Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

My wife and I recently stayed at the Grand Wailea to celebrate her birthday. While the property itself is stunning and boasts some genuinely great amenities, the experience was a confusing mix of highs and deeply frustrating lows. The frustration started immediately. The valet was in a massive rush to get me out of the car without listening to my questions about early check-in. I was told temporary parking wasn't allowed without someone staying in the car - an odd policy for guests who might just need a restroom break after a long drive. Prior to arrival, I received an email stating that if my room wasn't ready, the bellman would store our luggage on the 4th floor and we could enjoy an "exclusive private check-in" at the 8th-floor Napua Lounge. None of this happened. The bell desk informed me the 8th-floor staff went on lunch break at 2 PM and never returned. I was forced into a massive, slow-moving line on the 4th floor with only four staff members helping about eight families. When I finally got to the front, I was handed keys without a room number and told to wait in the lobby for a text. I booked a 1 King Bed with Sofa bed, Ocean View. I was grateful they upgraded us to the Napua Tower for my wife’s birthday, but the room lacked an actual ocean view from the inside. I could only see the building across from us unless I went out to the balcony and look at the right corner. Worse, the room wasn't properly prepared. The bed and pillows were messy, and there was a white, crusty spill (coffee or food sauce) over the TV. Despite calling to request a cleaning while we went out, housekeeping remade the bed but completely ignored the dirty TV. This was arguably the most nonsensical part of the stay. The beachside shop closes at 3:30 PM - the prime time guests want to be on the beach for sunset! If you don't return your Tommy Bahama beach chair (which retails for about $100 brand new) by 3:30, they charge a $100 penalty to your room. Furthermore, to get two chairs for my wife and me, the staff demanded we both be physically present to check them out. If a family of 10 wants chairs, all 10 people have to stand in line. On top of this, everyone is forced to wear plastic wristbands. For a luxury resort, this feels incredibly cheap, wasteful, and poorly managed. You are forced into an $80/night valet with no self-parking option - which cost me more than four days of gas driving around the island. Add to that a $55 daily resort fee, and it feels like pure greed when you are already paying upwards of $1,200+ a night. To top it off, my checkout invoice was wrong. My property credits were not applied correctly, resulting in overcharges that staff dismissed by saying it would "calculate automatically" (it didn't). While email communication was okay, the chat feature on the hotel’s app and website is completely useless, taking forever to get a response. The pools and jacuzzis are exceptionally clean, well-managed, and expansive. There is more than enough space for everyone, so it never feels uncomfortably crowded. The poolside, lounge, and housekeeping staff were incredibly friendly and always willing to help with directions or questions. The beach right in front of the resort is fantastic. It’s a truly wonderful place to relax and watch the sunset. Although email responses were slow in the days leading up to the trip, the concierge staff was very supportive once connected and personally helped me re-coordinate a dinner reservation. The room itself (aside from the view and TV) featured a great sofa, nice decor, and a spotless bathroom. Ultimately, the Grand Wailea is a classic case of "all sizzle and no steak". The natural beauty and physical property are fantastic, but the exorbitant and hidden fees, lack of basic communication between departments, and insulting, restrictive guest policies severely detract from what should be a world-class luxury experience.

Sadly I was very much looking forward to our first time in Maui. Unfortunately, not at all what we would expect from a Waldorf. Service was very much lacking while property was dated and very overcrowded. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to our expectations in the slightest. So much so that we have been looking to move hotels to salvage what’s left of our 10 day trip.

We booked this hotel for our summer vacation with our little ones based on all the great reviews about the pool and its close proximity to the beach. Those reviews were absolutely accurate..... the pool is huge with multiple slides, and the beach is just a short walk away. Unfortunately, the customer service completely overshadowed those positives, and I would never stay here again. During our stay, there was a county-wide water outage that left the hotel without water for part of the day. The county restored service at around 2:00 p.m., but our room didn't have running water until approximately 9:00 p.m. What made the situation even more frustrating was that the spa had running water almost immediately after the county restored service. I waited in line at the front desk for over an hour, only to be told there was nothing they could do because the building was so large that it would take time for water pressure to return. Meanwhile, there were only two employees working the front desk despite the long line of guests with questions and concerns. When I asked to speak with the manager, the experience only got worse. She insisted it was entirely a county issue, even though parts of the property, including the spa, already had running water. Instead of acknowledging the inconvenience or showing any empathy, she dismissed our concerns. The most disappointing part was the complete lack of customer service. We received no apology, no explanation beyond repeating that it was a county problem, and no gesture of good will, not even a voucher for dinner or any other form of compensation after being without running water in our room until about 9:00 p.m. For a hotel that markets itself as a five-star property, I also expected a much higher standard of cleanliness. The pool frequently had bugs floating in it, and on one day we even found a cockroach in the pool. That was especially disappointing considering we chose this hotel because of its pool. The location and pool are wonderful, but the way this situation was handled, combined with the cleanliness issues and underwhelming dining, left us extremely disappointed. Based on our experience, we will not be returning, and I cannot recommend this hotel to others looking for a true five-star experience.

I went to the restaurant Nobu but used their valet parking. The attendant stole my handicap placard. The valet parking manager was completely useless when I reported the theft.

It was an older hotel. For being a Waldorf Astoria property, we had very high expectations. We loved the lazy river and pool offerings. The fireworks show on the 4th of July was good. The property was beautiful, but we were disappointed when we called for extra pillows and were told we were on a pillow waitlist. In addition, having to wait in line to get towels and a wristband each day felt a bit unnecessary. We are paying a lot of money to stay at the hotel and it felt like we were being questioned just to get pool towels. In addition, it was disappointing that our luggage wasn’t brought to our room. Yes, we can do it, but this was the only hotel out of four during our Hawaii trip where luggage was not taken to our room.