HotelChatter - Maui

Andaz Wailea Blesses The Ground They're About to Andazzle

juliana — 2011-12-23T12:17:05-05:00

Fa la la la, we've got some concrete proof that the Andaz Hotel brand is coming to paradise aka Wailea, Maui, thanks to this traditional Hawaiian Blessing ceremony photo op from Wednesday. And there's another little surprise in our hotel news stocking as the Andaz Wailea Resort and Residences will open in the Spring of 2013, not 2014 as we first heard.

The hotel will have 255-rooms, 35 suites and 19 villas located along Mokapu Beach which is a little bit further north from the Grand Wailea-Four Seasons-Marriott hotel cluster that most people frequent in Wailea.

Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition Models Shacked Up at Maui's Grand Wailea

JetSetCD — 2011-02-15T13:26:44-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/6193/IrinaShaykIllustrated.jpg" class="top"> The <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Grand+Wailea+Resort/local/486">Grand Wailea Resort</a> in Maui is having quite the turbulent February. First, it filed bankruptcy and was bought by new owners, despite its almost $2 billion in debts, and then it was featured in the movie Just Go With It. There's even a <a href="http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/2/11/121859/584/travel/%27Just+Go+With+It%27+like+Jennifer+Aniston+to+Win+Maui+Trips+and+a+Kajillion+Hilton+Points">contest</a> open now to win a good vacation stay at the resort as a tie-in with the movie. Finally, the Grand Wailea is again the center of attention, as today it was announced that it was the temporary Hawaii home of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue's bevy of models, stylists and photographers when they stayed in Maui to shoot the 2011 issue, hitting newsstands today. We've visited the Grand Wailea before

Oprah Wants to Run a B&B in Hawaii But We Doubt You Could Get In

juliana — 2010-10-14T08:20:03-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/oprahwinfrey_b_bhawaii.jpg" class="top"> When we think of <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/oprah winfrey">Oprah Winfrey</a> and hotels, our memory takes us back to 2007 when she threw down some pretty <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2007/5/18/02743/1483/hotels/_Oprah_Is_a_Terrible_Hotel_Guest">outrageous demands</a> for a one-night stay at a hotel in Anaheim including room-temperature bottled water, restrictions on hotel employees entering her room and that her breakfast be made within 10 minutes.Yet Oprah does have extensive hotel experience around the world and we guess she's going to draw on those experiences when she opens her own B&B in Hawaii.<a href="http://www.nationalenquirer.com">The National Enquirer</a> is reporting that O is renovating a 12-bedroom inn on the island of Maui. The place is the former site of the Silver Cloud Guest Ranch which Oprah purchased seven years ago.

Maui Owie: The Maui Prince to Close Next Month

juliana — 2009-09-01T08:34:44-05:00

The first Hawaiian hotel casualty of the recession has been claimed--The Maui Prince Hotel and Makena Golf Course will close on September 16, according to news reports. The hotel's management company, Prince Resorts Hawaii, was forced to close the hotel after the owners defaulted on a mortgage of $192.5 million. And it wasn't just the mortgage the owners couldn't keep up with--they couldn't keep up with their end of the operation contract either.

So while a hotel in foreclosure usually doesn't affect the guest experience during their stay, once the hotel owners are unable to meet the demands of their contract with the hotel management company, then things really start to go south.

Honua Kai Wants To Save You Money On Maui (We Think)

amandak — 2009-07-23T10:05:04-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3873/Honua_Kai_Hotel_Maui.jpg" class="top"> Last time we checked out the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Honua+Kai+/local/1418">Honua Kai Resort & Spa</a> on Maui, they were just about to open the first half of the resort and had <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/12/21/19587/019/hotels/_195_Enough_To_Start_At_Half_Finished_Honua_Kai_Resort">$195 opening specials</a>. Today, it's still a year before the second half of the resort opens, but the specials are back with the frugal vacationer in mind.The new deal is that from September 1 through December 12, Honua Kai is offering you a "dream deal" with up to 50% off rack rates, which brings them back to the $195 a night rate they started with. Their press release on the deal is very careful to name lots of reasons why you can save money at the Honua Kai: