Eastbay1K

Traffic a couple of weeks ago was horrible in the 3pm+ hour from Kapaa northward.

Boraxo

Any update on the construction completion schedule, opening dates for the pool, start times, etc.?

laangelsfan

Was wondering this myself. The hotel's website states the pool was planned to be opened in Early August.

thor17

Found this on the web:

http://www.sheraton-kauai.com/roomsa...evitalization/

Will be there next week and will post an update.

mckelveymv

My wife and I just returned from Kauai. Construction is still in full swing at the Sheraton. The side across the road from the beach looks finished and really nice. One wing of the ocean from rooms is mostly protected from the sound, but the main lobby and a bunch of other ocean front rooms are right next to the construction. We had booked our final night at the Sheraton but cancelled and stayed at the Hyatt because of the construction.

thor17

I had a one-night stay here last week. I was in the Ocean wing and did not hear any construction noise. The ocean pool is completed as is the ocean lobby. The ocean courtyard is still blocked off. The pool and beach is accessible through walking around the green barrier from the end of the property at the ocean wing side, or through cutting through the stairs in the business center. The renovated areas do look nice.

broadwayblue

Definitely my favorite thing about this hotel. There aren't many SPG properties that put you closer to the water.

Boraxo

Does the new pool have a bar with TVs? I'd like to catch some college football at the pool tomorrow.

mtimmer

I know it's been a little less than a month since thor17 and gambler01 reported on the construction, but wasn't sure if anyone had an even more updated report since the website says construction will end this month.

Considering a Nov trip...

Boraxo

Just finished a one night stay here - needless to say we won't be back. Our garden view room (really a view of a nice interior courtyard) looked nothing like the one pictured above but rather a very dated 70s style room with the addition of a flat screen. The bathroom was old and reminded me of a low budget holiday inn (Mrs. B also noted the mold on the bathroom vent). The security bolt to the lanai door was rusted and tough to remove, and don't expect amenities like robes or bottled water (even for cash!) The rooms on this wing clearly need a major makeover. The photos above do not do justice to the pool which is tiny compared to most resorts and not an 'infinity' type. The lava bar overlooking the pool is okay and has TVs for watching sports. It's notable for a cheap happy hour from 3-5pm ($2 beers and $3 drinks, I think) - be sure to cash in your coupons for free mai tais though these are probably the worst I've had in a long time. The crowd was decidedly low budget - not a shocker given the facilities.

On the plus side - they had our room ready at noon, the A/C works well, room service delivery was quick, and the $22 "resort fee" includes high speed wireless and self park in a lot very close to our building (which is also far from the current construction). The beach is beautiful but tiny. There are some good restaurants nearby - we particularly enjoyed Josephina's for dinner - and Kalapaki Joes is a great sport bar where you can find a decent breakfast and catch the games on a dozen TVs with an open air view of the palm trees.

In sum, rooms are closer to a low budget mainland Sheraton, does not even belong in the same sentence as the wonderful Sheraton Resort on Maui which is true resort quality. I thought it would be a good place to use my free Cat-5 night but in retrospect I'd have rather stayed at the Cat-5 Marriott resort near the airport which looked a lot nicer. Thank goodness we moved to the St. Regis Princeville today which is one of the most amazing resorts I've ever seen. But that's another topic for another thread.

Anyway, if there is any way you can swing it with points, $$$ or both I would urge people not to be penny wise pound foolish - avoid the Sheraton and upgrade yourself to the St. Regis.

P.S. There is no way the construction will be finished for at least a couple of months as the site looks pretty rough. If you are in one of the closer ocean view wings or at the pool I don't see how you will avoid the noise.

benjy

At Sheraton Kauai now. Second everything that Boroxo said! Starwood Gold member, said our room best available ( however see few guests around) . So how does this Sheraton treat loyal Starwood customers ......lousy location in back garden wing, tired moldy bathroom like in a budget motel, ants from previous occupant. Expect loyalty to Starwood to mean something when checking in....not to be treated like budget travelers in a cheap motel. I have experienced great stays with Sheraton and Starwood such as last month at the Sheraton Lisboa. If you value your time, $$$ and respect for the Starwood name, stay away from the Sheraton Kauai.

mtimmer

Earlier the website said construction would be completed by October. That doesn't seem to be the case and I noticed there is no longer a reference to the construction on the website. Should be interesting as we'll be there in a week. (Albeit for only one night.)

I would have guessed the bump from a Cat 4 to a Cat 5 earlier this year implied that the major construction was finished.

benjy

As far as construction, as of yesterday 11/4, lots of construction, muddy paths, concrete mixer running in front of pool.

CheapSk8

Recently stayed there for a week. Can't begin to list all of the problems we encountered -- from the minor (not getting new towels or soap over and over) to the major (check in messed up, cleaning staff walking in despite do not disturb up and shower running, getting charged points despite canceling last night at check-in). And the construction is still a mess, yet you still get charged the resort fee. In short, stay far, far away -- even with free nights you end up feeling like you got a raw deal.

cawhite

IIRC construction is now scheduled to end in December (as of last weekend), or at least that was when Rum Fire is supposed to open. Complimentary breakfasts that were being given during the construction are no longer offered unless it's part of your room/rate package. The resort fee is now $26.04 (incl tax) - at least they do have it on the web site. As a PLT alternative amenity was given two certs for mai tais at Lava.

I had a one night stay last weekend in the ocean wing. On the up side, from my room at the far end of that building, I didn't hear any of the construction noise (nor could I see it from my lanai). The valet guys are still probably the highlight of the team here. No bottled water in the rooms this time (I don't recall seeing it in May as well), either comp or for purchase.

Check-in was one of those times when you're handed the "you've been upgraded" card holder and enthusiastically told the same when you're actually being given the room type you booked (in this case, Deluxe Ocean Front). However, I was originally assigned a room on the 2nd floor in the Beach Wing, directly over the area between the window where one picks up towels for the pool/beach and Lava (see thor17's 2nd photo above). IMO there's a big difference between that 2nd floor room which looks at the pool + beach and the actual ocean front rooms. From previous visits I knew the room numbering system so I realized as soon as the agent handed me the key that there was an issue with the room location. I pushed for a room in the building I wanted...it was was resolved relatively quickly but also a conversation that shouldn't have needed to happen. Likewise with pointing out that I wasn't actually upgraded (and the originally assigned room was a downgrade from what was booked). I'm going to guess the room rate I had (booked through SPG.com without a SET or other promo code aside from being pre-paid) for the deluxe ocean front room was assumed to be a mistake since it was less than the standard garden view room BAR but it still doesn't justify attempting to downgrade a PLT guest who's stayed at the property several times previously.

Thankfully between having stayed here several times over the past few years and recent updates on this thread, I was able to manage my expectations accordingly. The location for this property is fantastic and I hope eventually management for this property will stop appearing to have such a short-sighted attitude with respect to attracting repeat guests.

ETA: I did receive the follow-up survey for this stay and was very frank about my stay, with details as appropriate. Will update here if I hear anything in response.