“With Kahului being Maui’s commercial hub and Wailuku the seat of county government, we believe this new hotel will fill an important niche in serving inter-island and out-of-state business travelers,” said Chris Tatum, vice president of Marriott Resorts Hawaii. “We also expect to serve travelers transiting the airport and attract visitors wanting to stay on this side of the island to explore Upcountry Maui, Paia and other nearby attractions.”

The new Courtyard by Marriott Maui hotel will feature 49 studio kings, 79 studio double queens, six suites, and four extended stay suites. Guest rooms will feature large desks, couches, and complimentary WiFi and broadband Internet access.

In addition to its business center, pool, and fitness center, the hotel will feature a lounge and bar, gazebo, guest laundry, surfboard storage building, and convenience market. The hotel will also offer 1,663 square feet of meeting space, including a boardroom.

According to Tatum, it will be the first Courtyard by Marriott hotel to open on Maui and the first in Hawaii to feature the “refreshing business” makeover which provides guests with services and amenities that create a healthy balance between work and play.

The hotel will utilize Courtyard by Marriott’s new Gen 4.5 design, which features a reinvented lobby centered on the concept of fusing high-tech, high-style and greater functionality.

This new contemporary design focuses on drawing guests out of their rooms to relax in the open and user-friendly lobby space. The traditional front desk is being replaced with individual welcome podiums to allow for more personal and private interactions when guests are checking in.

A signature element of the new lobby is the exclusive Courtyard interactive GoBoard™, a 58-inch LCD touch screen packed with local information, maps, weather and news, business and sports headlines.

The new lobby business center will allow guests to check email and print important documents, while semi-enclosed Media Pods featuring individually controlled flat-panel TVs will offer guests a place to work, meet or relax.

The hotel will provide jobs for more than 50 associates when it opens. Other Marriott brands on Maui include The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua; The Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences at Kapalua Bay; Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club at Kaanapali (formerly the Maui Marriott Resort); and the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.

Marriott’s first hotel in the Hawaiian Islands was the Maui Marriott at Kaanapali which opened in 1981. Mariott has 14 hotel and timeshare properties located on Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii Island.

R.D. Olson Construction, which Robert Olson founded in 1979 and remains its CEO and president, will build the Courtyard by Marriott Maui. Johnson Braund Design Group of Seattle, a company R.D. Olson Construction has often worked with in renovating and building new hotels, will provide architectural and interior designer services.