Biggie Fries

You forgot that he was being forced to pay $150 + points each and every night.

llbad

IMO that review takes the cake for "pettiest complaint on the internet".

bubbabp

I agree the $100 resort credit, cabana use, and DSU refund was generous. I would have been more than happy with this if I actually could have gotten remotely timely service at the pool restaurant & cabana and if the DSU was actually refunded as promised. Whether I paid cash+points or rack rate is irrelevant, my service experience was just not up to the high expectations I had for this place, others apparently have had different results there.

llbad

It's definitely frustrating not receiving something that was promised, I'll give you that

MrBill64

My wife and I are here right now. Using pts+cash for 2 nights along with 2 free nights from the Hyatt credit card. We are diamond and using a DSU, we were able to stay in a suite for all 4 night.

I have found the service to be fantastic by the pools, the beach, and the restaurants. We are in a ground floor suite over by the adult pool (not a pool side suite). I am more than pleased with the accommodations. Very quite and easy access to the adult tranquility pool as well as the the water machine, ice and free laundry. Speaking of free laundry, it includes everything. Tide and Bounce dryer sheets are provided as well.

Today they are preparing for Hurricane Iselle and all the outdoor furniture has been removed. Sand bags are set up and the pools are supposed to be closed now, but were open for most of the day. No beach service today. Hopefully this place weathers the storm as the grounds are beautiful.

All in all we are loving our stay. We are supposed to head to the Big Island tomorrow but mother nature might have a different itinerary for us.

thucanhho

This attitude in the face of a hurricane is quite refreshing juxtaposed to the trival complaints.

League

We're also here right now. Hubby has Diamond status (on a trial, yes, but he legitimately expects to fulfill the terms of the trial), but this was not acknowledged in any way upon check-in. The person who checked us in had mentioned a few options for rooms and "possibly even a suite" but they didn't have any of those ready yet, so I replied that a suite would be great and we wouldn't mind waiting. The guy came back with 3 suite options but then he started talking about the price to upgrade (I asked if there were any complimentary upgrades, and he said no), so we declined and got put in a regular room (#430) which I believe would be categorized as a partial ocean view since we can see the ocean but don't have a dead-on view of the pools and such. It's in the Makai wing and overlooks the tranquility pool.

He did not offer a Diamond welcome amenity or discuss our free breakfast benefit or anything. Definitely disappointing. We were so jetlagged and exhausted from getting a combined total of about 7 hours of sleep over 2 nights that we didn't immediately speak up (and we don't want to be DYKWIA types), though I did later talk to someone to get info on the free breakfasts / spa passes / 1000 points in lieu of welcome amenity / etc. Still not sure if they even really know we have status. We were brought a check at breakfast to sign, though I assume they'll pull the breakfast charges from the bill at check-out.

On the whole, we think this hotel is a bit of a mixed bag, with more negatives than positives. Positives are the breakfasts, the beauty of the property, the really great mixed drinks (looooved the 'Pimms Rangoon' from Bumbye), and the valet service is quick and convenient. The blackout and sheer shades work great. I appreciate the full-length mirror, and the malie amenities are nice.

Negatives are the tiny room, the wear and tear that's already very evident in the room, and the service is really mixed. Some employees are great and very friendly, but there's a real lack of follow-through. One employee said they'd send up someone to add a handheld thingy for our shower right away but we were puzzled when no one came. Turns out the bellman who'd brought us to our room had demonstrated the "privacy" light and left it turned on. We eventually got the handheld head, but it leaks/sprays everywhere. One of our keys didn't work when the bellman took us to the room the first time, so he said he'd go get a new one and come back with it right away. He didn't come until about 3 hours later. Was that b/c of the privacy setting he'd set? I don't know but the way he apologized for taking so long when he came back made it seem otherwise. We sat by the pool for at least 40 min before being asked if we'd like anything to eat/drink. Even earlier tonight, we'd requested some granola bars to be restocked since our daughter loved them (we'd declined housekeeping service today, so missed an opportunity to get them then), and they said they'd send some to the room. So far, though, no bars.

I'd expected there to be a larger menu for room service (particularly important since we're stuck here with 2 hurricanes looming), but it's mostly all rehashed from the limited offerings at the market (flatbread pizzas and paninis, mostly, which we weren't all that impressed with). In terms of the room, there's the wear and tear I mentioned -- the single lounging chair in our room is already covered in various stains and the slatted closet and toilet room doors are difficult to keep closed. The room looks clean, but our feet get filthy from walking barefoot on the tile floors. I don't think they mop them very frequently at all. In general, the room isn't very functional for us. It feels pretty claustrophobic, too (especially in the bathroom). The slatted vanity makes you have to be very careful any time you want to set something down. The closet and toilet room doors being open impedes upon the walking space in the general part of the bathroom. It's very difficult for 2 people to be in there at once. I can't imagine that the wood shutters and the towel ladder won't get damaged sooner rather than later from all the water. The shower never dries, and makes the bathroom feel constantly humid. It's an effort to keep the water in the shower area since there's 2 openings for it to escape. The rain shower does feel great, though.

All in all, we've only been here for 2 nights now, but I wouldn't come here again for the points, much less the $400-600 this place often commands. Too unpolished and form-over-function. Granted, in terms of the service aspect, the staff may be distracted by the coming weather issues, but still, there've been enough minor hiccups, that I don't think it's all down to the weather. (The hotel apparently isn't very full right now, either.) However, because of the incoming storms, I'd feel guilty bringing any of these issues up to the staff when we don't even know if we'll have power and running water tomorrow. Everything feels very #firstworldproblems and the hurricane helps put our minor issues in perspective. We'll ride it out for 4 more nights.

srt8-blue

If your husband is on a Diamond trial, then why didn't he use a DSU for the stay? Or are you guys on a points stay?

