room was on the sixth floor, and it was absolutely fantastic, so I cannot complain too much about the lack of suite upgrade. Although I would agree that the room had barely enough space for two. So, if you're travelling in a larger group, perhaps taking even a ground floor suite would be a smart move.

I was a bit skeptical about visiting Hawaii in February but turned out, it's nearly perfect timing. A couple degrees more would be uncomfortable for us. And apparently, it's the right time to see whales who come to Hawaii in February to give birth and mate.

Kacee

I'm not a fan of this property, but the front desk staff were absolutely lovely when we were here. Could not have been warmer or more accommodating.

gobears293

Looking for everyone's advice on which room type to book for a trip far off in November. Family will already be in Maui (over in Ka'anapali) and we didn't want to leave the island after just five nights. Will be my wife and our two kids (3 year old and 11 month old). The week I am looking at is off-peak award pricing and all room types are available. Since we have plenty of Hyatt (and Chase UR) points, I figured it would be best to book the regular Andaz suite for the extra space. The Partial Ocean View suite that gets booked as a premium suite is pretty much the same size as the Andaz suite, correct? You're just paying 14k extra points a night for the view? We are only Discoverist, so I wouldn't anticipate any complimentary upgrades (but maybe there would be a relatively inexpensive paid offer considering off-peak timing).

So am I wrong to think the standard suite is the best choice? We don't mind not having a view in the room as we'll spend most of the day at the pool or exploring. I figure the regular rooms are too small with two kids and the premium for the "partial view" is too much.

Thanks for any input!

777 global mile hound

Yes the standard suite without view(below sea level) has plenty of room compared to regular rooms
and the approx same size as the prem view suites
The balcony/patio may even be bigger in the standard suite for those stunning views of walls
If you crank your head up high enough you can still see the sun and sky
But a good set up otherwise which may be just fine for you needs.
As for the regular rooms I wouldn't want to consider that even for 2
But I'm sure others may be just fine with the space as is

pickles1107

We have been a few times with our young kids and used a suite upgrade cert each time. We have been assigned a pool suite, partial view suite, full ocean suite, and suite on bottom floor. Over the years the standard suite has been reclassified several times but even last October we were given one of the bottom floor 39/40 suites with plenty of natural light at the end of the wing that sticks out to the ocean.

I would say it depends on how points rich you are whether it is worth the extra for the view. The suite layout and space are exactly the same.
The one nice thing about having some kind of view is you can sit out on the balcony after the kids go to bed. With most Andaz suites looking into a wall or directly next to a busy path that wouldn’t be a great option.

josephstern

Anyone know if the suite renovations are all complete?