All-inclusive properties are a fast-growing industry space that Hyatt Hotels is excited to enter, says Brand Experience Vice President Chris Walker.
Walker reports that Hyatt conducted extensive research before partnering with Playa Hotels & Resorts in order to share in their knowledge of the market segment and industry expertise. Playa currently owns and operates 13 all-inclusive properties in Mexico and the Caribbean. Walker says the partnership aims to “reinvent all-inclusives” and will be a strong platform for Hyatt’s growth as a company.
The brand expansion has been in the works for years, according to Walker, “More all-inclusive properties are springing up in the Caribbean and Mexico,” he says, “and other properties are converting from traditional Euro plans.”
The company polled Hyatt Passport members and found that many were already staying at all-inclusive hotels, and participants reacted positively to the idea of a Hyatt-branded offering.
According to Walker, Hyatt’s points of differentiation include F&B and spontaneous “unscripted touches” that make a stay memorable and go above and beyond the daily schedules found at similar hotels, like stargazing or roasting marshmallows on the beach.
He recommends Hyatt Ziva in Los Cabos for groups and incentive trips, with 615 rooms and more than 30,000 square feet of function space. The adults-only Zilara property in Cancun has 315 guest rooms and is more upscale, with less meeting space.
