Four Seasons Resort Maui
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea is a resort in Wailea, on the island of Maui in Hawaii. It is part of the Four Seasons luxury hotels chain. It is the only resort on Maui to receive both the AAA Five Diamond Award and the Forbes (formerly Mobil) Five-Star Award.[1] It has four restaurants and bars, including one of Wolfgang Puck's Spago chain.[2]
History
The hotel is the smaller of two major hotels built on a large parcel of Wailea coast real estate under development by Hawaiian developer Christopher Hemmeter together with his Japanese partner, Takeshi Sekiguchi. The Four Seasons hotel was developed by Four Seasons in collaboration with Sekiguchi's TSA International and Shimizu Corporation, with a construction cost of approximately $180 million. It was the first Four Seasons project in Hawaii and, when it opened, was Four Seasons' third resort property. Located on 15 acres, adjacent to the larger, Sekiguchi-developed Grand Wailea resort, the Four Seasons Maui opened on February 9, 1990.[3][4]
In 2000, Shimizu, the owner of the property, tried unsuccessfully to sell it. In 2004, MSD Capital, an investment company controlled by billionaire Michael Dell, bought the resort[5][6] for $280 million. After running into cash-flow difficulties and defaulting on its loan payments in 2010, MSD successfully refinanced the property in 2011.[7][8][9]
In 2007 the Four Seasons underwent a $50 million renovation of its 380 guest rooms and suites, also adding technology for guestrooms, a new restaurant, and an art museum.[3]
Amenities
The resort has three par-72 championship golf courses, one of which hosted the ConAgra LPGA Skins Game in 2003. The Spago Restaurant, with a Wolfgang Puck menu, was awarded a Four-Star ranking by Mobil Travel. The resort offers two more restaurants, including DUO Steak and Seafood.[10] Some other amenities include spa services, two pools, and fitness facilities.
References
- ^ Kitty Bean Yancy, "More five-star hotels in Mobil/Forbes firmament", USA Today, November 12, 2009.
- ^ Mobil Four-Star, Mobiltravelguide.com
- ^ a b Allison Schaefers, "Four Seasons Maui completes upgrade", Honolulu Star-Bulletin, July 10, 2007.
- ^ Isadore Sharp, Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy (Penguin Books, 2009), ISBN 978-1101046234, ch. 21. Excerpts available at Google Books.
- ^ Andrew Gomes, "Hotel market's outlook 'euphoric'", The Honolulu Advertiser, January 29, 2004.
- ^ "Four Seasons on Maui sold to Dell firm: The investment company of billionaire Michael Dell is buying the luxury hotel." Honolulu Star-Bulletin, April 21, 2004.
- ^ Kris Hudson, "Four Seasons Maui Delinquent on Mortgage: Dell Family Investment Firm Skips Mortgage Payment, Seeks Debt Restructuring", The Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2010.
- ^ Kris Hudson, "Mogul Digs Hotels Out of Debt, Disaster. Market Crashed, Then the Tsunami; Now, Michael Dell's MSD Puts Empire Back in Order—Paying Bills, Thatching Huts." The Wall Street Journal, June 29, 2011.
- ^ Nadja Brant, " Dell’s Hawaii Resort Nears Loan Workout as Demand Climbs", Bloomberg.com, January 22, 2013.
- ^ DUO Steak and Seafood, Prnewswire.com