Andaz Maui REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Jul 3, 2019, 11:37 pm
#3301
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Texas
Programs: Hyatt Lifetime Globalist
Posts: 454
I thought it was obvious to folks that stay Hyatt but to name a few I have stayed at.
PH Maldives
PH St. Kitts
Andaz Papagayo
Hyatt Hua Hin
Cat 7 and below SLH (TSU restriction is a bummer but makes sense for non standardized hotels)
I understand that you may like this hotel, which is great for you, but there are multiple Hyatt properties where you can get a non-cruise ship experience and still get great customer service.
PH Maldives
PH St. Kitts
Andaz Papagayo
Hyatt Hua Hin
Cat 7 and below SLH (TSU restriction is a bummer but makes sense for non standardized hotels)
I understand that you may like this hotel, which is great for you, but there are multiple Hyatt properties where you can get a non-cruise ship experience and still get great customer service.
Jul 4, 2019, 5:06 am
#3302
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 6,540
yes, Andaz is not the best WOH property in the world.
thought you were extending look beyond Maui to other HI islands.
lots of people love Maui and HI generally is of course the topic.
for those of us that do, this property is unmatched in the way i describe 5 posts above.
thought you were extending look beyond Maui to other HI islands.
lots of people love Maui and HI generally is of course the topic.
for those of us that do, this property is unmatched in the way i describe 5 posts above.
Jul 4, 2019, 5:37 am
#3303
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: AA & DL / SPG & HGP
Posts: 1,723
I thought it was obvious to folks that stay Hyatt but to name a few I have stayed at.
PH Maldives
PH St. Kitts
Andaz Papagayo
Hyatt Hua Hin
Cat 7 and below SLH (TSU restriction is a bummer but makes sense for non standardized hotels)
I understand that you may like this hotel, which is great for you, but there are multiple Hyatt properties where you can get a non-cruise ship experience and still get great customer service.
C'mon, you can't offer that list of non-compares. Of those only Maldives has reefs (good ones), shore reefs, and Maui is in the US (no passport needed, not 3-4 flights around the world - which I love).
For some (that just want a nice pool in beautiful weather with a beach let's say, and nice property) Andaz might have equals... for for some (that love reefs, and other reasons too) Andaz really is a one of kind Hyatt property, unmatched (as noted by the other post)... service issues or not.
Jul 5, 2019, 12:50 pm
#3304
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Texas
Programs: Hyatt Lifetime Globalist
Posts: 454
C'mon, you can't offer that list of non-compares. Of those only Maldives has reefs (good ones), shore reefs, and Maui is in the US (no passport needed, not 3-4 flights around the world - which I love).
For some (that just want a nice pool in beautiful weather with a beach let's say, and nice property) Andaz might have equals... for for some (that love reefs, and other reasons too) Andaz really is a one of kind Hyatt property, unmatched (as noted by the other post)... service issues or not.
For some (that just want a nice pool in beautiful weather with a beach let's say, and nice property) Andaz might have equals... for for some (that love reefs, and other reasons too) Andaz really is a one of kind Hyatt property, unmatched (as noted by the other post)... service issues or not.
One more unrelated consideration. Given that airlines (AA and UA in my experience) have raised the award charts for lay flat business class to Hawaii to almost the same as lay flat business class to the Maldives (62.5k to OGG vs 70k to MLE on AA), it makes sense for our travel to just head back to the PHM where the service has improved on each trip. We will be there later this year and the airline points redemption is virtually the same (7.5k more each way in QSuite using AA award) while the Hyatt redemption is the exact same. That is nothing against the Andaz but something to keep in mind given current airline award redemption charts for Hawaii and other boutique hotel destinations around the world.
Jul 5, 2019, 1:40 pm
#3305
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Flights to Hawaii are quite cheap.
The award miles cost is high because US domestic award flights are a ripoff, almost universally. You can make the same argument about just about any domestic location -- you always get more value for your miles by using them for international flights. It really has nothing to do with the hotel in question.
The award miles cost is high because US domestic award flights are a ripoff, almost universally. You can make the same argument about just about any domestic location -- you always get more value for your miles by using them for international flights. It really has nothing to do with the hotel in question.
Jul 6, 2019, 6:26 am
#3306
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 252
Just wrapped up a three-night award stay as a Globalist for my wife's birthday and was mostly impressed.
Arrived at 2 pm after driving over from the Regency and was allowed an early check in despite the hotel being fully committed during our stay. Booked a base king and was upgraded to an ocean view king on the fifth floor. I was argue it was probably more of a partial ocean view but nice none the less. I was also given the voucher for desert and sparkling wine. The room also had a bottle of sparkling wine, cookies and small box of chocolates for my wife's birthday. Was offered a confirmed 2 pm checkout on arrival with the possibility of 4 pm on day of checkout, but did not need it.
