As Maui continues to recover from devastating wildfires in August, the Hawaii island is reopening hotels and welcoming visitors, looking for an influx of tourism dollars to help support the local economy.
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen sped up the island’s phased reopening plan, which allowed almost the entire west coast of Maui, from Ka’anapali to Kapalua, to host visitors starting Nov. 1.
The Hawai’i Tourism Authority encourages visitors to support Maui businesses, but to stay away from the town of Lahaina, which was destroyed in the wildfires.
Here’s a look at the top properties on the island where you can earn or redeem points in the coming months. Keep in mind that even when a hotel is open, some amenities may have limited availability or could still be closed.
Hilton Honors
Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort
This property is open and welcoming visitors with close to full operations. As part of the Hilton Honors portfolio, guests can earn or redeem Hilton Honors points. For those with a Hilton Honors-affiliated credit card, they can earn bonus points for their spending. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card grants cardholders top-tier Diamond status, which can help visitors get upgrades and other perks at this property. Terms apply. All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is no longer available through NerdWallet.
Grand Wailea is undergoing a significant renovation to add new guest rooms and dining options. The 50,000-square-foot spa is closed for refurbishment, too; it is scheduled to reopen by March.
I Prefer Hotel Rewards
Montage Kapalua Bay
Marriott Bonvoy
The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua
This popular luxury hotel has reopened with full operations. Like other Marriott Bonvoy properties, it operates on a dynamic pricing model. Visitors can earn points for staying here as well as redeem as few as 80,000 points per night. The number of points needed can change based on the rate required.
Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club
This vacation rental resort is open and fully operational again.
Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa
This Marriott resort reopened to people with new and existing reservations on Oct. 29.
Wailea Beach Resort-Marriott
This property is fully operational and back to normal operations.
The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka’anapali
This property is scheduled to reopen on Dec. 1.
The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas North and The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas
This vacation rental property is operational, but some amenities are closed, including the kids’ club and fitness classes. Some of the on-site restaurants have limited operating hours.
The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas
The vacation rental resort has reopened, but some amenities are still on hiatus. The retail stores, beach services, restaurant, jogging path and kids’ club are closed. Some family activities, pools, concierge and housekeeping services are running with limited availability or hours. Housekeeping includes one midweek cleaning.
World of Hyatt
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, also located in the Ka’anapali resort area and on 15 beachfront acres, is open with full operation. Visitors can earn points for their stay as well as redeem as few as 35,000 points per night. Those with the World of Hyatt Credit Card are also eligible to earn bonus points on their spending at the resort.
Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa
Other loyalty programs
Outrigger Kāʻanapali Beach Resort, which is part of the Discovery loyalty program, reopened on Oct. 8 and is fully operational.
For Accor All Live Limitless members, the Fairmont Kea Lani is also open following a significant update to its guest rooms. Some renovations are still taking place, including a redesign of the lobby, which is now in a temporary space.
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea is also open and fully operational.
An ever-changing situation on Maui
As Maui slowly recovers from the wildfire disaster, its hotels and resorts are reopening.
Not all are opening at the same pace, and this is an ever-changing situation. The safest bet before traveling: call the hotel to check on the status of your reservation and the hotel’s amenities.
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Source: nerdwallet.com