Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

This was my 3rd time staying here. We will start with the positive, I love this beach, the hotel grounds and my kids enjoy the pool. Negative- Everything is WAY overpriced. The hotel needs some MAJOR love and is very understaffed. To check in we waited 30min +(2people working), you wait in the towel line (1 person), you wait at the market (2 people), you wait at the bars/dining/pool side, and you wait 20+ min to get your car. We stayed at another resort before this one and everyone was so nice, at GW no one was very nice. The last day we were there I went to get towels and was told "I have 1 left all of our washing machines are down. Hopefully tomorrow is better." You pay $1300.+ a night + $55 daily resort fee to be told we have no more towels! The pool area was not clean and everything shuts down at 5pm. This place needs some serious help.

I recently stayed at the Grand Wailea, and I have to say, this resort has gone completely downhill. What used to be a luxury experience is now an overpriced, overcrowded mess with declining quality in every aspect, except the rooms and housekeeping. The pool and beach system and service is abysmal. There simply aren’t enough staff members to accommodate the crowds, and it shows. Checking in took forever, pool and beach chairs were impossible to get. They also now charge $150 for beach chairs! What’s the point of buying the resort fee if beach chairs aren’t included??? Speaking of restaurants, the food is absurdly overpriced and mediocre at best. Long waits, limited options, and bland flavors—definitely not what you’d expect from a so-called luxury resort. You’d be better off driving somewhere else for a decent meal. The pools, which used to be a highlight, are now overrun with people and poorly maintained. Good luck finding a chair or even enjoying the lazy river without being stuck in a crowd. The overall facilities are showing their age, and instead of upgrading them, the resort seems focused on squeezing as much money out of guests as possible. For the price, this place is simply not worth it. There are far better options on Maui that don’t feel like a tourist trap designed to drain your wallet. I won’t be coming back, and I’d strongly suggest looking elsewhere if you want a true luxury experience.

I don’t even know where to start with how bad this place is. From the moment we arrived, it was clear we had made a huge mistake booking here. First, let’s talk about the price—this resort charges luxury prices for something you would get at a holiday inn. Now, the food and drinks. I’ve had better meals at airport terminals. Everything is ridiculously overpriced for the quality—$35 for a bland, soggy burger? $27 for a watered-down cocktail that tastes like it was made with bottom-shelf liquor and tap water? You’d think for these prices, they’d at least try to make it decent, but nope. Ruth Chris Steak house had better prices and WAY BETTER DRINKS. And then there’s the valet. We had no choice but to use it since they don’t allow self-parking, and of course, they managed to scratch our rental car. When we pointed it out, they acted like we were imagining things and refused to take any responsibility. The manager was nowhere to be found, and the staff couldn’t have cared less. Now we’re dealing with the rental company over damage we didn’t even cause. Do yourself a favor—stay literally anywhere else. This place is an overpriced, poorly run scam that will ruin your vacation.

Stay clear of this ridiculous money trap!!!!! My wife and I paid out $6000 during our 5 night stay. We were charged $65/day for parking our rental car, buffet breakfast was $60 per person, obtaining shade around the pools or beach cost &20/hour, and dinners were $125 per person every night - RIDICULOUS!!! I felt trapped in an over-priced money pit. Just know in advance what you are getting yourself into!!

We stayed at the adjacent Fairmont Kea Lani which was exceptional. Friends of ours raved about the pools at the Grand Wailea so we decided to give it a try for one night. The pools were impressive, but the rest of the experience was horrendous. The service at the hotel WAS DREADFUL. It wasn't that the staff had bad intentions... it's just that the hotel management is incompetent (more on this later). No way this should be rated a five star hotel. More like 3 stars, with nice pools. The complex was entirely understaffed... everywhere we went was a wait. 30 minutes to check in at the beach cart (to access our $1,375 cabana); 40 minutes to order lunch at Loulu, followed by a 30 minute wait for the food to come. Droves of people by customer service desk by pool. These locations had multiple stations that were not staffed. I had emailed the concierge for help with restaurant reservations and they responded several days with a long canned email that was completely unresponsive to my request. Again, not a five star hotel. Bathrooms in lobby were filthy, the walls in the room were paper thin, spotty wifi by the pool. The hotel is sprawling (in a bad way). Getting from our room to the pools was a long walk. Finding a bathroom by the pool was similarly a trek. Super expensive nightly rate and a $1,400 cabana? I emailed the GM after our visit to share my feedback. Not surprisingly, zero response. I followed up with his admin 2.5 weeks later and Mr. Lesher sent what seemed to be a canned response. You've been warned. If a nice waterpark accompanied by an overpriced 3 star hotel is what you're after, this is your place!