In the early 1990s, when Takeshi Sekiguchi (the original developer of Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort), first dreamed up the five-star resort on Maui, he envisioned the property as an "ahupuaʻa" (a self-sustained village community).
And now, more than 30 years later, the largest resort on the island (and, by design, Maui County’s biggest private employer) has extended that same duty of care to the resort’s surrounding land, culture and people.
The oceanfront resort is breathtakingly beautiful and is in the final phase of a $300 million renovation. A feng-shui expert was brought in to design the public spaces, which resulted in a walking museum of winding botanical gardens, bronze sculptures, native Hawaiian art and water features that can be heard from every part of the property.
But perhaps most importantly, Grand Wailea leads the charge when it comes to providing sustainable solutions.
The property measures its local impact in four areas, according to J.P. Oliver, managing director of the Waldorf Astoria Resort. This includes promoting and sharing native Hawaiian culture, caring for the local community, supporting local businesses, practicing environmental sustainability and embracing regenerative tourism.
Sustainable Practices
The proof of Grand Wailea’s commitment to sustainability is in the numbers: The resort saves 1.77 million kilowatt-hours of energy annually (with a 2.2% reduction in electricity consumption per occupied guestroom, per year). Since 2022, single-use plastic has been banned from the island, leading the hotel to invest $1 million in water-saving measures.
Refillable water stations are found throughout the 40-acre, 776-room resort, while bottled Mananalu and PATH water, packaged in resealable aluminum bottles, are available for purchase on-site.
The resort also recycles about 15 tons of compost and repurposes approximately 700,000 pounds of food waste per year, and nearly all (90%) of the produce and products featured in the hotel’s restaurants are sourced from local farms and food vendors.
Nearly all of the produce and products featured in the hotel's restaurants are sourced locally.
Credit: 2023 Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria ResortAdditionally, Kalei ’Uweko’olani, the hotel’s cultural programming manager, keeps Hawaiian tradition at the forefront of daily guest programming. Offerings include ti-leaf lei-making classes, hula lessons, E Ala E ceremonial experiences, kukui nut braceletmaking and more. On average, some 700 hotel guests participate in culture classes each month, according to Oliver.
“Our team strives to share the beauty, magic and culture of Maui with our guests in a way that minimizes the resort’s environmental footprint in Maui’s local community, and is sustainable for the region’s beautiful "ʻaina" [land],” Oliver said. “Our ongoing support of local businesses and industries is a big part of how we help our neighbors thrive, and is how we ultimately give our guests a true ‘made on Maui’ experience.”
Guests need only to step through the breezy front entrance to see evidence of Oliver’s point; local artisans showcase their art many mornings, and local Hawaiian-made products are sold in the Loulu grab-and-go market just off the lobby.
“Grand Wailea is an outsize part of a small island community, and that inspires our outsize commitment and efforts to conserve our natural resources,” Oliver said. “Each team member calls this island home, and it is this strong sense of ownership that drives our commitment to environmental sustainability and ingrains it into everything we do.”
Aiding in West Maui’s Wildfire Recovery Efforts
Grand Wailea is located about an hour’s drive from the areas of West Maui devastated by last month’s wildfires (tourism to that area of the island is set to resume on Oct. 8, according to Hawaii Gov. Josh Green), and the property wasted no time in assisting in recovery efforts.
Over the past month, the resort donated $1.5 million — including $750,000 from the property, matched by Blackstone, the hotel's ownership group — in addition to hygiene supplies, sleeping arrangements and more than 10,000 meals to the World Central Kitchen, which is providing meals to displaced people in Maui shelters. It was also the recent host hotel for Signature Travel Network’s annual Owners’ Meeting, during which travel agency owners and suppliers brought 7,000 pounds of supplies for the Maui Food Bank and donated approximately $400,000 through the network’s Travel Elevates silent auction and fundraiser. The property also partnered with other resorts to host a Wiwoʻole Maui Benefit Concert.
