Multi-generational travel has seen a 40% year over year rise with more and more families experiencing new destinations together. This trend takes family vacations to the next level as it typically comprises of grandparents, children, grandchildren, cousins, aunts, uncles and even great-grandparents. The recent rise in this trend is partly due to families not being able to see each other during the pandemic and tightened travel budgets. Larger families are now looking to find destinations where the lodging can accommodate bigger groups so that the costs can be divided amongst individual family units. While many destinations have recently altered their programming to accommodate multi-generational guests, Mauna Kea Resort was built on the intention to cater to diverse groups of families traveling together.
The resort which includes both Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Mauna Kea Residences and Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, offer a variety of lodging accommodations which can fit anywhere from two to 20 people. Additionally, the activities, dining and concierge services provide an array of options for every age group to experience separately or together. Ahead of the time of Air BnB’s and VRBO’s with a “stay at a residence, play at a resort” approach, Mauna Kea Residences offer the best of both worlds for families whether it’s a condo, townhome or estate by granting full resort access with the privacy of a home. Families can access multiple pools, two golf courses, tennis courts, nine-dining outlets, group activities pristine beaches, beach activities including snorkeling, outrigger canoeing, and stand-up paddle boarding, two world-class spas and in-room dining.
The resort offers a unique multi-generational traveling experience where options for growing families are available, while preserving experiences that become family tradition over time. The Mauna Kea Residences General Manager, Dan Scholz, shared an example young couples growing their vacations into a multi-generational experience. “There have been young couples that have stayed in a traditional hotel room at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel in the 1970s that then moved into hotel suite when they had kids. As the family grew, they moved into a multi-bedroom Mauna Kea Villa residence to have an expanded, private living space but still enjoy the resort amenities. As that young couple evolved into grandparents, they moved back to a traditional hotel room themselves while their kid’s families enjoyed a combination of hotel rooms and residential homes based on their needs. The larger, multi-generational family unit then gathered at Kauna’oa beach, dined together at Manta, or enjoyed the Mauna Kea Resort luau creating memories and traditions along the way,” he explained. “Mauna Kea Resort team members get to know these families over time and create special experiences just by cultivating long-lasting relationships over the years. These guests feel that Mauna Kea Resort is a familiar place where they are known and appreciated. Mauna Kea Residences also offers a wide variety of accommodations, ranging in both size and price, to accommodate the needs of diverse travel groups.”
Since there are a high volume of return guests the property set up a Mauna Kea Legacy Desk that is manned by a team of special Concierge professionals who are available to help make recommendations, arrangements, and reservations for family activities, dining or very specific requests and customization. “Some of the favorite activities that our multi-generational guests often enjoy are our Moonlight Manta night swim, helicopter tour that departs directly from Mauna Kea Resort, private dinners on the beach or Mauna Kea Golf Course’s iconic Hole No. 3,, and Mauna Kea Luau,” shared Kansas Henderson, Hotel Manager at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel.
Mauna Kea Resort hasn’t seen a huge uptick in multi-generational travelers compared to other properties since it’s primary audience has been geared to such since 1965. However, they are finding more and more families making Mauna Kea a family tradition, in such, they are elevating their accommodations even more. They announced a $180-million renovation in 2024 that will signal the evolution of its offerings for today’s sophisticated travelers – while preserving its remarkable heritage and timelessness that has captivated guests since Laurance S. Rockefeller opened the resort in 1965.
A phased transformation, which will commence in 2024 and be completed in early 2025, will encompass a stunning redesign of the resort’s 252 guest rooms and suites, four dining venues including the resortʻs signature restaurant Manta that offers unobstructed views of Kaunaʻoa Bay. The renovation will also feature an extensive destination spa and infinity pool experience with 11 indoor and al fresco treatment rooms, full service salon, and an enlarged, state-of-the art fitness center. New garden areas will include a chef’s garden providing fresh produce for the resort’s kitchens as well as a specialized botanical garden and with indigenous and endemic plant species. “We have multi-generational guests returning year after year since our resort opened in 1965, and thanks in part to our relationships with these legacy guests, we are embarking on this renovation commited to elevating our offerings while protecting and preserving the charm and disctinctive beauty that makes Mauna Kea Beach Hotel special,” said Craig Anderson, Mauna Kea Resort Vice President of Operations. “ We look forward to creating Mauna Kea Memories with our guests for generations to come.”
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