Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

Had a great stay here. We had a total of 5 rooms . Where do i begin. From great location to great service i cant thank the staff enough for a great stay and family memory. Special thanks to Lynn at the front desk who checked us in. We had 5 rooms booked through a third party (Costco) that involved multiple food and beverage credits and she answered all of our questions patiently and swiftly. Resort has multiple pools and restaurants. I did not encounter any issues getting a pool chair as other reviewers have mentioned. As expected food/drinks at pool are extremely expensive (22$ for a cocktail and 28$ for nachos. Resort has multiple restaurants. Breakfast place that begins with a H ( see photo below) was a morning staple for our family. Breakfast buffet will run you $60. Food was really good as well as the service. Also the dinner restaurant Olivine was great. Had dinner there twice. Would like to recognize our waitress Lorelei Ish. She was our server both nights and she was awesome. She should be recognized. In closing this is a massive high end resort with an unbeatable location. Very expensive but in my opinion worth every $$. In closing last impressions are important. I had a $164 charge on my bill that was not mine. I went to the front desk and spoke to Gilbert. He removed it no questions asked. Professional and courteous at the same time. Thanks to all for a great family memory. Will Harris 6088

This hotel is a bona fide disaster. I have been here 3-4 times but always on points. But it’s all about expectations. If you’re staying on points and not coming from far, it can be a good choice. No matter how you slice it, this property is not up to Waldorf standards for two primary reasons: 1. Despite the renovation, it is still dated and in disrepair in many high visibility locations; and 2. It’s too large and without sufficient staff. Point 1 speaks for itself. Prospective guests need to understand this is a nearly 800 room resort. The pool deck is a Vegas-like experience: the loungers are often two rows deep and touching. It is loud and chaotic. The beach is arguably worse because this is why people come to Hawaii. It is small and shared with 3-4 other properties plus public access. It’s crowded and unimpressive. The hotel will loan you folding chairs (due back at 3:30pm) or you can pay $150 for two packed in loungers. The better move is to rent a car, rent beach equipment from Snorkel Bob’s or Boss Frog’s and drive up the road to Mākena State Park, which is a large and impressive beach. It’s what you expect in Hawaii. The downside is you have to rent a car and pay $75/day for valet. The people working at the hotel are pleasant, but we didn’t encounter anyone who went above and beyond (remember, this is a Waldorf). But there aren’t enough of them. There are queues everywhere and at all times. Services, like pool food or drinks, start late and end early. You can’t get a meal delivered to your pool chair (just fries). I felt bad for the many folks I met who traveled from further than California for this resort. It’s not what I think most people expect when they go to Maui. And it’s certainly not what you expect from a Waldorf—I think it should be a Hilton or Curio. But if you need to be in Wailea and can stay on points, it’s a good deal because the area is so expensive. And the Four Seasons is just as crowded at the pool. Hilton Honors Diamond benefits are nil. Upgrade to a regular room with an “ocean view” (first floor, obstructed by other structures and landscaping). $50 breakfast credit covers breakfast for one. No dedicated check in line.

STAY AWAY! We are staying at the grand wailea and they are very cute how they charge you for everything!! Beach chairs are included in the resort fee, but if you want an umbrella it’s $75.00 for a HALF DAY. What a joke! Never stayed $1k night room where you have to pay an umbrella at the beach. It’s bad enough they charge $75 day for valet parking, but this is a beach front hotel and shouldn’t be extras for an umbrella. Charge what you want for the rooms but there nothing worse than a hotel that’s NOT transparent about fees as this is not written anywhere when you book. We have a choice as a traveler and there are lots of really great hotels in Hawaii that don’t operate this way.

Stayed here for a few nights in July using Hilton points (330,000 to be exact). We were coming off 6 days in Oahu at the 4S Ko’Olina and were expecting somewhat similar service/accommodations at the GW but boy were we mistaken! We’ve stayed at a few Waldorf’s with the most recent being the one in Cancun which was gorgeous, clean, and had exceptional service. I can’t believe the GW is a Waldorf… The lobby and grounds are pretty and the pools are impressive, especially if you’re a kid, but that’s where the positives end. We were upgraded to an ocean view room since I’m a diamond member. The view was gorgeous but the room, not so much. It was very worn looking and DIRTY! Hair all around the bathroom floor and in the shower, things that looked like they hadn’t been wiped down in a while, and a musty smell to the room. Perhaps that came from our neighbors who were smoking weed their entire trip. We voiced our concerns and they scheduled a deep clean for the next day. In the meantime, I got a container or Clorox Wipes and went to town on the room. The chair game at the pools is ridiculous. Definitely not enough chairs to go around and even less umbrellas. Service was pretty nonexistent at the pool and we found it was easiest to go up and order at the counter. Food was good here but expensive! Not as expensive as the Loulu place though where four (nasty) breakfast sandwiches and one hot tea cost $99. After that we had all of our other meals off property. A few slides were closed which was a bummer and there was a dead bird floating around one day. I informed the lifeguard and his reply was “yeah someone already told me.” The bird stayed in the pool for quite some time after that. Save yourself money and frustration and stay next door at the 4S.

This is probably our 5th time at this hotel and it will be our last. The cost of everything has gone up: parking, breakfast, quick serve, beach chairs/umbrellas, the room—-however the services and extras have gone down. Kids used to get free stuffed animals, we used to get welcome leis, a guy used to blow the conch and light all the torches. Some slides weren’t open and I don’t think the water elevator was working our entire stay. These were special touches that made the price worth it. The pros: The grounds are still beautiful and so far the staff have been great. Wailea Bay is still nice beach for kids. Perhaps if someone doesn’t know what it was like to stay here before would love the Grand Wailea but for us we will find somewhere else to spend out Hilton points and money