Why would one of the world’s top-rated resorts submit itself to a massive redevelopment just 16 years after opening, and how does it remake itself while still satisfying its famously discriminating clientele? These and other intriguing questions have inspired Hawaiian Style Magazine to go behind the scenes with the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea to reveal the fascinating answers in a series of exclusive features on the “Makeover of a Maui Resort.”
Through a series of online monthly updates at www.Hawaiianstylemagazine.com, we’ll give our readers an unprecedented glimpse into the planning and execution of a massive resort remodeling, from its daring conception a few years ago, through nine months of intensive and meticulous upgrades, to its ultimate and spectacular metamorphosis.
Working closely with the staff of the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, we base our collaborative, multi-faceted series on interviews with the professionals, artists, and craftspeople behind the project. That includes hotel management, project design firm Brayton + Hughes of San Francisco, and other key players, in print and online in their own words. We’ll bring you dramatic and exclusive still and video images of the remodeling project as it unfolds with the inside scoop on the process.
This is no minor makeover. It’s a total redesign of the property’s 380 rooms and suites, including completely new hard- and soft-goods from ceiling to floor, wall-to-wall makeovers (and even within the walls, replacing wiring for a state-of-the-art electronics package with futuristic technological capabilities). The intended result: a benchmark resort for the 21st century with a luxurious, contemporary Hawaiian atmosphere.
The rationale behind the extraordinary renovation plan is explained by Simon Pettigrew, Resort Manager of the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. “This is the first total redesign and refurbishment of the room and suite product in the Resort’s 15 years,” he said. “As such, it is a key component of an overall renovation project that will transform the property, while maintaining its position as one of the top resort destinations in the world. Four Seasons Resort Maui’s owners have scheduled and budgeted for this renovation investment to ensure that the Resort maintains its edge and position at the top of the market for years to come.”
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea has consistently ranked as one of the top resorts in the world and remains Hawaii’s only AAA Five Diamond and Mobil Five Star resort. Accordingly, the Resort is no stranger to publicity -- but opening the kimono to a full-fledged makeover is something few properties would be comfortable doing.
Nevertheless, according to Mark Simon, director of marketing for the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, “We are very happy to partner with Hawaiian Style in telling the fascinating story of this project, especially while it is underway. We are so confident of the plan and the process we’d like to share that with people who appreciate the challenges and rewards of such complicated and refined design work.”
Much of that design work has been entrusted to a Four Seasons favorite, Brayton Hughes Design of San Francisco. The company’s lead project designer foreshadows the intended result this way: “The new interior room design is luxuriously elegant with contemporary Hawaiian overtones, in keeping with the original architectural integrity of the 15-acre property – a Hawaiian palace in the sun. To maintain authenticity, local artists throughout the Hawaiian islands have been commissioned to create works complimentary to the new decor.”
Just as important as the artistic fine-tuning is the grand scale construction work, a challenge made all the more daunting considering the property will remain open throughout the renovation process.
The Resort’s director of engineering, Bruce Jarrard explains, “Experience has shown that construction noise travels up and down, so renovating one tower out at a time helps to mitigate the noise factor. Renovation of the rooms and suites will progress through four phases in a vertical floor schematic in the Resort’s three towers. The plan is designed and will be managed to maintain the minimum noise and visual intrusion to guests staying in the remaining rooms.”
The management and designers of the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea are ready to share the inside story of their biggest renovation project ever. And for the next six months, we invite you to visit Hawaiianstylemagazine.com as we go behind the scenes to reveal design secrets of this exciting multi-million dollar makeover. Then in April 2007, enjoy our comprehensive feature in print as we exclusively unveil the newly minted Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea.
The only way to better experience the remaking of this remarkable resort would be to go there in person. Fortunately, that’s a dream the resort’s staff will be all too happy to indulge.
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