Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort in Maui, is undergoing a $30 million renovation of its guestroom interiors, meeting areas, and pools. The refresh is set to be complete by early 2015.
Robert Barry of Los Angeles-based Barry Design Associates (BDA) is heading the design of the rooms. The firm was also behind the look of the resort’s Spa Grande and has worked on projects like the One & Only Ocean Club in the Bahamas, El Conquistador Resort in Puerto Rico, the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawaii’s Big Island, the spa at the Beverly Wilshire, and the Naples Grande Beach Resort in Florida.
Sustainability is a key focus at the Grand Wailea, which includes LED lighting and recycled materials such as decorative accents made of repurposed nylon fish nets. Carpet “tile” is being used throughout the rooms so that each can be replaced individually as needed.
The guestrooms’ overall design focuses on a clear but subtle sense of place, translated in a sleek, modern aesthetic. Echoing the island, the color palette has a green scheme reflecting the landscape of Hana; an auburn and gold scheme taken from the colors inside the Haleakala Crater; and a coral scheme referencing the reefs that surround the island. A platform bed and wicker style furniture fits the resort’s tropical setting, and artwork features water and surfers, including a photograph of Hawaiian native Shane Dorian, a member of the Surfers’ Hall of Fame. The pieces are printed on canvas and stretched around unframed wood.
“We designed the rooms with a clean look to attract the young modern demographic that is becoming very design savvy,” says Barry. “Research was also used to ensure that the room features appeal to today’s traveler who comes even on holiday equipped with cell phones, laptops and iPads—all of which need to be charged.”
