TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

This review is for a stay in June 2023. To say that we were "disappointed" would be an understatement , especially considering that we travelled all the way from India to celebrate a birthday here. As a family of 4 Bonvoy Gold members , we have the "know-how" when it comes to the Marriott website or app. But we still make our online reservations with due diligence , repeatedly checking the details lest we make any mistake. Thus , when a booking being made for Ritz Calton Kapalua generated a non-refundable reservation for this Westin , we were SHOCKED. Just seconds ago , we cross-checked every single detail ( the room category at Ritz Carlton , the generous cancellation policy , etc. ). HOW & WHY DID THIS HAPPEN ?? We have no clue. And sadly , Marriott Bonvoy did not even bother acknowledging this fiasco. Coming to the "accidental" booking that we were now stuck with - a USD 1300+ / night Hokupa'a "Ocean View" room - a misnomer in my opinion , unless going out to the balcony & craning your neck towards the left qualifies to be called one. Despite all 4 of us being Gold Elite members & here to celebrate a birthday , simple requests made via Emails / calls / at the time of check-in , were blatantly ignored : 1. Upgrade - DENIED ; 2. Room closest to the ocean for a better view - DENIED ( in fact , we were assigned the first one after exiting the elevator i.e. the furthest from the ocean ). As a USD 1300+ / night room , the aesthetics / furnishings were underwhelming. Housekeeping behaved as if they're doing a great charity , & simple requests were met with frowns. Furthermore , they insisted on cleaning the room at their time of choosing & were adamant that the room be vacated before doing so , even if you were peacefully seated in the balcony. The Hokupa'a rooms come with access to 'The Lanai' - the resort's version of an Executive Lounge. Unfortunately , despite having a lot of potential , this place fails to impress. The evening round of canapés are limited / slowly replenished , with guests pouncing on them within seconds of their arrival. The breafast isn't "artisanal" in any way. The vibe of the entire lounge in itself is very dull , the palm tree-obstructed ocean views being the only saving grace. Coming to our dinners at Hale Mo'olelo. Quality / Quantity / Portion size - Satisafactory. No complaints. Service - As an Indian / South Asian , I find the American concept of tipping hideous - especially the "obligatory" & "percentage" aspect of it. A tip on our side of the globe is a gesture of appreciation for exceptional service , not because 5 star hotels / fine dining restaurants underpay their staff. Unforfunately , servers at Hale Mo'olelo make a mental note of your "tipping capacity" after your very first meal here. This despite being more than generous , might not match with your fellow diners ( overzealous honeymooners / bankers / etc. ) , leading to a pretty 'biased' experience. While this might not be the Four Seasons / "White Lotus" , is expecting a more "Hawaiian experience" too far-fetched ?? Apart from a 'blink-and-you-miss-it' sunset tradition , I did not notice any other traditional Hawaiian song / dance performances. The Westin is meant only for "domestic conference tourism" , and definitely not worth the inflated room rates that they charge from genuine tourists. Their inability to acknowledge our Bonvoy Gold Elite status ( & the birthday that we celebrated during our stay , which they were well-aware of ) was the biggest let-down.

Overall it's a beautiful property and the staff (most) are friendly & helpful. I loved the benefit of being in the Hokupa'a Tower and would highly recommend that option if you're staying there. It places you closer to most of the amenities, upgraded rooms & lanai with included food & drink options offered throughout the day make it worth it. There were two things that I found to be disheartening.1) Most of the outdoor furniture was dirty. Sometimes it was bird poop, sometimes it was an indistinguishable stain, oftentimes, it was multiple stains. I couldn't understand why such a nice hotel wouldn't clean or replace such disgusting chair or couch cushions. I saw this on the furniture on our room's personal lanai as well as throughout the property at restaurants, lounge areas, etc. When I shared about the dirty cushions on our lanai, they immediately came up and removed the cushion covers, washed them and brought them back clean. But, I shouldn't have had to ask...they should be doing that on a regular basis. And it was very clear that these cushions hadn't been cleaned in a long time. Plus there were still stains that I guess couldn't be washed away on them. 2) The resort offers you a hospitality room to shower/freshen up on your last day if you have a late flight. I thought this was a wonderful amenity, especially since check out is at 11am & our flight wasn't leaving until 7pm. That meant we could hang out at the beach or pool or do another tour and before heading to the airport, then shower and change before a long 12 hour flight. I didn't realize that these hospitality rooms would be dirty. It was clear that they did not clean the rooms in between hotel guest usage. There were dirty towels on the floor, used beds and used showers. We were condescendingly told to deal with it, as it's a free amenity and they didn't have time to clean in between.

Love this villa style resort. Staff is friendly and helpful. The restaurant at the pool has amazing food. Room was always clean and updated. You have to request housecleaning 24 hours in advance but at the time of check in we told them we want daily cleaning, to avoid the daily request; and it was honored. Pool was relaxing. Lounge chairs were hard to get but I feel that’s a usual for most resorts. We would definitely visit here again.

I love the property, although the restaurants are lacking so the best and only options for good restaurants are in Lahaina. We all know of the horrific and tragic fire that has destroyed Lahaina and I would not recommend this property any time soon. In fact I have a pre-paid reservation for early next year. I called with a simple request to delay the reservation. I was told I could cancel WITH NO REFUND or come at the reservation date, not exceptions. This is truly the worst customer service attitude I have ever experienced from a Marriot / Weston property. While I would like to recommend this property and or the Marriot Vacation club I would never do either after this experience.

Truly a magical experience. The beach is the most Beautiful one I’ve seen in my life and I’ve traveled all over. The water was amazing, calm, and so clear. Everyone was so helpful with our family, including a child on the autism spectrum. We stayed in the Tower and were blown away by how well the remodeling was done. We loved the Lanai. They had lunch and dinner “bites” that were larger than expected and more than enough for our family to get breakfast every day. We also would get snacks all day, our kids (teens) loved it too and it was nice for them to have some independence too. Bartenders were all super nice and being able to go to the Lanai to relax and just connect as a family made this trip really amazing. We did the luau at the hotel for convenience and glad we did - excellent service and the fire dancing - which we know isn’t traditional - was the highlight of the night. Food was generally good - they had kid options too which was helpful for picky eaters. Pools all good. Did like the adult hot tub with sand bottom. Kids loved the Hawaii ice bus by the water too. I see reviews for bad service or bad rooms - they are often people who stayed in the old section of the hotel. Don’t book these rooms - even with super high Marriott status you likely won’t be upgraded - it’s not like other Marriott properties - so if people plan on this - then get frustrated it’s hard to blame the hotel IMHO. Also, with the current info about the fires we weee thinking back on our amazing trip and hope everyone is safe and healthy at the hotel. ??