Dear Owner:
We want to keep you informed about our resort and what we are doing to help our associates impacted by the
Lahaina fires. Our management team continues to work tirelessly to address hundreds of issues, many of which
they have never seen before. We could not be prouder of their efforts and many accomplishments.
Resort Occupancy
Our resort was almost fully occupied on the day of the fire. Many of our owners were on other parts of the
island when the fire started and could not get back to the property. The management team helped them by
packing their luggage and having it sent back to their homes. Those owners who were on property were
provided with transportation to the airport. Almost all owners left within a few days of the fire.
The Management Company provided rooms to any of our associates and their families who needed a place to
stay. At one point, there were almost 100 families on site. Because the Management Company doesn’t have
financial arrangements with FEMA or the Red Cross, they worked with these families to relocate them to
hotels nearby that have those relationships. Those include the Hyatt Regency Maui, Westin Maui Resort, and
Aston at the Whaler. Almost all have now been resettled. Meals are being provided at the Hyatt Regency Maui
and Westin Maui Resort. Aston at the Whaler has full kitchens.
The Management team distributed over 200 “Maui Strong” T-shirts to our associates that are working.
The Management team also opened the property to certain emergency workers. While there are still a few,
most are now housed elsewhere.
As of today, less than 25 of our 459 villas are occupied.
Staffing Levels
With the resort close to empty, management is working to appropriately size our work force similar to the
Covid lockdown in 2020. Through last week, all employees have been paid their normal wages under Marriott
Vacations Worldwide emergency protocols. Going forward, the Management Company will assess the
situation to ensure associates’ needs as well as the financial impacts to our owners are considered. One factor
is the impact of the fires on the Maui labor pool. Many residents are apparently leaving the island because
they believe the recovery will be too slow to guarantee steady jobs. We want to keep our long-term, loyal
employees and believe going the extra mile for them now will pay off when we are back to normal operations.
If it is determined that some temporary reduction in hours or layoffs are appropriate, please know that the
Management team will help them apply for unemployment benefits and give them assistance.
Accelerated Repair and Maintenance Work
Some employees are helping with deferred maintenance issues that are difficult to do when the resort is fully
occupied. This keeps people productive, and it will make our resort better when our owners return.
Our current low occupancy has also allowed us to tackle some facility issues which have needed to be done but
are difficult with our normally high occupancy levels. Some of these projects include:
• Repair some sections of the plaster on the super pool
• Re-plaster two of our spas
• Replacement of the window tinting in our original buildings (MOC1)
• Replacement of all 1,000+ phones on the property
• Refresh of our activity room
• Refresh of the main pool bar
• Preparation work for the electrical upgrade to be done early next year
It is important to note that all these projects have already been budgeted.
Kā’anapali Fire
A new fire on the Kā’anapali hillside burned to within a mile of the resort a little over a week ago sending
significant smoke over the resort. Understandably, it was quite unsettling to many of our associates after their
experiences in the Lahaina fire. The good news is the Maui Fire Department and an Army helicopter were
quickly on the scene, and it was contained to about 7 acres with no injuries or damage to structures.
Associates Relief Fund
Sixty-nine of our associate’s homes were lost and five homes were damaged in the fire. Many more associates
have incurred other losses and unexpected expenses. As I mentioned in my last letter, we chose to unite with
other MVW entities on Maui to jointly raise funds for all employees impacted by the fire. The results so far
are described in the next paragraph.
MVW has to-date contributed $500,000 to the existing ILG Relief Fund, Inc. (Relief Fund), a qualified
501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit corporation that, among other things, supports MVW associates and their
families who incur significant damage or displacement after a natural or civic disaster such as the Maui
wildfires. In addition, other donations exceeding $500,000 bring the total to over $1,000,000. The Relief Fund
has already disbursed at least $1,000 to each of the 362 MVW associates on Maui who lost their homes.
MVW is encouraging all associates who have financial needs to file requests with the Relief Fund for
assistance. Those requests will be reviewed, and funds will be dispersed as quickly as possible.
Thanks to all of you who have contributed. The link to that fund is:
https://donorbox.org/mvwrelieffund
100% of the donated funds go to MVW’s Maui associates. MVW absorbs all the administrative costs.
The $500 grocery gift cards we mentioned in the last letter have been distributed to all associates. These were
paid for out of our association reserves. We also are helping individuals with applications for other available
funds (Red Cross, United Way, etc.). Finally, the Management Company is providing mental health counseling
sessions to our associates. Management tells us the staff have been very grateful for the comprehensive
support they have received.
We are also happy to let you know that Marriott Vacation Club has changed its point-of-sale systems on a
world-wide basis to allow guests who are charging expenses to easily donate directly to the Maui Relief Fund.
This will continue through December 18, 2023.
When Can We Return?
This is the big question for many of us. Hawaiian Governor Green’s most recent directive is no one should
book leisure travel to West Maui (which includes Kā’anapali) until October 17th. We know the Governor is
considering a possible extension of that date but have no knowledge of when any announcement may be made.
It is possible by the time you read this letter the uncertainties will be resolved.
Our owners’ website (owners.marriottvacationclub.com) is the best place to keep current on the latest dates. If
you have trouble navigating that site, you can go directly to the updates at hub.vacationclub.com and search for
Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club.
Currently, almost all services and activities at our resort are closed. Likewise, on Kā’anapali Beach more
businesses are closed than are open. Leilani’s on the Beach and Duke’s Beach House Maui are both slated to
open in the next couple of days. Other shops and restaurants may open in the next few weeks, but we
anticipate that most will not open until the Governor’s directive expires.
We wish we could be more helpful. However, the situation is still fluid, and changes occur almost daily. We
simply don’t know when our resort and the other Kā’anapali Beach properties will back to normal operations.
We have been asked about what TravelEx insurance covers and we would encourage you to call them directly
if you are contemplating either coming to Maui or cancelling a trip you have already booked. They have a
page on their website about the Maui fires. A link to it is travelexinsurance.com/wildfires.
On behalf of the entire board,
Larry Wolfe
President
Maui Ocean Club Vacation Owners Association
Association of Apartment Owners of Maui Ocean Club
P.S. – We thought you might like a few pictures of and around our resort:
