The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas — Hotel in Maui

We were here for the timeshare presentation, and it’s very frustrating.

When we checked in, there was only one window open, so we had to wait for 30mins to get it through. Two days after we checked in, we received a phone call from the hotel saying we had to visit the concierge to pick up a welcoming package, and their hours is between 7 am to 7 pm. How ridiculous was that? If a hotel does want to welcome its customer, the hotel could have left the package inside the room, so the customer can check it out once they arrive at the hotel. Apparently, Westin doesn’t want to be customer obsessed, so they’d rather have customers rearrange schedules to cater to hotel concierge hours. And the so-called welcome package is just a list of restaurants where you can get 10% off or a free appetizer with a Westin card.

The hotel offer states the room would have an ocean view. However, what I got was actually a parking lot view on the first floor. If you step out of the room to check the tiny balcony, you could find a slice of ocean view on the far left side. Does this count as Ocean View? I don’t think so, but Westin does. We could never open up the curtain because it’s the parking lot right out there! We had to live in the dark room for five days. I’d rather stay in a Airbnb for my vacation.

The room comes with a mini kitchen. It looked nice at a glance, but when we took a closer look, we found the utensils are dirty with greasy stains. What’s worse, the kitchen itself is not convenient at all. The sink is so small that you can hardly wash the cutting board or bid bowls in it. The cutting board is made from glass, so you must be super careful when cutting stuff without breaking the board. The knife rack was also covered by dust, with dirty knifes sitting in it, gross! Overall, I had to run the dishwasher before I can use anything. Super disappointing.

The cleaning service is a joke. It’s stated that the cleaning crew will come on the 3rd day and the 7th day if you stay for a week. The schedule is far from enough to cover the needs. For example, the whole room only has two trash bins, a bigger one in the closet, marked as for recycling, and another small one in the restroom, without any trash bags in it. Since the kitchen comes with no compost trash bin, and the small trash bin sitting in the restroom is too small to fit pineapple peels or other garbages, we had to use our own trash bag to bag stuff out. What’s worse, the cleaning crew visited our room randomly (not following the schedule) to provide refills for soap and detergent, but they didn’t clean the room at all. It’s super confusing because you never know when strangers would visit your room! The worst is that the cleaning crew trashed a utility piece of my snorkeling gear. That piece sits in my gearbox, and I bet the cleaning crew thought the box looks empty, so it must be trash!

The most annoying thing happened during the check-out. The check-out time is 10 am, and you know what, right on 10am, someone knocked on our door, checking if we are leaving. We’ve stayed in so many hotels but never faced this attitude. It made us feel that staff was waiting outside our room for a while, and once their clock ticked to 10am, they came in and ‘kindly’ ask us to leave. Annoying and creepy!! When we visited the front desk to process check-out, we found there is only one window open (it’s 10am in the morning during regular business hours), and people were waiting in a long line for both check-in and check-out. I bet there is no management, otherwise, it won’t be that inefficient, right? When we asked around how to check out, a staff glanced at us indifferently and turned their head to point a direction for us. They didn’t even bother to say any or greet customers. How...

Hey everyone, it's Joshua Brooks here with a not-so-sunny update from what was supposed to be our little slice of paradise at The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas in Maui. I was really looking forward to a break—a chance to let the island magic wash over some of the everyday stresses—but what we got was a series of headaches that made the trip anything but relaxing.

A Rocky Start from the Get-Go Our vacation kicked off with a two-hour flight delay at DFW International, and I get it—airports can be a madhouse sometimes. But nothing could have prepared us for what awaited at the hotel. When we finally landed, worn out from the travel drama, we were greeted by a shocking mix-up at check-in. Despite booking two rooms, only one was in the system, and after a confusing back-and-forth with the front desk, we learned our rooms were not even in the same resort. For a place that bills itself as a luxury haven, the lack of coordination was frankly unacceptable.

Reservation Woes and Miscommunication I mean, how hard is it to confirm a reservation correctly? The initial information we received from the customer service rep was off the mark, and it really set a jarring tone for the rest of our stay. This wasn’t just a minor hiccup—it was the first sign that the management here was more interested in ticking boxes than actually taking care of their guests.

