Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

Spectacular. We went here for a reward trip for work and it was one of the best hotel stays. The rooms were exceptional, they were clean and they had really nice large bathrooms. The hotel has plenty of amenities, several pools, a swim up bar and a private beach. We found little reason to leave the ground. One night we had dinner in the lobby restaurant that is open air and it was really a nice atmosphere. This hotel also has several shopping options onsite which was nice. The pool area was quite crowded when we were there, so one day we rented a private cabana. That came with lots of snacks and it was a great option to have our own private area away from others. It was slightly expensive, but in the end with the added snacks and perks it ended up being worth it. One critique would be that once everything shuts down at night, if you need a snack or a drink your only option is room service. No grab and go option that stays open 24 hours. But if that is the WORST that can be said, you're good.

Stay away from.. this hotel ( not resort) is going down the hill ..there was not any positive experience for my family at this hotel. Who changes $150 a day to sit at beach on beach resort property? We check out early and spend few nights at Four season next door and had amazing experience. Do not stay here. Go to Four Season and you will appreciate it.

Parts of the resort are under construction, and the noise of saws and hammers was inescapable during the day. Pool chairs were very hard to come by, and the free beach chairs are gone very early most days. The Grotto pool bar is smack dab in the middle of the family activity pool area, which made it difficult to visit from the quieter adults-only pool. Only about half the resort paths are lit at night, the rest were left dark. Ponds that looked full of Koi in their photos and videos were sparsely populated. Maybe 1 or 2 lonely fish in each area. Our Luau was cancelled with no explanation. Overall, I felt we overpaid to stay in an unfinished hotel by the beach. On the plus side, the restaurants and lobby bar are very good and the room itself was great. When finished, this will be a nice resort but I would avoid until the construction is done.

Great rooms, super fun pool area, easy access to the beach, boardwalk, and shops, great restaurants. The whole package. The pools! They are truly wonderful for adults and children alike. We went as a couple and didn't even feel the need to only stay by the adult-only pool. The kids and families really weren't very disruptive. Everyone's there to just have a good time. There's a lot of fun things to do, with waterslides, rope swings into the pool, swim up bars, pool-side service, the beach, and included (with the resort fee) activities like yoga and ukulele classes. Humu (the restaurant) also had a really fun bar area where the bar itself is an aquarium, so you can watch the fishes swim around under your plate as you enjoy your meal. You don't need to reserve for the bar, so just make sure you get there early enough to snag a spot. The rooms felt very updated, clean, and comfortable. Bathrooms were large and bright. The lanai's had great views. We stayed in a Deluxe Ocean room. If you want to go to the nearby shops and restaurants outside of the resort, they even have a private shuttle service you can call upon with no extra charge. Super easy and comfortable!

As long time GW vacationers and a 14 year Elite member we would suggest looking at the Andaz/Four Seasons for adults or the Marriott/Fairmont with kids. The GW has gone downhill, and fast. They are crushing the brand by claiming every change that has been instituted is to enhance the customer experience. They are destroying the experience. The moment you enter the GW grounds you notice changes. The front waterfall has been turned off and the front entryway flowers have been dramatically reduced (substituted with rocks). No lei greeting. The grand is gone. The GW is the only hotel on the Wailea strip to charge for beach loungers and umbrellas ($150/day). The most we counted on any given day was 9. That is $1350 in incremental revenues to the GW, penny wise pound foolish? This pushes all guests to the pool loungers and thus packed in like sardines for $1000 bucks a day, great experience. We rented a lounger/umbrella one afternoon and it was anything but an enhanced customer experience. I would attach a picture, but it is not fair to the guests in the picture. Around the pools they have loungers, but most have little shade. One day we needed some shade and moved our loungers to the grass/shade area, we were told we cannot move loungers to the shade. We then placed our towels on the ground in the grass/shade area, we were then told 'No, we are placing a cabana there'. 2 hours later no cabana (next morning no cabana!). I believe they lied to us. What an awful experience. The rooms were average at best. The bed was in poor condition (worn out) and we found stale food under one of the beds. The food is average and at a hefty price, I get it, it is Maui. The breakfast buffet options have been significantly reduced. The cappucinno maker was broken numerous days, can you not get it fixed or swap it out on day 1? Only one in the entire resort? It currently has a 4 star on Tripadvisor, but given the plethora of recent negative reviews their current rating must be a 2-3ish at best. As you read the reviews you will notice the anger by the guests. You will probably also notice Wendle's (Hotel GM) patented responses. No way does the GM respond to these reviews, if he does it is further evidence of mismanagement. I am guessing a ghost writer, and the responses are way off point. As one of the guest's reviews astutely pointed out, why would the GW institute a $150 rental fee at the risk of lower future revenues/occupancy? My guess is either mgmt reverses course on these new policies or they will be out of a job due to lower occupancy / lower guest experience. Looking forward to the cut and paste response from the hotel manager... Aloha!