$$$
AC Hotel by Marriott Maui Wailea
A modern Wailea hotel with pool views and walkable dining, set back from the oceanfront.
Strong · Light coverage · read from 12 sources · 93 traveler insights
82
RoomExpert Score
Strong
The verdict
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Read it your way
The AC Hotel by Marriott Maui Wailea serves as a quiet inland alternative near local shops and restaurants. Guests appreciate the helpful service, comfortable king beds, and modern accessible touches like automated balcony doors. However, visitors consistently complain about high room rates, weak air conditioning units that struggle to cool, and disappointing breakfast options. 9654
Every line below traces back to something a traveler actually wrote — open a line to read the original sentence and follow it to the source.
What travelers noticed
The catch
Who it's for
- — Travelers wanting walkable access to Wailea shopping and golf
- — Guests needing accessible room features with automated balcony doors
- — Visitors who prefer a quiet base away from crowded oceanfront resorts
Skip it if
- — Guests expecting direct oceanfront beach access
- — Travelers seeking generous elite breakfast benefits
- — Anyone sensitive to underperforming room air conditioning
Ways to book
Direct with the hotelRoomExpert pick
$361est. per night
Marriott Bonvoy member rate · King Guest Room
Keep: Marriott Bonvoy points · elite nights · eligible benefits
Expedia
$357est. per night
Public rate · King Guest Room
Forfeit: Marriott Bonvoy points · elite nights · eligible benefits
Marriott Bonvoy benefits may not apply.
Award stay: about 45,000 Marriott Bonvoy points a night. Availability not checked.
RoomExpert read
Paying $4 more direct is likely worthwhile if you value Marriott Bonvoy points, status credit, or on-property benefits.
Prices shown are an estimated range, not a live quote — the booking site confirms the real rate for your dates.
RoomExpert rate estimate
$361est. per night
Estimated range: $365–$531
Around our estimate
This sits inside our estimated range for this hotel.
Confidence: medium · modelled estimate, not a live quote. Check the supplier for the real rate on your dates.
Score breakdown
How the 82/100 is built, category by category — each one with the strongest thing travelers actually said, and the source it came from.
Bathroom
92read from 1 source · Light coverage
- “Access to the bathroom is via a sliding door and once inside the bathroom proved just as spacious as the bedroom with lowered amenities making it easy to reach everything.” 9
- “The bathroom was an adequate size, but its layout maximized size to avoid feeling cramped, and the backlit mirror with a digital clock was a nice touch.” 4
Food
83read from 5 sources · Solid coverage
Location
82read from 1 source · Light coverage
- “For us, this hotel provided a happy compromise of location, cost, and amenities with service that was mostly good. Our room was excellent, the pool was great, and we could easily get anywhere we wanted nearby using this hotel as a home base.” 4
- “The best Marriott properties in the 2 main areas of Maui are Wailea Beach Marriott and Westin Kaanapali (hotel, not timeshare) in terms location and views.” 6
Noise
84read from 2 sources · Light coverage
Room
79read from 1 source · Light coverage
- “The light and spacious room, with all the amenities we needed, made for a luxurious stay in Maui.” 9
- “There are no heavy glass balcony doors to wrestle with to access the balcony as there is an automated door that opens with the press of a button. It's rare to find accessible accommodation with a view, let alone such a spacious balcony with step-free access, two lounges and good circulation space.” 9
Service
79read from 1 source · Light coverage
Where it is, how to reach it
88 Wailea Ike Place Wailea Town Center
Wailea, Hawaii
96753 USA
Details read from tripadvisor.com · checked 2026-08-24
Stay value
How this property reads against the hotels we cover alongside it. Measured on review evidence, not on a nightly rate.
Trails its peers
Falls short of what $$$ usually buys
Scores 10 points below the upscale median of 92, across 365 hotels in the same bracket. In Maui it sits 6 points below the local median of 88.
Price bracket
$$$
Upscale
- This hotel
- 82
- Bracket median
- 92
- Index median
- 90
Based on 365 comparable hotels.
Which room to ask for
What reviewers say about where to sleep inside this building — by room number where one is named, and otherwise by floor, wing, aspect and position. Every line opens onto the quotes behind it.
Ask for
- 2 mentions
Avoid
- 1 mention
Where travelers agree — and don’t
The topics reviewers split on most. A wide bar means your experience depends on which room you get — or whose opinion you trust.
Room
73
Food
71
Service
69
Bathroom
67
Value
66
Noise
15
Location
10
View the 71 things travelers said behind this verdict▾
Quotes run exactly as travelers wrote them — spelling and all. We trim for length, never for tidiness.
Food12 mentions
- “Those who ate it (I just had the coffee out by the pool) looked like they really enjoyed it and probably no other way to get so much food for so little...... and the staff was great.” 10
- “The main restaurant on the property is fantastic for dinner, but breakfast is $50 pp with basic offerings” 6
- “The breakfast situation left a lot to be desired, and the noise from the room above us was irritating.” 4
- “I actually stayed there for a few days about 3 weeks ago and the breakfast looked great. I am not a breakfast person, but the selection looked good (not huge but a few simple choices - like 2-3 types of cheese/meats not the usual mega-buffet 20), they had a nice menu of things they would make hot for you - and it was all you could eat for $22 - which considering everything else, was a great deal!” 10
- “Try out the delightful all-you-can-eat breakfast offered on-site” 12
- “According to the hotel, you'll find "European inspired food and curated beverage offerings" when you visit for breakfast, lunch or dinner. In reality, the menu is quite limited, and not especially European.” 5
- “The buffet looked fairly expansive at first, but it ended up being a small amount of food with a large amount of single-use packaging.” 5
- “On the first day, we tried alerting the employee at the host stand. She simply told us to get our fruits in the paper coffee cups. The idea of getting clean plates restocked on the buffet was apparently foreign to her. The way she said it was also sassy, which is why we avoided her when seeking plates on the second day.” 4
- “I thought the breakfast was actually pretty nice. It is $22 before the $10 voucher, so $16 after tip. The buffet part of the breakfast was OK but not great -- muffins, fruit, some shaved turkey and ham, oatmeal, etc. But in addition they have a menu of small plates that are made to order -- and you can get as many as you like.” 10
- “AC Kitchen offered a breakfast buffet for $30 per person, plus tax. This included all of the items on the buffet plus hot items ordered from the kitchen. Dishes included things like avocado toast, waffles, and open-face toast. We thought what was offered didn't justify the cost, considering what we would actually eat since my wife and I are both vegan.” 4
- “If a few adjustments were made to service at breakfast, the stay would've been even better.” 4
- “I've got pictures below of the breakfast. I suppose it could just be Covid, but I really thought that was pathetic.” 10
Service17 mentions
- “Front desk staff was helpful and polite.” 10
- “Immediately inside the gym was a station with wipes, towels, and some decorations that felt out of place.” 4
- “A second front desk agent firmly explained that the hotel doesn't offer breakfast for elite members, but that the Residence Inn up the road provides breakfast to all guests, and that he'd happily refund my booking if I'd prefer to move there. "There's a brand for everyone," he said. We were very surprised by his aggressive tone, and the implication that we were unworthy of a stay at the AC.” 5
- “As you know, the AC is just a more stylish CY, nothing to phone home about in terms of service.” 6
- “Hotel staff are friendly and helpful, which added to our experience and ensured we were armed with local tips for our day-tripping too.” 9
- “Finally, we stumbled upon a laundry room on the way to check out, which would have come in handy earlier during the stay. Ultimately, we were left to discover everything on our own - the hotel's website didn't have much information, and the staff didn't explain anything at check-in.” 5
- “We never saw any housekeepers, and had a "do not disturb" sign up on the door, but the staff ended up being especially responsive via the Marriott Bonvoy app's messaging tool, so I imagine it wouldn't have been too difficult to get some refills.” 5
- “That said, the attitude we encountered at check-in was entirely inappropriate, and really set the tone for the whole stay. We didn't feel welcome from the get-go, which was especially frustrating given the significant amount of cash or points guests need to fork over for a stay.” 5
- “For us, this hotel provided a happy compromise of location, cost, and amenities with service that was mostly good.” 4
- “Like the bathroom, the wet bar area didn't seem to be thoroughly cleaned before our arrival, with the backsplash appearing especially dirty.” 5
- “Interestingly, the control knob for pressure and temperature was on the opposite wall, away from the showerhead and closer to the door. There were pump bottles of Korres toiletries on the wall. These had a nice citrus smell.” 4
- “The friendly employee at the desk asked if he should charge our parking to the credit card on file, and he promised an email with our final bill within a few minutes.” 4
- “Other than breakfast, we thought service at this hotel was great.” 4
- “The doors were open, and we were greeted by a friendly employee as we stepped into the bright, open lobby.” 4
- “During check-in and checkout, the employees were friendly and efficient, telling us the info we needed without dragging it out.” 4
- “Overall, most of the staff members we interacted with were friendly, and I was impressed by how quickly the staff responded to messages sent via the Bonvoy app - a challenge with many hotels.” 5
- “Both trash and towel bins were available along this path. Several times during our stay, we noticed there were no clean towels available and had to ask for them at the front desk.” 4
Room19 mentions
- “Guess what, that is your floor for almost the entire room. Our bed was wet when we arrived so we had to ask them to swap out the bedding.” 6
- “While it sounded interesting, the enhanced internet wasn't impressive. We got average speeds of around 14 Mbps in our room.” 4
- “Next to the TV was a white, wooden desk with a wicker chair that seemed more decorative than functional.” 4
- “The light and spacious room, with all the amenities we needed, made for a luxurious stay in Maui.” 9
- “There are no heavy glass balcony doors to wrestle with to access the balcony as there is an automated door that opens with the press of a button. It's rare to find accessible accommodation with a view, let alone such a spacious balcony with step-free access, two lounges and good circulation space.” 9
- “The view itself was a bit of an "Instagram vs. reality" situation. With a fancy camera and a long zoom lens, you could probably capture some pretty spectacular sunset shots. With the naked eye, however, most of our field of vision was filled up by the hotel's large parking lot - even the best suite doesn't have a clear view.” 5
- “All of the rooms and suites have balconies or terraces, which is great. In my opinion, the only thing that made this suite special was the position of the balcony, which made for better views.” 5
- “The other corner of the room had a nice sitting area with an L-shaped sofa and 2 glass-topped, round tables. The sofa also had a foldout bed.” 4
- “On the surface, the suite seemed clean and fresh, as you'd expect for a brand-new hotel. That wasn't the case once I took a closer look, though. For example, there was soap scum in the bathroom that looked like it may have accumulated over several stays.” 5
- “The same thing kept happening with the Chromecast on our in-room TV, so it seems like the hotel still has some IT issues to work out.” 5
- “A "suite" at the AC is effectively a regular room with a better view, much of which is still obstructed by the wraparound parking lot. It felt a bit disingenuous for the hotel to call this a suite - marketing it as a "corner room" would have been more appropriate.” 5
- “Past the closet and restroom, the bedroom unfolded before us. We loved the layout. Its open floor plan, copious natural light, and simple color palette made the room feel massive.” 4
- “Abundant natural light and modern amenities like hardwood floors and easy-to-access USB ports blend beautifully with Hawaii--inspired decor including colorful throw pillows and curated artwork that reflects the islands.” 1
- “On the tech front, we also had difficulty with the air conditioning - yes, even at the "AC." The thermostat seemed to have a motion detector feature, and we had a heck of a time keeping it on. The room was very warm whenever we returned to the hotel, and it got quite toasty overnight as well.” 5
- “For our stay we booked an accessible king room which offered gorgeous ocean views, a sofa bed and a large balcony.” 9
- “I paid $780 a night or so, and it was a concrete labyrinth with courtyard level rooms. You know those plain white tiles that are commonly found in kitchens and restrooms? Guess what, that is your floor for almost the entire room.” 6
- “At the end was a sliding door taking two thirds of the outside wall, with a small balcony containing two comfortable-enough chairs.” 10
- “The room is nice enough - small, but pretty thoughtfully designed to work for a short to mid-length stay.” 10
- “The room's main feature was a king-size bed. It had 4 pillows, 2 that were soft and 2 that provided good support. The sheets were soft and light - just what we needed in a tropical destination.” 4
Location5 mentions
- “The best Marriott properties in the 2 main areas of Maui are Wailea Beach Marriott and Westin Kaanapali (hotel, not timeshare) in terms location and views.” 6
- “AC Hotel by Marriott Maui Wailea offers guests all the resort vibes in a quiet location on the island but still close to many of the attractions on every visitor's must-do itinerary.” 9
- “For us, this hotel provided a happy compromise of location, cost, and amenities with service that was mostly good. Our room was excellent, the pool was great, and we could easily get anywhere we wanted nearby using this hotel as a home base.” 4
- “The shopping, dining, and golf were easily walkable from the hotel.” 4
- “Convenient location close to upscale neighborhoods and beaches” 12
Value8 mentions
- “The AC Hotel by Marriott Maui Wailea is a luxury resort and the price tag reflects this.” 9
- “For us, this hotel provided a happy compromise of location, cost, and amenities with service that was mostly good.” 4
- “I have an upcoming stay at this property next month (wow are the room prices expensive, over $1k per night)” 10
- “The employee at the host stand during breakfast on both mornings was much more focused on efficiency than friendliness. When checking in, she simply counted the number of people, asked for our room number, and told us the buffet price. She grunted when we asked about a less expensive option, given that we're vegan and wouldn't eat most of what the $30 buffet included.” 4
- “The main restaurant on the property is fantastic for dinner, but breakfast is $50 pp with basic offerings But I don't recommend it as it is way overpriced.” 6
- “So if you check in late and no Food or Beverage venue is open, to avail of the first daily credit you have to grab stuff from The Market (selling primarily overpriced snacks).” 10
- “The first thing you'll probably notice are the obnoxiously high cash rates. Rates under $600 might be available on some dates, but many guests end up paying nearly $1,000 per night.” 5
- “Checking out was simple. Our room rate was already taken care of, and the $10 food an” 4
Bathroom7 mentions
- “The shower had decent pressure. And the door closed fully, unlike so many showers in tropical hotels where you just get a partial enclosure that can make for both a windy shower and a wet bathroom floor. Glad they got that part right.” 10
- “The bathroom was an adequate size, but its layout maximized size to avoid feeling cramped, and the backlit mirror with a digital clock was a nice touch.” 4
- “I didn't like the toilet at all - square and modern with almost no water living in the bowl. That's a smelly mistake.” 10
- “A spacious glass shower enclosure was at the opposite end of the bathroom.” 4
- “The bathroom had a single sink, and a shower off to the side. They were separated by a partial glass wall - the kind that doesn't do a very good job of keeping all of the water inside.” 5
- “Access to the bathroom is via a sliding door and once inside the bathroom proved just as spacious as the bedroom with lowered amenities making it easy to reach everything.” 9
- “The shower is fitted with an overhead rain fixture or a hand-held wand and bench seating. Shampoo, conditioner and shower gel are difficult to reach from a seated position.” 9
Bed & Sleep1 mention
- “The bed was firm and comfy.” 10
What we still don't know
What we can’t tell you yet, said plainly. These close as we read more coverage of this hotel.
- No reviewer has named an individual room number here yet.
- Nothing reliable said about room types.
- Nothing reliable said about floor level.
- Nothing reliable said about building or wing.
- Nothing reliable said about which side it faces.
- Bathroom rests on 1 source — too thin to rely on.
- Location rests on 1 source — too thin to rely on.
- Noise rests on 2 sources — too thin to rely on.
Ask about AC Hotel by Marriott Maui Wailea
Answered only from the coverage cited on this page. If nobody has written about your question, it will say so rather than guess.
How much we read
Light coverage · 53/100We read 12 sources for this property, and pulled 93 traveler insights worth knowing. Last checked 2026-08-26.
0
Editorial
10
Blogs & sites
2
Video reviews
0
Podcast segments
Breadth
38
Depth
43
Freshness
100
Watch this hotel
We keep reading AC Hotel by Marriott Maui Wailea. Tell us when you're staying and we'll follow it until then — you'll hear from us only when the verdict is rewritten, the score moves, or new reviews land. No daily mail, and the watch closes itself after your stay.
Sources
Everything quoted on this page, grouped by traveler insights, outlets, and video & podcast. Counts beside each group show everything we’ve read of that kind; no one kind can carry the score on its own.
5 of 5 summary lines above are traced to specific quotes. The rest summarise the read as a whole rather than any single document.
View all 12 cited sources▾
Everything quoted on this page.
- 1Hotel Review: AC Hotel by Marriott Maui Waileatravelagewest.comReview siteDate not stated1 quote used
“Abundant natural light and modern amenities like hardwood floors and easy-to-access USB ports blend beautifully with Hawaii--inspired decor including colorful throw pillows and curated artwork that reflects the islands.”
Read originaltravelagewest.com - 2We Reveal Wailea's Six Best Luxury Resort Hotels - Maui Trip ...mauitripguide.comReview siteDate not statedRead originalmauitripguide.com
- 3AC Hotel by Marriott Maui Wailea | Wailea (HI), United States ...youtube.comVideoDate not statedListened for quotes onlyRead originalyoutube.com
- 4AC Hotel by Marriott Maui Wailea [In-Depth Hotel Review]upgradedpoints.comReview siteDate not stated30 quotes used
“The breakfast situation left a lot to be desired, and the noise from the room above us was irritating.”
Read originalupgradedpoints.com - 5Reviewing Maui's brand-new AC Hotel by Marriott Waileathepointsguy.comReview siteDate not stated21 quotes used
“A second front desk agent firmly explained that the hotel doesn't offer breakfast for elite members, but that the Residence Inn up the road provides breakfast to all guests, and that he'd happily refund my booking if I'd…”
Read originalthepointsguy.com - 6Has Anyone Stayed at AC Maui Wailea? : r/marriottreddit.comForum threadDate not stated9 quotes used
“Guess what, that is your floor for almost the entire room. Our bed was wet when we arrived so we had to ask them to swap out the bedding.”
Read originalreddit.com
Showing 6 of 12 cited · 12 read
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