The state’s first Residence Inn, a Marriott International Inc. extended-stay brand, celebrates its grand opening Thursday.

The Residence Inn by Marriott Maui Wailea is a 200-suite hotel, featuring studio, one- and two-bedroom units with separate living spaces and full kitchens. Managed by Marriott International, the newly built hotel and the land underneath are owned by R.D. Olson Development.

The property’s soft opening on July 27 brought the tally of Marriott properties in Hawaii to a dozen split across five brands, said Chris Tatum, Marriott Hawaii vice president and market general manager.

“For us, Wailea is the ideal situation,” Tatum said. “The fact that it was a purpose build shows the confidence that the owner and developer and Marriott have in this market.”

Diane Mayer, vice president and global brand manager for Residence Inn and Marriott Executive Apartments, said Olsen had been eyeing the property for at least a decade.

“In Wailea, if you weren’t comfortable bringing your 2-year-old to a luxury resort, you were probably renting a 30-year-old condo. There’s really no midtier branded product either,” she said.

Mayer said the property, which sits on a hill overlooking the ocean, fills a value void in the Wailea market. Nightly room rates start around $250 and include amenities like free Wi-Fi, a complimentary breakfast, free grocery delivery and access to laundry facilities.

“The Residence Inn is running $249 tonight and there are a fair number of other properties running in the $400 to $500 range,” Mayer said.

The property, which opened with more than 150 nonunion workers, boasts an outdoor pool and hot tub and a patio bar with fire pits. There’s also barbecues, a sports court with a putting green and an area for shooting hoops.

Pets are welcome at the hotel. There’s a 24/7 market.

The hotel contains 1,800-square-feet of indoor meeting space. There’s also a 410-square-foot boardroom and an outdoor lawn for special events.

Mayer said Residence Inns are typically most popular with business travelers and with family travelers who plan on staying for more than five days and want to book a homelike experience with the security and service delivery of a major hotel brand. There are 720 Residence Inns across the globe, she said.

Occupancy at Residence Inns nationwide has been over 80 percent for the last several years, which is about 15 points higher than the U.S. lodging industry’s average, Mayer said. Hawaii’s performance may skew higher since the brand is extremely differentiated from others in the market, she said.

Tatum said demand for rooms offered as part of the property’s soft summer opening was brisk.

“They outperformed what we thought they would,” he said.

Tatum said so far the property has drawn mostly from the U.S. West source market.

Marriott’s outlook for this property and for continued growth in Hawaii is bullish, he said.

“Hawaii is a real focus for the company. We believe it’s a great destination. It’s holding strong through thick and thin,” Tatum said.

Mayer said there’s another Residence Inn planned for Kapolei. That property, which will have a stronger business component, is expected to open in another two to three years.