Hippster

It definitely is an older property and many would consider it dated still even after recent renovations. Heck they didn't even have TV's in the room until relatively recently. The Mauna Kea is the grand daddy of the island resort wise, so part of the rate is paying for the history and the name probably. I know many families have a tradition going back generations of staying at the Mauna Kea. I'm 3rd generation to have stayed there and my brother is taking the 4th for the first time here in a few weeks. That continuing legacy is a large part of their business. I'd say the demand for the property is there and their rates reflect that demand.

I have no idea what the historical rates were at Hapuna to compare with the current ones. My guess is Hapuna/Westin are trying to get business back after the renovations have dragged on and there were some not-so-pleasant reviews of the property while the work was being done.

hockeyinsider

Well, from the pictures and from everything I read the Hapuna Beach was basically gutted. The rooms look great. I don't know if the hotel is actually that old. It opened in 1994, which is about 30 years after Mauna Kea. I get the Mauna Kea has that 1960s Hawaiian romanticism attached to it. I'm just curious whether it is actually a legit, 5-star, luxury hotel.

DJ_Iceman

In my opinion (loudly spoken in this thread), no. It was quite average in terms of hard product, and sadly lacking in terms of guest service and staff attitude. I distinctly got the impression that the resent the Marriott partnership, and prefer to live on that decades-old repeat visitor business that Hippster referred to.

Hippster

I've read some reports that say staffing/attentiveness has been reduced lately. If it has been I did not see any of that in January. On arrival you are greeted with a lei of flowers (women) or seeds/shells (men) and then escorted to seating at a front desk station. There you are given ice cold juice and a frozen cold towel to refresh your face/hands with. I was appropriately recognized as a gold Marriott member and he went over the benefits. Internet you can simply choose the multi-day enhanced speed in the room and the charge is removed automatically. I did use the buffet discount but did not luau/golf/tennis. As a Diamond with Hilton, I'm used to top level not getting much of anything different from Gold at most properties. I'd suggest that at a large premium Autograph Collection property, they could and should do something extra for Platinums here. What I do not know. Arriving in the room, there was fresh cut pineapple and banana bread with plates/forks/cloth napkins. Every light in the room can be controlled together from either side of the bed (on/night/off) to make getting up easy. Expected room amenities are all there. Safe/fridge/robes/slippers/2 luggage racks. 2 sinks outside a separate tub/toilet room. The walls are thick as I never heard a peep from a neighbor or the hallway. A/C works quite well but is disabled if the balcony doors are opened. Room service they bring in a cart and do a complete setup with tablecloth on either the outside table or inside desk. Housekeeping is attentive and they give you more bottles of water (free) and refill the ice bucket as needed. There is evening turn down service and they refresh the water/ice as well. Rest of the property is the 60's vibe with artwork and the hotel design itself. I honestly loved getting away for a bit from so much of the "new/modern" vibe elsewhere. Staff was all warm, smiling and friendly. On checkout day they had no qualms giving me 4 pm late checkout (yay Gold perk) as my flight was a 10pm redeye out of Kona. Certainly felt 5 star to me with everything but opinions may vary of course based on individual experiences and expectations gleaned elsewhere.

If you are at the Hapuna go over and take a look. Manta is a very enjoyable dinner!

hockeyinsider

I'm guessing you "pay" for this in the resort fee, as opposed to it being a goodwill gesture by the hotel.

Hippster

No resort fee! Parking is extra but not terrible: self is $20 and valet is $25.

musicscrip

We stayed here during Spring break for 7 nights on points and we loved the property. It never felt crowded even though it was fully booked. The beach is the best you can find on the island and kids just love going there and the pool everyday when they woke up. We would love to go back again on points if we can still after the merge. The rate during spring break was about $1000 a night! We didn't have to pay for resort fee using points and only paid for valet $25 a night.

jakers3200

With the announced program changes, what do you foresee happing with the Mauna Kea? Right now it's 45,000/night. I suspect it will go to at least 60,000 points/night and possibly 80,000 points/ night (ooph). Second question, will elites (Marriott Gold & higher in new program) get free breakfast as that benefit has expanded?

As of now, I'm looking to book a trip for the fall while I still have status and reward nights are still affordable (for me). By July 30, I will definitely be booked.

hockeyinsider

I don't anticipate any of the Marriott resorts in Hawaii being less than category 8. Mauna Kea will probably be 100,000 nights under dynamic-pricing, which is absurd because Marriott recently said that Autograph Collection is for 4-star properties and Luxury Collection is for 5-star properties. No 4-star hotel should be 100,000 points per night.

DJ_Iceman

Well, I can hope they lose their Marriott affiliation completely due to substandard service and failure to meet luxury brand expectations.

travelinmanS

I imagine many of their long time repeat guests would appreciate this as well!

beofotch

I called them today to ask how they will handle the post July One Platinum complimentary breakfast benefit and confirmed Suite Upgrade benefit will work and they said they don't do complimentary breakfast that they are different than other autograph properties. I tried to explain that post July one the terms and conditions change noting the autograph properties will offer complimentary Platinum breakfast but they said they don't haven't gotten guidance on it and don't anticipate that happening.

Lol

hockeyinsider

I doubt that anyone other than maybe the general manager knows anything at this point.

DJ_Iceman

When we stayed there a couple of years ago we got the distinct and repeated impression that the hotel staff disagreed with the Marriott tie, resented Marriott guests, and took pleasure in providing as little promised benefit as possible. It does not surprise me in the least that the property will have to be dragged kicking and screaming to provide the newly enhanced benefits.

beofotch

Thanks for the insight. I will stay tuned closely to see how it goes post August 1 on the benefits.

Two more questions -
1 does the Does the Mauna Kea rent out or loan out kids sand toys? Or do you have to bring your own?
2 if the only excursion we want to do on a 5 night stay is volcanoes national park (assuming its safe given the latest developments) is the best bet to rent a car for the week or is there a way to just rent it for 1 day from the hotel (or hire a driver just for a day?) Just trying to understand the tradeoff versus 5 days rental car and hotel parking versus a 1 day trip with convenience.