Aloha, Bruce here from Hawaii Aloha Travel. I am a travel agent who specializes in helping folks plan their Hawaii Vacations. Have you ever been bitten by an elephant? What about hippopotamus? How about a mosquito? Of course you have, you see it’s the little things that always get you and not in a good way. That’s the way I felt about my recent stay at the Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa in Kaanapali, Maui on January 8th 2008. It's considered a 5-Star property and while the property itself may be 5-Star, well maintained and uniquely beautiful, the rooms are in serious need of renovation. Remember, whenever I do a site inspection I go unannounced I don’t like it to be known that I’m a travel agent. I want to experience the hotel exactly the way my clients do without any special treatment or prearranged room tours that look better than the reality.

The first thing we noticed when we arrived was that we didn’t get the signature lei greeting upon arrival. I’m not sure if that’s because we were carrying our own bags or they were so busy checking people in; nevertheless, a small thing that got missed.
The check-in process went smoothly although I felt like the gentleman checking us and was reading from a script. He went through all of the amenities at the hotel and the location of our room so fast, it all could have been done by a robot rather than a human being. He gave us our rooms keys to our partial ocean view room and sent us on our way.The first thing we noticed when opened the door to room #225 (ground floor), was the beautiful parking lot view we received which is being sold as a partial ocean view. I could even see my car for my balcony because we took the Superferry to get there. In all fairness, the rooms that are higher up may in fact get a little piece of ocean if person walks out to the balcony, sticks their head out and looks to the left. The lower floors should not be sold as partial ocean view. I am not sure how they get away with that!!

From the asbestos popcorn ceiling to the many stains on the carpet, the hotel room looked tired and worn. This is evidenced by the furniture in these rooms which are getting really old. The couch needed reupholstering , the desk and credenza which had a giant old-fashioned TV (no flat screen or plasma at this so called 5 star property) was scratched beyond belief. The blackout drapes were pulled down behind the drapes and falling off with black soot on them, the bathroom wallpaper was peeling off , but most importantly the bed had been giant “U” in the middle which you would expect to get at a Holiday Inn or Super 8 Motel, but not a Hyatt. To tell you the truth I was shocked. On the positive side the grounds are just beautiful with indigenous species birds scattered throughout the property; the open-air feeling you get is really inviting and true Hawaii. The pool has a swim-up bar, one of the few in the islands. The location is right in the heart of Kaanapali and the pool is really wonderful. This is really a great property that simply needs, if nothing else, a soft renovation to get the rooms up to par. It is a little boxy but that's the 70s and its design flaws.

I’m really sorry to see that the Hyatt Maui is the is missing the small things that get you...... but it a good way. we talk about this property on our podcast if you want to hear more.

I give the Hyatt Regency Maui 3 shakas

A Hui Hou,

Bruce

—Bruce F., 01/12/08