Maui Hotels Lend a Helping Hand Amid Coronavirus Crisis

Halona Kai event lawn. PC: Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa.

During this unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, members of the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association have been making the effort to give back to the community.

Most of the call for donations from the county and the state were asked for sanitation and bedding in preparation for an influx of COVID-19 patients.

Below is a list of some of the donations and contributions from hotels across Maui: 

• Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa donated boxes of hand sanitizer and PPE non-latex gloves to the Maui Health Foundation
• Andaz Maui donated 240 rolls of toilet paper to construction workers working on county infrastructure projects upon request from the Mayor’s Office.
• Fairmont Kea Lani donated more than 1,200 pounds of produce, dairy and eggs to the Food Bank and other nonprofits, as well as 3500 pairs of PPE gloves to first responders.
• Maui Ocean Club donated 50 rollaway beds to help with potential patient overflow at Maui Memorial Medical Center
• Wailea Golf Club donated two cases of PPE non-latex gloves to the Maui Health Foundation
• TS Restaurants donated food and meals to Ka Hale A Ke Ola until the chain of Maui restaurants had to shut down. For four days they served 25 meals a day at Ka Hale A Ke Ola’s west Maui location.
• Sun Fresh Hawaii donated close to $24,000 worth of fresh produce, milk and cheese to a number of Maui nonprofits including Ka Hale A Ke Ola central and west Maui locations, the Maui Medical Group, Malama Family Recovery Center, Women Helping Women, Aloha House, Christ the King Church, King’s Church along with many others. Donations will continue until supplies run out.
• Structural Concrete donated boxes of N95 masks to Maui Memorial Medical Center
• PWC Hawaii donated food to fire crews at the Kahului Station as well as cleaned the station kitchen exhaust hood system free of charge.
• Kaanapali Westin donated a truckload of towels, sheets and other linen supplies.
• Destination Resorts donated sheets, blankets, towels, shampoo and body wash.
• Four Seasons Resort donated sheets, towels, washcloths and blankets.
• The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua donated sheets, shampoo, shower gel and other items to the COVID-19 quarantine center in Kahului as well as 450 pounds of food to Maui Food Bank. Toilet paper, sundries and clothes were also donated to Women Helping Women.
• Grand Wailea donated more than 600 pounds of food to Feed My Sheep and the Maui Food Bank.
• Montage Kapalua Bay donated 300 towels, 100 sheets and 1,000 rubber gloves.
• Maui Coast donated linens, pillows, towels and toiletries
• The following hotels have agreed to will house doctors, nurses and first responders: Hotel Wailea, Maui Beach Hotel, Montage Kapalua Bay, Napilii Kai Beach Resort, Napilii Surf and Kaanapali Beach Hotel.

Many properties made sure the first people they helped were their own employees who were laid off or furloughed. The following are just a few examples:

• One of Maui’s largest employers, The Grand Wailea, prepared and distributed care packages to employees with essential items like toilet paper, fresh produce and other food items.
• The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa also distributed 500 care packages to their employees.
• Andaz Maui distributed 300 care packages to furloughed employees that included food, beverages and toilet paper.

Maui Visitor Bureau staff have been working at Kahului Airport to receive agricultural forms for each flight. They then identify whether incoming passengers are crew members, residents or visitors. If they are visitors MVB calls them with the number provided that they provided on the form.

If they are staying at a hotel/condo MVB personnel also call to inform them the visitor is on the way.

“What we have been finding out is that the visitors do not put the place of residence on their forms all the time,” a press release from the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association read.

“Most follow up calls go to voicemail and a message is left asking them to call the MVB hotline number 808-468-9952.”

All the agricultural forms are then transmitted to Oʻahu so they can be entered into one data base for follow up calls if the visitor do not call back.  On the third call the visitor is advised that if they don’t return the phone call back their names will be turned over to the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency for further action.

Finally, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is offering a Kamaʻāina special every weekday for $9.99 a day + tax for a mid-size car (every Friday to Monday) and $29.99/day if they would like to extend after Monday.

Renters must be 21 years of age with a valid DL and credit card.

Enterprise is also offering delivery service in the Kahului/Wailuku so they can bring the rental right to the customer.  Call (808) 871-1511 for a reservation.