KAPALUA, Hawaii
-- Maui Land and Pineapple Co. announced it will demolish the
Kapalua Bay Hotel in 2006 to make way for a $300 million
development that will be more in line with the new business
strategy of the entire Kapalua Resort.
Kapalua Resort is
undergoing a significant transformation as we reposition the
destination at the pinnacle of the Hawaiian hospitality industry,
said David Cole, chairman, president and CEO of Maui Land, owner of
the property.
Marriott
International and Exclusive Resorts, which specializes in
short-term stays at luxury residences, are minority partners on the
project.
Our partnerships
redevelopment of the Kapalua Bay Hotel is critical to the resorts
successful revitalization, Cole said.
The Kapalua
Resort encompasses the 548-room Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, the 196-room
Kapalua Bay Hotel, the 292-unit Kapalua Villas, three beaches and
three golf courses.
The new, 24-acre
complex, to be rebranded the Kapalua Beach Club, will include 150
hotel rooms, 120 timeshares, 30 condominiums, an oceanside spa, a
beach club and a boathouse.
The razing of the
Kapalua Bay Hotel, which opened in 1978, marks the first time an
upscale Maui hotel has been torn down, although several have been
rebuilt, including the Maui Marriott, now a timeshare.
Part of the new
arrangement will be similar to timeshare, although Maui Land and
Marriott are not using that term.
Guests will not
own a share in the new hotel, but they will have to join a club and
pay dues to use the hotel facilities and to have signing privileges
at the restaurants.
Rates and prices
have not been disclosed.
Maui Land and
Pineapple Co. owns 29,000 acres on the island. Besides operating
its pineapple business and the Kapalua Bay Hotel, it also creates
and manages holistic communities on Maui.
Last year, Maui
Land announced that it would partner with Miraval, Life in Balance
to build the Kapalua Resorts oceanside spa. Maui Land and Miraval also plan to open a 150-room spa
hotel for adults only and a mountain fitness center.
The Kapalua Bay
Hotel will remain operational until next spring. The development is expected to be completed in
2008.
For reservations,
visit www.marriotthawaii.com/kapalua.html.
To contact
reporter Brian Berusch, send e-mail to [email protected].