The Ripple Effect on Our Vacation We had planned our Maui getaway for months, expecting a seamless blend of sun, surf, and relaxation. Instead, the check-in debacle forced us into an uneasy situation from the outset. As someone who battles PTSD and anxiety, these kinds of stressors aren’t just inconveniences—they’re triggers that turn what should be a restorative break into an emotional rollercoaster. It’s hard to enjoy a vacation when you’re constantly on edge, and this hotel failed to provide even the basics of a calm environment.

Family Outings Gone Awry If you’re planning to use the hotel’s amenities or book one of their organized excursions, be prepared for more missteps. Our planned whale watching tour ended in further frustration when the crew announced that our booking was botched—apparently, they hadn’t even counted our kids properly. Three of our group had to be cut from the trip, leaving us scrambling and dampening an experience we’d all been looking forward to. For families, especially those juggling the dynamics of traveling with young kids, this level of disorganization is just too much.

A Paradise Lost? Maui is undeniably beautiful, and there were moments when the island’s charm almost made us forget the mounting frustrations. But paradise means little when you’re left to deal with shoddy service and mismanagement that only exacerbates personal struggles. For those of us dealing with the weight of PTSD and anxiety, the promise of a serene escape is quickly dashed by every misstep.

Final Thoughts I’m all for giving places a chance, but The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas left us with more disappointment than delight. When your vacation is marred by reservation errors, split accommodations, and poorly managed excursions, it’s hard to recommend the experience—even if the backdrop is one of the most gorgeous places on earth.

If you’re planning your next getaway and value not just the scenery but also a smooth, stress-free experience, you might want to look elsewhere. After all, sometimes even paradise has its dark side.

Stay...

Oh, where to begin? I had high hopes for the The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas in Maui, but what a colossal disappointment this turned out to be. My family and I walked in, expecting the warm aloha spirit, and instead, it felt like we were at some sort of condescending boot camp, hosted by Michelin, who greeted us with an overinflated sense of self-importance and a tone to match. The unwelcoming experience didn't stop there; Hawaii (another staff member) was equally rude, making it abundantly clear that hospitality isn't in their wheelhouse. Not exactly the first impression you'd want after shelling out over $1,000 per night.

Let’s talk about loyalty—something Marriott claims to value but clearly doesn’t reciprocate. As a Marriott member for over 20 years, I expected the respect and service we’ve earned. I was promised that for the exorbitant price I was paying, I’d get an ocean view. What did we get? First-floor accommodations with no view whatsoever. I guess, lesson learned: verbal confirmation means absolutely nothing here.

As if that wasn't frustrating enough, the check-in process was unnecessarily difficult. My husband and I wanted to split the balance between TWO debit cards as we prefer not to use credit cards, a practice that has never been an issue at any Marriott property or any hotel or resort we’ve ever stayed at. But here? Flat-out refused. It’s laughable and completely ridiculous that this became such a hurdle. In fact, they don’t accept cash at all anywhere on the grounds— which we also prefer to pay with— unless of course you are offering to tip their staff, then they will gladly take your cash. And as we sat there waiting—fruitlessly—for a manager who refused to emerge, our frustration only deepened. Where in the world is the accountability?

Moving on to the next chapter in this trip’s comedy of errors: concierge service. I had worked extensively with the lovely Davina leading up to this trip to book $3,500 worth of excursions. She was fantastic in pre-trip planning, making sure everything was in order, or so I thought. When I arrived, Patty greeted me with the most apathetic and rude “yes?” imaginable (not even a "hello"). Worse still, Patty claimed Davina didn’t exist, and that none of these extensive plans—excursions I had already paid for—were showing in the system. Seriously? I provided my last name, email, phone number, and a confirmation email, and Patty still stood her ground with unprofessionalism and dismissiveness. Finally, someone else (thank you to that other concierge member) stepped in to clean up Patty’s mess and found the reservations. But the unnecessary attitude and incompetence were striking.

Here’s the kicker: we were so close to buying into the Westin Villas. This stay was our way of testing the waters to see if this could be our go-to spot for years to come. But after this trainwreck of customer service, not a chance. We’re done. After decades of fierce loyalty to Marriott, we’re taking our business—and money—to Hilton, where, in our experience, they consistently understand that "hospitality" isn’t just a word, but a promise.

This was such a heartbreaking and infuriating way to start what was meant to be a relaxing getaway. Shameful, Marriott. Truly shameful. You can and...