Probably my least favorite part of the stay was actual room. It's small and not very well laid out. The bathroom doesn't make sense as the shower takes up nearly half the space leaving a small area for the vanity which was crowded for two people. On the plus side the closet is actually quite large for a standard room. The bed only has power outlets on one side, which is just stupid in this day and age. The lanai is nice, but the furniture is uncomfortable. I was very underwhelmed by the room in general for a resort charging $900 a night during our stay.
As much poor as I felt the rooms were the facilities were just the opposite. The pools are quite beautiful and have the best views I've seen in Maui. The lobby is quite nice and a great place to relax and watch the sunset. The gym, restaurants and bars were all top notch.
The food and beverage at the resort is outstanding top to bottom, but they do charge for that excellence. I'm not sure what breakfast used to be, but I found the buffet quality to be great. Good variety with high quality foods. Maybe not the best I've had, but its up there. Now whether it's worth $49 plus tax and tip is a whole another story. However, based on the crowds our three days plenty of folks disagree. Pool food was very fresh and delicious as well, but again paying $26 for a chicken rice bowl is a bit much IMO. The same can be said for drinks. I had an outstanding rum old fashioned, but 25 bucks after tip is steep in my book. We did not have dinner on property, but did redeem our chit for desert at Ka’ana Kitchen and the entrees looked amazing as well; again though $44 for fried chicken is expensive. The bartender was kind enough to offer us two deserts after my wife couldn't decide and they were both excellence.
Service was both a hit and a miss. A hit in that everyone was so wonderful and genuinely wanted to help. I can't overstate how friendly, positive and nice everyone was from valet, to hosts, to servers, and it felt very genuine. Everyone seemed very proud of the resort and Maui in general and that was refreshing to see. Outside of the views that may have been the best part. However, the execution was sometimes a miss. Rang down to have valet bring the car around, but 15 minutes later when I get to valet no one relayed that request. Stopped by the front desk to ask for extra pillows to be delivered while out at dinner, return two hours later and no pillows. Asked for cream with coffee at breakfast and have to stop another server after 10 minutes. Nothing huge and every slip up was immediately rectified, but at this price point I would expect better.
All in all it was a really great stay with great pools, amazing views, small rooms, outstanding, but expensive food and friendly staff that didn't hit every note just right. Would I return? Well my wife would in a heartbeat; me I'm not 100%. On points, maybe, although 30k is very steep. Cash? Certainly no unless I could use a TSU. We stayed at the Fairmont last year and at the same price point you get a really nice suite with much more room; albeit not as great pools. That's a personal preference though.
Arrived at 2 pm after driving over from the Regency and was allowed an early check in despite the hotel being fully committed during our stay. Booked a base king and was upgraded to an ocean view king on the fifth floor. I was argue it was probably more of a partial ocean view but nice none the less. I was also given the voucher for desert and sparkling wine. The room also had a bottle of sparkling wine, cookies and small box of chocolates for my wife's birthday. Was offered a confirmed 2 pm checkout on arrival with the possibility of 4 pm on day of checkout, but did not need it.
Probably my least favorite part of the stay was actual room. It's small and not very well laid out. The bathroom doesn't make sense as the shower takes up nearly half the space leaving a small area for the vanity which was crowded for two people. On the plus side the closet is actually quite large for a standard room. The bed only has power outlets on one side, which is just stupid in this day and age. The lanai is nice, but the furniture is uncomfortable. I was very underwhelmed by the room in general for a resort charging $900 a night during our stay.
As much poor as I felt the rooms were the facilities were just the opposite. The pools are quite beautiful and have the best views I've seen in Maui. The lobby is quite nice and a great place to relax and watch the sunset. The gym, restaurants and bars were all top notch.
The food and beverage at the resort is outstanding top to bottom, but they do charge for that excellence. I'm not sure what breakfast used to be, but I found the buffet quality to be great. Good variety with high quality foods. Maybe not the best I've had, but its up there. Now whether it's worth $49 plus tax and tip is a whole another story. However, based on the crowds our three days plenty of folks disagree. Pool food was very fresh and delicious as well, but again paying $26 for a chicken rice bowl is a bit much IMO. The same can be said for drinks. I had an outstanding rum old fashioned, but 25 bucks after tip is steep in my book. We did not have dinner on property, but did redeem our chit for desert at Ka’ana Kitchen and the entrees looked amazing as well; again though $44 for fried chicken is expensive. The bartender was kind enough to offer us two deserts after my wife couldn't decide and they were both excellence.
Service was both a hit and a miss. A hit in that everyone was so wonderful and genuinely wanted to help. I can't overstate how friendly, positive and nice everyone was from valet, to hosts, to servers, and it felt very genuine. Everyone seemed very proud of the resort and Maui in general and that was refreshing to see. Outside of the views that may have been the best part. However, the execution was sometimes a miss. Rang down to have valet bring the car around, but 15 minutes later when I get to valet no one relayed that request. Stopped by the front desk to ask for extra pillows to be delivered while out at dinner, return two hours later and no pillows. Asked for cream with coffee at breakfast and have to stop another server after 10 minutes. Nothing huge and every slip up was immediately rectified, but at this price point I would expect better.
