Catching Up with Marriott, Caribbean and Latin America’s Brian King

Marriott International only dipped its toe into the saturated all-inclusive pool about six years ago. Now, with a mix of new openings and brand conversions, the company is “all in on all-inclusive,” Brian King, president of Marriott, Caribbean and Latin America region, told Travel Market Report. 

“At the end of the day, the customer votes with their wallet, and some of these hotels run 90% occupancy. That’s unheard of,” he said. “There is strong demand for these properties.” 

We spoke with King about the hotel giant’s journey to all-inclusive, partnership with travel advisors, and newest luxury openings. 

The Journey to All-Inclusive

From Accor to Hyatt, all of hospitality’s biggest players are now investing more and more in all-inclusive properties. Marriott is no exception; the household name first peeked behind the all-inclusive curtain when they began studying the sector in 2015, King said.  

Then, in 2019, Marriott purchased Elegant Hotels in Barbados, converting all but one into all-inclusive properties. And in 2020, Marriott entered an agreement with Blue Diamond Resorts to convert some of their properties into Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resorts. 

“Our pipeline has been on fire ever since,” King said. “We are very committed to this space, and it’s been interesting to see how consumers have evolved over time into the all-inclusive space.” 

In recent years, and especially since travel picked up after Covid, the priorities and budgets of all-inclusive resort guests have shifted. Once at a moderate price point and never going beyond the property gates, travelers now seek higher value all-inclusive experiences that allow them to venture beyond the resort and experience the culture. 

“We are really making sure that our guests can experience being at a property and feeling like they have a local experience and having lots of off-site venues and activities and tours they can participate in as well,” King said. 

Meeting these new customer expectations has helped keep demand for all-inclusive resorts as high as ever. Even longtime guests of properties that have been converted are getting on board with the evolved model, which is evident at Marriott Cancun, which reopened as the first-ever Marriott-branded all-inclusive resort last summer. 

“That hotel has been around for over 20 years – a beloved hotel – and the feedback we are getting from customers is about how they love the aIl-inclusive experience,” King said. “Because some of the traditional Marriott folks who were going there for family generations, year after year, who were like, ‘What are you doing?’, have come back and they are loving it. It’s so exciting.”    

This is due to what King calls the subscription mindset that all-inclusive resorts play into – “That ease of purchase and ease of business is so important to customers today. I really look at all-inclusive feeling like a subscription model – I pay, and I don’t have to worry about it anymore.” 

New Openings to Look Out For

Some of the current hottest destinations in the Caribbean and Latin America are Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Barbados, King told TMR. And as the luxury segment grows rapidly alongside the all-inclusive concept, the two are intersecting more than ever. 

Notably, Marriott has W Punta Cana, an adults-only, all-inclusive luxury resort, opening in Q2 of 2025. The resort features 240 guest rooms and 13 restaurants and bars, as well as an infinity pool, beach club, AWAY Spa, fitness center, and non-motorized water sports. 

Also in the luxury space, the newly-opened Salterra, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Turks and Caicos offers a Destination Discovery program that brings cultural experiences to its guests. 

Most recently, Marriott also opened Almare, a Luxury Collection Resort, Isla Mujeres, Adult All-Inclusive in October 2024 and Paraiso de la Bonita, a Luxury Collection Resort, Riviera Maya, Adult All-Inclusive in January. 

Some other new openings – and conversions to all-inclusives – to look for this year include Tamarind, Autograph Collection, Barbados and Hacienda del Mar, an Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort – both debuting in Q3 of 2025.   

Down the road, The Ritz-Carlton All-Inclusive and The Luxury Collection All-Inclusive – both in Yanuna, Dominican Republic – will be standout additions to the portfolio in 2027. Travelers and advisors can also expect the Westin, J.W., and Tribute Portfolio brands to expand their all-inclusive offerings in the coming years, in destinations such as Barbados, Costa Mujeres, and Rio de Janeiro. 

Benefits for Travel Advisors

“We have so much respect and admiration for our travel agents and travel partners,” King said. “They’re just a great group so I’m always excited to help them in any way.” 

Marriott offers two programs for travel advisors: Hotel Excellence! (HE!) and FAM-Tastic, both designed “to make sure our partners are well-educated, they have the tools they need, and that they’re paid quickly.” 

HE! is a training program for travel advisors to learn about Marriott and its brands. Initially launched in 1999 and relaunched in 2014, the educational tool is geared toward helping advisors find the hotel that fits their clients’ needs. It is updated yearly to keep up with Mariott’s ever-changing landscape, as the company is often acquiring new hotel brands – most recently citizenM and Postcard Cabins – and entering long-term agreements, such as with Trailborn.

King’s key advice for travel agents: the best way to sell the hotels – and the Caribbean destinations they call home – is to stay at them. 

“With all these new openings that are happening in my part of the world, specifically if you haven’t been to Costa Rica, if you haven’t been to Barbados, if you haven’t been to some of these countries, please do a FAM trip,” he said. “Now is the time. Because these markets are exploding and the amount of outbound U.S. travelers is continuing to grow.  

“We’re here, happy to help, happy to have a FAM. The best way to understand and sell our hotels is to stay in them.” 

FAM-Tastic offers discounted rates to qualified travel advisors who want to experience Marriott properties firsthand to better sell them to their clients. Advisors can find more information on both programs at travelagents.marriott.com.