‘All-Inclusive Destinations’ Enter the Travel Lexicon

Mexico is about to welcome a whole new category in the world of hospitality: not just an all-inclusive resort, but an “all-inclusive destination.”

Like at all-inclusive resorts around the world, the daily rate at the new five-star, $350 million Hotel Xcaret Mexico will include food and beverages and accommodations. It also will include admission to eight of the top tourist destinations in the Cancun area, the Experiencia Xcaret parks.

When it opens on Dec. 1, the Hotel Xcaret will offer 900 suites, each with its own personality and each immersed in the feel of Mayan and Mexican civilizations, Experiencia Xcaret Group CFO and managing director Marcos Constandse said at a press conference last week.

Each area will have its own beachfront, river, private coves, and restaurants. There will be 10 restaurants in all, including one by celebrity chef Carlos Gaytan, plus eight bars, a separate teen and kids club with a water playground, nannies for hire, onsite wedding planners and meeting space for 2,000.

Guests can catch nightly shows on a stage carved into the rock at the hotel, or take a shuttle or a boat to the parks for evening entertainment.

“The intention is that once you touch Mexican soil, we’ll take care of everything,” Constandse said. “It’s a new product, with all the parks and tours we offer included. We’ll pick you up at the airport, check you in as we drive, and take you directly to a room with a butler.”

A vision that includes travel agents
The vision is to tap into the new kind of customer, one that no longer wants “just a place to stay the night; they want to get to know a place and experience a destination,” chief communications officer Iliana Rodriguez told TMR. “They go to Mexico because they want to experience Mexico, and we know how to offer unique experiences, especially if people are interested in nature and sustainability.”

Hotel Xcaret understands that it’s also an audience that tends to turn to travel agents.

“We believe in the importance of people-to-people, and we know customers are looking for tailor-made experiences, and using travel agents to help them plan them,” Rodriguez said.

The company offers online training and programs for U.S. and Canadian travel agents selling its parks, and will be extending those to include the hotel, as well as offering fam trips, next year.

The property already has hosted a destination wedding and will be “life-friendly,” so LGBT weddings are welcome. Mayan ceremonies also can be performed, or Mayan elements can be included in any ceremony.

Prices “will be in the five-star resort range.”