Starwood to Open Third Maui Resort

Starwood Vacation Ownership has unveiled plans to develop a third Hawaiian vacation ownership resort in Maui. SVO, a division of the hospitality management firm Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, will develop the property in Kā‘anapali North Beach, which is located near Lahaina on West Maui. The resort is expected to have 390 luxury villas with one to three bedrooms per unit. The new vacation ownership resort will join SVO’s two other resorts in Maui and one in Kaua’i. The firm plans to develop the new resort in accordance with guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification system. The building will incorporate green strategies in areas such as sustainability, water efficiency and energy savings. SVO will partner with Arup, a firm recognized for its green design expertise, on the development of the property, set to open in the fall of 2011. Matt Avril, SVO’s president & managing director of operations, said in a release that, “SVO is proud to be the first stand-alone, full-service resort in Hawai‘i to be developed with this coveted certification in mind. ” Avril also indicated that the demand for vacation resort property in Maui was strong, and a third property in a market such as Maui would be beneficial for SVO. Starwood Vacation Ownership began operating in Hawaii with the Moana Surfrider in 1901, Waikiki’s oldest hotel. The firm also manages the first hotel built on Kā‘anapali Beach in Maui, the Sheration Maui Resort. The firm’s Westin Ka‘anapali Ocean Resort Villas was awarded the ACE Project of Excellence by the American Resort Development Association. SVO’s parent company, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, operates around 900 properties globally.