The St. Regis brand is making a comeback to Hawaii, with the conversion of a property that has huge accommodations…
The Resort at Kapalua Bay joining St. Regis brand
Marriott has signed an agreement with Kemmons Wilson Hospitality Partners to have the Resort at Kapalua Bay join Marriott’s portfolio. So, how soon is this all happening?
Marriott’s management of the hotel has started as of March 14, 2026, without belonging to any particular Marriott brand. Thanks to that, Marriott Bonvoy members have a points and status angle (however, I’m not sure about points redemptions, due to the types of accommodations). The property will now undergo a renovation (during which time it will remain open), before joining the St. Regis portfolio at some point in 2027.
For those not familiar, the Resort at Kapalua Bay used to be managed by luxury hotel group Montage, but they seemingly recently lost their contract for the property. It’s located on Maui’s northwest coast, and sits on 25 acres of oceanfront property, within the larger Kapalua Resort community. It’s also less than a mile from the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua Bay.
The resort features 146 accommodations, and they’re all multi-bedroom, ocean view residences. All residences have two, three, or four bedrooms, and range from 1,774 to 4,050 square feet. So it’s interesting to have a St. Regis where all accommodations are multi-bedroom residences.
The resort offers a 40,000 square foot spa with 19 treatment rooms and ocean-view wellness facilities, several outdoor pools (including a multi-tiered, cascading lagoon pool), and access to a championship level golf course and tennis courts.
Rates at the property currently start at around $2,500 per night (that includes the $185 per night resort fee — ouch!), but go up substantially from there. That’s of course very expensive, but let me emphasize these are all multi-bedroom units.
For what it’s worth, while this isn’t yet technically part of one of Marriott’s luxury portfolios, the hotel does already belong to Marriott STARS, which would be the best way to book, to get perks like a hotel credit, breakfast, etc.
Once this becomes a St. Regis, it marks the brand’s return to Hawaii. In 2022, we saw the former St. Regis Princeville Resort rebrand as the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay.
I’d say this is a generally positive development
It’s always interesting when we see luxury properties rebrand, given what’s often going on in the background. Sometimes the major hotel groups with loyalty programs pick up properties this way, while sometimes they lose properties this way.
For example, we recently saw St. Regis lose its Puerto Rico property to Four Seasons, while now we’re seeing St. Regis gain a property through a conversion. Quite honestly, my general take with these conversions is as follows:
- It’s always good when a conversion also includes an investment in renovating a property, and that seems to be going on here
- All else being equal, I of course prefer when a hotel belongs to a major loyalty program, so I can earn and redeem points, and take advantage of elite perks
- I also know that Marriott managing a luxury property generally isn’t good for service standards, a focus on guest experience, etc.
In this case, I’d say this is positive, since the property will be improving (through a renovation), and we’ll gain new options for points and loyalty perks. What we’re seeing with the Resort at Kapalua Bay is very similar to what we recently saw at the Resort at Pelican Hill, which is also now being managed by Marriott, and will become a St. Regis after an extensive renovation.
Bottom line
Marriott is taking over management of the Resort at Kapalua Bay. While it’s already bookable through Marriott, the plan is for the resort to undergo a renovation, and then officially be branded as a St. Regis as of 2027. This is a big win for Marriott and quite a loss for Montage, and I’m curious to see what the resort looks like after a renovation.
Admittedly this won’t be for everyone, not just in terms of the generally high price point of luxury hotels in Maui, but also in terms of all accommodations here having multiple bedrooms.
What do you make of the St. Regis brand returning to Maui?
