Marriott Bonvoy hotels on Maui
 

I am currently holding reservations at both the Westin Maui and the Sheraton Maui for the end of October. Room rate is the same.

Question - as a Plat - which property do I stand a better chance of getting a decent upgrade? Which property is best overall? The Sheraton gets rave reviews on Tripadvisor - The Westin doesn't fare so well.

I have done a search, but I haven't found any threads that compare these two properties directly. Thanks!

Hi, I stayed at both properties Spring '05. I am only SPG gold and we received a wonderful upgrade to an Ohana suite on an award booking at the Sheraton. No upgrade at the Westin. We loved the Sheraton and would stay again without hesitation, even without an upgrade. The only nice thing about the Westin is it's pool. The Sheraton was much more relaxed and seemed more upscale. You can't beat the snorkeling at Black rock right on the property too.

FYI: We just returned last Wednesday from the Westin and strolling down the beach we discovered that half of the sheraton pool was closed for renovations. It may be open by the time you go, but I was glad not to be booked there.

The pools at the Sheraton are unimpressive and the guest rooms are pretty small. Everything else is nice. I've stayed at the Sheraton twice, most recently last February. I'm going again next year. Can't tell you much about upgrades, as I don't have status with SPG. Our rooms have always faced the ocean but I would consider them more garden views. You can see the ocean in the distance and still enjoy the sunsets. We usually watched the sunsets at the beach.

The Westin seems like a busier place and the pools are more geared towards kids. When we go to Hawaiian resorts, we usually spend more time at the beach than the pools. We have had our kids with us and they have enjoyed the Sheraton as much as the grown ups.

In terms of upgrades, you rarely get them at the Westin as a Plat.

Having said that, I much prefer it of the two properties.

The Sheraton is a good 4 star property with expansive lawns between the buildings and the sea, but a small, mediocre pool area.

The Westin is located next to Whalers' Village shops and restaurants, whereas the Sheraton is at the quiet end of the beach. It has a sensational pool area, but is basically two hotels in one. They have stopped talking about an Ocean Tower and a Beach Tower, to try to fool people into paying good money to stay in the nightmare building that is the Ocean Tower.

The original building (Ocean Tower) is basically a poor 3 star hotel. It hasn't got enough elevators, and rooms don't even have a proper wardrobe (closet). Just like the Garden blocks at the Sheraton Kauai, you wouldn't stay in this building. The rooms in this building are Golf / Mountain view (actually Parking Lot view), Partial Ocean View (low floor, actually view the outdoor concrete), Garden View (view the palm trees next to the concrete) and Ocean View (in the distance, across the swimming pool). There are also Executive Suites in this building. This building is a dump with inferior facilities to any Four Points, but because it is Maui people will pay $400 to stay there because they know they can use the same pools as people in the good tower.

The only rooms which are decent at the Westin Maui are in the newer 5 star building (Beach Tower). These are the DELUXE OCEANVIEW and PREMIUM DELUXE OCEANVIEW rooms and LUXURY SUITES. The rooms are still small but they are nice.

If you book in the good building at the Westin you will have a better experience than you are likely to get at the Sheraton. But if you book into the Ocean Tower at the Westin you will have a lousy vacation, not least because they probably won't upgrade you into the Beach Tower.

My guess is that at some point in the next few years the bulldozers will be called into the Ocean Tower, and it will be replaced with a pair of taller, skinnier towers, so that they can sell more rooms at an oceanview premium.

I stayed at both the Sheraton and Westin. I am a SPG gold. I was upgraded to Ocean Front rooms at both properties on both stays. I prefer the Sheraton as it has a much more Hawaiian feel to it. The buildings are low rise, there is lots of open air passage ways, and view of black rock is just fantastic. The Westin is more traditional big hotel on Waikiki beach. I would chose the Sheraton over the Westin anyday... well, unless construction of course... :D

We loved our stay at the Sheraton Maui last September, primarily for its beach and snorkeling. Service was good, room very nice. Beach at Westin was much smaller, and less appealing.

I could see Westin being a better choice if you have children with you because the pool area was much bigger. Part of the Sheraton pool was closed for renovation last year too, it must be a slow process... :(

The Westin seemed much more "corporate" -- busier and noisier -- and the Sheraton felt more laid back (which is the reason we went to Hawaii in the first place.) We would choose to stay there again.

Heated Pool
 

The Westin pool is heated. The Sheraton pool is not. Depending on when you go, this can be a deal breaker. For our annual thanksgiving trip, we stay at the Westin because the Sheraton pool is too cold. In the old days, we'd also go down and enjoy black rock and rinse off in the pool before heading back to the Westin. Alas, it is much harder to do that these days . . .

See also http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=573125.

You may want to check out the Westin Kanapali Ocean Resort Villa which are a bit north of the Sheraton.
These are true 5* accomodations. The beach is much nicer and it is quiter.
Not much of a restaurant because it is a timeshare but they have full kitchens and washing machines.

You can rent these like a hotel and you will be much happier.

I agree about the Villas. If you're interested and can't find availability, PM me.

My problem with the villas is that Starwood won't rent out 2 br units, they split them into 2 x 1 brs.

I was at the Sheraton Maui using points July 22 and 23. Despite the hotel being at 100% occupancy I got upgraded to a nice ocean view suites. I MUCH prefer the Sheraton to the Westin because even when full it doesn't feel crowded. I also like snorkeling and diving. If I stayed at the Westin I'd have a much longer wlak to get to Black Rock, right in front of the Sheraton. I also like the beach at the north side of Black Rock because there aren't nearly as many people there as in Ka'anapali. This beach is easier to access from the Sheraton too.

The Westin lobby area is nice and so are the waterfalls and pool areas, but the property always feels crowded and the beach is not as nice as at the Sheraton. I also understand (but haven't seen it mself) that just about all the rooms are smaller and more "tired" than those at the Sheraton.

I also like the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas the best. So much so that I purchased a timeshare there and have been enjoying it for several years. I use the Sheraton when I need a few extra days to make my airline connections when my frequent flyer tickets don't quite match the dates for the Villas.

But owners do :)

We stayed at the Westin Maui as plat and got an upgrade to a Jr. Suite - it was excellent. We visited the Sheraton. I would say that the Westin seems a more impressive property. Yes you can snorkel at black rock, but you can just walk 10 mins for your snorkeling session when you want to do it and still charge the equipment rental to the Westin. I think the beach in front of the Westin was nicer for swimming and the pools are nicer.