The impressive Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort has been recognised in this year’s SBID International Design Awards, having been shortlisted in the Hotel Design category.
The site, situated at 3550 Wailea Alanui Drive in Wailea, spans 15 acres total and comprises 290 guest rooms and suites, as well as seven residential villas.
Works began constructing the new resort in January 2012 and were fully completed by September 2013. Designers Rockwell Group worked alongside landscapers McCelvey & Associates, lighting consultants Focus Lighting, structural engineers Baldridge & Associates, electrical engineers Albert Chong Associates, mechanical engineer Notkin Hawaii and civil engineers Ronald M Fukumoto Engineering.
Rockwell group have worked with Andaz previously and so were excited to get involved with the brand’s newest hotel. In a bid to highlight the property’s lush surroundings the design team have created numerous open and airy public spaces, as well as guest rooms that enhance the resort’s connection to the outdoor environment.
The hotel comprises a modern interpretation of traditional Hawaiian design which has been achieved through the use of furnishings and patterns; natural materials; and an art program featuring works by contemporary Hawaiian artists.
Upon entering Andaz Maui guests are greeted by an Ambrato marble bridge framed in African mahogany; this bridge lies directly above a stunning infinity pond. The hotel’s Lobby continues the elegant, quirky design theme comprising custom bronze and glass lanterns, as well as a skylight with a kinetic mobile created by Brooklyn-based Pagani Studio. A carved wooden sculpture by artist Steven Turnbull has also been located near the hotel’s sandpit.
A live edge rock bar top sits in front of a back wall made from Monkey Pod, a species of wood unique to the island, in the hotel’s Lobby Arrival Bar. Guests can also enjoy their drinks whilst relaxing on custom solid walnut bar stools with carved seats.
A Standard Guest Room at the hotel comprises a media cabinet which has been finished in a white washed oak, and comes complete with a pivoting TV frame. Each room features Hawaiian inspired prints, art pieces and authentic decorative touches. Custom pendant lighting adds an atmospheric touch to the rooms and the neutral fabric shades and natural rope trim used throughout create a sense of calm.
The hotel’s villas include an array of elegant and luxurious facilities including dining and living areas as well as a Master Bedroom and Bath. The villa’s kitchen comprises white oak cabinets and custom Bianco Versace marble counters so that guests can cook in style before serving up on to the beautiful walnut finished dining table.
The living areas provide comfortable custom walnut slatted and neutral upholstered sofas for guests to relax on, as well as a teak chaise by Cappellini and custom oversized, basket-like chairs. The bedroom features a custom platform bed and headboard with live edge side tables in a walnut finish.
Rockwell Group Founder & President, David Rockwell, said:
“We designed Andaz Wall Street in 2010; it was a great to collaborate with Hyatt and create another one of a kind experience in Hawaii.”
Rockwell Group is an award winning, cross-disciplinary 140-person architecture and design firm specialising in cultural, hospitality, retail, product, and set design. Based in New York, with a satellite office in Madrid, the firm crafts a unique narrative and an immersive environment for each project.
Rockwell’s interest in theatre has informed much of the firm’s work, including: W Hotel New York, Union Square, Paris- Opéra and Vieques; the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Centre at Lincoln Centre; the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas; Hotel Bel-Air; Adour Alain Ducasse at The St. Regis New York; as well as the central Marketplace of the JetBlue terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
