Grand Wailea Resort

History

The hotel was built by Japanese developer Takashi Sekiguchi, who also put together a large art collection for the hotel. It opened in 1991 as the Grand Hyatt Wailea. The hotel was built at an estimated cost of $650 million, which proved to be more than the economy could sustain, and Sekiguchi lost control of the property, which was sold for $263 million in 1998. The property has been sold several times since then and it is now operated by Hilton Worldwide. It was the first hotel to join Hilton's Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts in 2006 after the Manhattan hotel became a brand. It is the second largest hotel on the island of Maui and is one of Hawaii's most well known resorts. It is also the site of the first water elevator and the first rotating barrel pipe ride.

Villas

The resort has two and three bedroom villas which are adjacent to the hotel. The villas have kitchens, outdoor barbecues, and garages. Each has an ocean view.

Napua Tower

There are 100 rooms in the Napua Tower. The rooms in the tower are upgraded, and guests receive complimentary concierge services. Rooms range from 640-5,500 square feet. The tower is home to some of the nicest of the hotel's suites, including the Two Grand Suites which are equal in size and the largest suite category available (approx nightly cost $10,600).

Membership

Members of the hotel are given discounted rooms rates for themselves and their guests and receive member-only promotions.

Pools

Wailea Canyon Activity Pool The Canyon Activity Pool is a 2,000-foot-long, 25,700 total square foot, 770,000-gallon pool. It consists of nine pools on six separate levels which are connected by a river. There are four small intertwining slides, two big waterslides, a whitewater rapids slide, a rope swing, a sand beach pool, three Jacuzzis, six waterfalls, a water elevator and an infant pool. The water elevator is the world's first. The pool also has a swim-up bar.

Hibiscus Pool The Hibiscus Pool is 4,850 square feet. There is an image of a hibiscus flower on the bottom of the pool which is made from 630,000 pieces of Mexican glass mosaic tile. The pool itself is made from 2.2 million tiles. It has two Jacuzzis.

Scuba Dive Training Pool The hotel has on-staff scuba instructors and a scuba dive training pool. It is the only custom-designed scuba pool in Hawaii. Beginning scuba divers practice in the dive pool as well as parts of the activity pool before going out into the ocean.

Fishpipe The Fishpipe is a rotating barrel pipe. It is a type of water ride that simulates a waterslide and allows up to three people to ride at once. The pipe has a top speed of 11 mph and is the first rotating barrel ride in the world. The barrels are made up of over 150 square meters of transparent plastic material, more than 1200 anchor points, 600 brightly colored nylon cords, and 50 meters of polyester webbing.

Spa Grande

Spa Grande is the largest spa in Hawaii, with 50,000 square feet. There are 40 treatment rooms. The spa has cascading waterfall showers, a Roman tub, saunas, a Japanese furo and five specialty bath and Swiss jet showers. The Grand Salon is a hair and nail salon also located at Spa Grande.

Nightclub

The hotel closed its nightclub in 2006 and it is currently used to host special events. Plans are to convert the closed nightclub into a cultural space.

Restorations and expansions

In 2008 the hotel underwent a $50 million restoration project. The project renovated the Botero Bar, the Arrival and Departure Lounge, added new furniture, and placed flatscreen televisions in each room. The spa was also upgraded with new carpet and furniture. In 2012, the hotel was set to have a five-year $250 million expansion. The expansion will involve additional rooms, new restaurants, new in-room technology, and a new pool. New renovations began in October 2014.

Dining

The resort has five restaurants, four bars, and Sunset Cabana dining as well as room service.

Restaurants

Bars

Awards

In popular culture

Many celebrities have been known to stay at the Hotel including Steve Carell, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kevin Bacon, and Oprah Winfrey.

Films