All in all it was a really great stay with great pools, amazing views, small rooms, outstanding, but expensive food and friendly staff that didn't hit every note just right. Would I return? Well my wife would in a heartbeat; me I'm not 100%. On points, maybe, although 30k is very steep. Cash? Certainly no unless I could use a TSU. We stayed at the Fairmont last year and at the same price point you get a really nice suite with much more room; albeit not as great pools. That's a personal preference though.
Last edited by Dsnow0819; Jul 6, 2019 at 6:53 am
Jul 6, 2019, 5:19 pm
#3307
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,716
I thought it was obvious to folks that stay Hyatt but to name a few I have stayed at.
PH Maldives
PH St. Kitts
Andaz Papagayo
Hyatt Hua Hin
Cat 7 and below SLH (TSU restriction is a bummer but makes sense for non standardized hotels)
I understand that you may like this hotel, which is great for you, but there are multiple Hyatt properties where you can get a non-cruise ship experience and still get great customer service.
No immigration crap (i.e. like 1 hour waits in Mexico), no anti-gay islamo-fascist government nonsense (Maldives) Personally I like Costa Rica and Thailand but they are nothing like Hawaii.
If you want more apples to apples pick another resort in Hawaii, or South Beach, or maybe another beach destination. Otherwise maybe stick to the topic of experiences at this property.
Jul 6, 2019, 9:32 pm
#3308
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,028
One more unrelated consideration. Given that airlines (AA and UA in my experience) have raised the award charts for lay flat business class to Hawaii to almost the same as lay flat business class to the Maldives (62.5k to OGG vs 70k to MLE on AA), it makes sense for our travel to just head back to the PHM where the service has improved on each trip. We will be there later this year and the airline points redemption is virtually the same (7.5k more each way in QSuite using AA award) while the Hyatt redemption is the exact same. That is nothing against the Andaz but something to keep in mind given current airline award redemption charts for Hawaii and other boutique hotel destinations around the world.
Jul 14, 2019, 12:21 pm
#3310
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 6,540
it sure looks like they’ve created a new Andaz Suite category that’s cheaper than the Pool Side Suite category previously used for TSUs. in fact the latter is now described as a specialty suite. i suspect the hotel took one or two worst view suites and put them in this new Andaz Suite category to limit the lost revenue due to TSU usage to fewer rooms.
oh my how rates have climbed. $1000/n for standard rooms in Feb!
oh my how rates have climbed. $1000/n for standard rooms in Feb!
Jul 14, 2019, 7:01 pm
#3312
Join Date: May 2011
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: Marriott Plat, HH Gold, WOH Globalist
Posts: 89
I have applied a TSU for 3 nights in January next year, and it was confirmed into the Andaz Suite. The CSR read the room description to me and the view is resort/garden with these suites located on floors 1,3,4. We are hoping there will be availability for an upgrade at check in.
Jul 14, 2019, 8:24 pm
#3313
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Honolulu, Hawaiʻi [+MKK4 EBBER R577 EDSEL R577 ELKEY EXERT]
Posts: 15,826
I have applied a TSU for 3 nights in January next year, and it was confirmed into the Andaz Suite. The CSR read the room description to me and the view is resort/garden with these suites located on floors 1,3,4. We are hoping there will be availability for an upgrade at check in.
I've applied TSU/DSUs a handful of times now at this property since it opened and have never gotten anything more than a Pool Side Suite. But it does not help that we are usually "stay-cationing" from Oahu, so that means weekend trips over days when the hotel is likely to be busier. I'd set your expectations low for January too, or any other month that is peak season in Hawaii, unless you are going in late January.
The TSU gets you a nice sized suite with a tub, but not great for the view.
Jul 14, 2019, 8:46 pm
#3314
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,028
The suite descriptions are available here: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/ha...rt/oggaw/rooms
I've applied TSU/DSUs a handful of times now at this property since it opened and have never gotten anything more than a Pool Side Suite. But it does not help that we are usually "stay-cationing" from Oahu, so that means weekend trips over days when the hotel is likely to be busier. I'd set your expectations low for January too, or any other month that is peak season in Hawaii, unless you are going in late January.
The TSU gets you a nice sized suite with a tub, but not great for the view.
I've applied TSU/DSUs a handful of times now at this property since it opened and have never gotten anything more than a Pool Side Suite. But it does not help that we are usually "stay-cationing" from Oahu, so that means weekend trips over days when the hotel is likely to be busier. I'd set your expectations low for January too, or any other month that is peak season in Hawaii, unless you are going in late January.
The TSU gets you a nice sized suite with a tub, but not great for the view.