I would of just done the cash & points with DSU to ensure a suite.

beachbride2003

League, you should email the front desk manager. I would email him the exact post that you posted here. His email is [email protected]
He is a great guy and will address all of your issues. I agree that the service at the Andaz Maui can be hit or miss. I was there in June and when I experienced some issues with the service (I used a DSU so I did not have issues with the room), he took over and made things right.

League

We're on a points stay. When we booked the room ages ago, we only had Plat status so no DSUs available, and then by the time my hubby realized he could throw some nights at Hyatt to go for the Diamond trial, it was so close to our trip that switching from points-only to points-and-cash-with-a-DSU wasn't an option.

beachbride2003, I dunno...The front desk manager does seem very friendly, as I believe he was the one I spoke with prior to our trip to ask a few questions about the hurricane situation. Still, it seems a bit much to complain about the minor hiccups we've had. If I wanted to push it, yeah, we might be able to switch to a better room, but meanwhile, the staff still have sandbags and tarps all over, and pool furniture to bring back out and so forth. Not sure I want to be an additional pain. I'll see what hubby thinks.

lmelamed

Called Hyatt Gold Passport to book the Andaz Maui and use a DSU and was told they can't be used in November? Anyone else ever hear that?

hailstorm

Thank you so much for mentioning this. I had no clue about free laundry until reading this on our last night there. We finished our laundry around midnight, but it was totally worth it.

We were in a pool suite a few doors down. I apologise if my cannonballs disturbed you.

Pat89339

I was just told yesterday that a DSU was not available for my dates in November. The agent did not say they couldn't be used in November.

LASUA1K

He's fantastic and the best person to talk to about issues. He understands, sadly the rest of the staff don't get it.

League

Well, after a couple more days here, I can say that my thoughts on the service here have changed a little. Forgive the long post; I'm not good at being succinct! First, I did end up calling to the front desk to inquire if any better/bigger rooms were available for the remaining 4 nights, though I chose not to escalate to Geoff Gray. The front desk person was very friendly and asked if she could call me back so she'd have a chance to really look at their inventory. When she called back, she said she'd found a few full oceanview options, but they were on the lower levels, and that she would personally recommend sticking with a POV on the 4th floor vs a OV on the lower levels, so that's what we did. The website confirmed that no suites were available for sale, so that was fine. Apparently many people were unable to get to the hotel for their reservations (which I'd hoped would open up some rooms), but just as many people were stuck here, trying to get back to the mainland and had to extend their stays, so it all evened out.

All of that aside, there have been a couple of instances of great service. One night when we ordered room service, I'd mentioned to the person delivering our food that I hadn't seen any chocolate milk (for my kid) on offer at the Market or on the room service menu. He personally went and got us some custom-made (milk + a couple of pumps of syrup from the coffee bar) and brought it back to the room, free of charge.

Yesterday, we went to do laundry in the free laundry room. The washer malfunctioned and wouldn't release our clothes and wouldn't drain the water. This was a bit of an issue because our son's attachment item (a well-loved blanket... he's 4) was trapped inside the machine. Maintenance was called, and met my husband at the laundry room. He explained this particular model of washing machine was quite repair-prone. He managed to get the clean-but-sopping-wet clothes out of the machine and offered to go dry them in their industrial dryers, which, he claimed, could get them dry in just 10-15 minutes. It took only slightly longer than that, but our clean clothes were delivered, freshly folded, to our room.

Then, just tonight, my husband and I had plans for a kid-free night out at Mama's Fish House. We'd arranged for a nanny service and all seemed to be okay before we left, but not even 5 min down the road, the nanny called with news that our son had vomited and was complaining of ear pain. News to us, since he'd not said a word about any ear pain or nausea up til that point. We turned around, and asked the valet to keep our car close by (which they were happy to do), checked on our son and found that, yes, he was pretty ill. The hotel helped us locate a walk-in clinic less than 5 min away, and we took him there (where the service was really great - if ever ill in Wailea, go to the Wailea Urgent Care Center across from the Shops at Wailea - great people!)

While at the clinic, my son vomited profusely again and was given Zofran to help with the nausea and antibiotics for an ear infection. After he felt better, we headed back to the hotel. My husband stopped in the Market to look for something like saltines and gingerale. They had gingerale, but no crackers. In making conversation with the woman working there, she went to the back room and found some bland crackers that she bagged up for him for free.

Back in the room, we looked at the gingerale label and realized it may or may not actually contain any real ginger. So then I thought that, with all of the great cocktails here, the bar might have some real ginger syrup or at least real lemonade. I went down and told a couple of bartenders at the Lehua Lounge that my son was sick with an upset stomach, and I know it's an unusual request, but might they be able to offer something non-alcoholic and stomach-settling with ginger or lemon or ...? They were more than happy to help and did actually come up with a delicious concoction of house-infused ginger syrup, soda, bitters, and lemon. I asked to charge it to the room, but they insisted on it being complimentary with best wishes for my son to feel better. I was super impressed and touched.

SO. Yes, there have been a few slight hiccups here and there and I still find the room to be more form-over-function and a little less clean than I'd prefer (some of this is just down to size and being parents rather than a honeymooning couple, and some is legit, like water issues, stained upholstery, dirty floors, the slatted vanity, and super-shallow sink. ) BUT, the service is usually well-intentioned even when it falls short, and sometimes it's really excellent.