Is the Lei Welcome and water in front of the hotel back?

[Amommy21]

Really felt like this was an important part of Aulani and Hawaiian tradition. Plus the water was as so refreshing just coming back from an excursion.

 

[scoobdoo]

Neither is back, and don’t expect it back either. Chapek’s greed.

 

[Amommy21]

Hosting a special party in June I hope they bring it back by then…

 

[Amw1064]

Absolutely ridiculous that they are both gone.

 

[Amommy21]

Absolutely ridiculous that they are both gone.

when they reopened I think the excuse was social distancing…. Our second visit it was staffing. Let’s just keep letting them all know we care about it.

 

[Winston Wolf]

Neither is back, and don’t expect it back either. Chapek’s greed.

They're giving leis at the Poly. Not sure why Aulani is different?

 

[Amommy21]

Well Hawaii was much more strict about social distancing. We went after they reopened and they had removed most of the chairs, you had to wear a mask u less you were in water, one party at a time in elevators, etc.

Our second visit after reopening, which was a year ago they said it was staffing issues.

 

[KathyTX]

At Aulani now… no water or leis at welcome.

 

[iheartglaciers]

They're giving leis at the Poly. Not sure why Aulani is different?

The leis at Poly are the cheap fake ones. I think the ones they used to give at Aulani were real.

I’ve read that the supplier they’ve used went out of business during the pandemic and they couldn’t find another one that could handle the volume they needed. But that doesn’t explain the water. That seems easy enough to bring back at this point.

 

[Amommy21]

Yes they were real and lovely.

 

[scoobdoo]

I’ve read that the supplier they’ve used went out of business during the pandemic and they couldn’t find another one that could handle the volume they needed. But that doesn’t explain the water. That seems easy enough to bring back at this point.

no, that excuse doesn’t wash in late 2022. leis are abundantly available on the island, and have been for at least a year. indeed, next door you will find leis handed out upon arrival. this is purely a cost-cutting measure.

 

[monsterkitty]

The Marriott VC on the Big Island still has not brought back the water and they still have the water fountains where you refill your refillable water bottles closed as well. Not sure if the water thing at Aulani is a Cheapek/Disney and Marriott VC thing, or if it's a thing of the past for resorts in Hawaii.

 

[tankin]

This brings me back to my GM days and cost reduction thru "decontenting" (ie removing stuff that used to be included in a vehicle to save money) .... Of course I wonder why D'Amaro gets a free pass from all of this stuff because it didn't happen when Chapek was in charge (when as Chairman of Resort he could have absolutely done it) and only started after D'Amaro took over....

 

[CaptainAmerica]

The Marriott VC on the Big Island still has not brought back the water and they still have the water fountains where you refill your refillable water bottles closed as well. Not sure if the water thing at Aulani is a Cheapek/Disney and Marriott VC thing, or if it's a thing of the past for resorts in Hawaii.

I guarantee you that Bob Chapek has no clue that they stopped serving COMPLIMENTARY TAP WATER at the porte cochere at Aulani.

 

[WAstateDVCDaddy]

no, that excuse doesn’t wash in late 2022. leis are abundantly available on the island, and have been for at least a year. indeed, next door you will find leis handed out upon arrival. this is purely a cost-cutting measure.

Not sure if “next door” means the Four Seasons, but if so, I don’t think it’s really a great benchmark to use. 1/2 as many guests based on rooms (or less when you consider average room occupancy), at 30% higher cost (or more on a per person basis) makes the economics and availability of vendors very different.

Not making any excuses for Aulani, but lei availability to hotels has been a real issue, and not just for Aulani. It does seem that this is something that could’ve been resolved by now, but at the same time, if they’re getting rid of it, I doesn’t make sense that they wouldn’t have just said that by now.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Not making any excuses for Aulani, but lei availability to hotels has been a real issue, and not just for Aulani. It does seem that this is something that could’ve been resolved by now, but at the same time, if they’re getting rid of it, I doesn’t make sense that they wouldn’t have just said that by now.

Yeah I don't understand this conspiracy peddling. You see it all the time on the WDW boards too. Labor is a real issue. Supply chain is a real issue. Inflation is a real issue. People talk about COVID like it was a minor inconvenience and not the most disruptive event since World War II.

 

[Kmk2]

It’s not a conspiracy, it’s a business decision. A decision to cut costs. It would be back if they felt it was a priority. Their decision. Lessens the experience though.

 

[scoobdoo]

It’s not a conspiracy, it’s a business decision. A decision to cut costs. It would be back if they felt it was a priority. Their decision. Lessens the experience though.

Cheapens the experience, too.

 

[Laura K]

Having just returned from my first Aulani stay with no clue of how it was before, I am 100% OK if they never give free leis again. It's another use of the island's limited natural resources that I feel should be reserved for actual celebrations for locals and they get thrown away by the end of the trip anyway. I edited this post to note I'm pretty sure there were free water refilling stations around the resort, though did they used to give out special water?

 

[iheartglaciers]

Aulani should really be giving out drinking water though, that's just a basic necessity.

Are there water bottle refill stations around the resort?