Luxury Meal Plans Up the Ante at All-Inclusive Resorts

Inclusive resort plans are coming into their own, with Hyatt and Hilton properties joining Marriott and Disney in offering gourmet food and beverage at a flat daily rate, and luxury resorts coming onboard as well. 

“As they say, it is not your grandfather’s all-inclusive resort anymore; there are many more upscale options,” said Arizona-based Geoff Millar (and he should know, as he’s co-owner of an agency ironically named Ultimate All Inclusive Travel). “Many resorts are starting meal plans to compete with all-inclusive resorts.” 

Indeed. Partnerships with Playa Hotels & Resorts have brought upscale food-and-beverage plans to Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara hotels. And this month, a deal with Hilton brings two all-inclusive Hilton properties — Hilton La Romana (formerly Dreams La Romana) in the Dominican Republic and Hilton Playa del Carmen (formerly the Royal Playa del Carmen) in Mexico. By 2025, a total of 10 Hiltons will offer the F&B plans. 

“These resorts provide our more than 82 million Hilton Honors members with more ways to earn and redeem points than ever before and allow us to further extend Hilton’s signature hospitality to guests looking for an upscale, all-inclusive vacation experience,” said Vera Manoukian, senior vice president and global brand head of Hilton Hotels & Resorts. 

Other luxury properties also continue to join the all-inclusive bandwagon. In July, for example, the Buenaventura Golf & Beach Resort, a Marriott Autograph Collection property in Panama, began offering an Endless Luxury Plan. For $199 per person per day, it includes unlimited food and beverage at every on-site restaurant.  

“I think it’s a great idea,” says Maggie Harland Barton, a travel consultant at SmartFlyer. “It’s like a vacation within the vacation, to not think about money. And the pricing is good if you drink a lot and eat three meals a day.” 

The secret to success 
At a beach resort like Buenaventura, where reaching an outside restaurant is difficult, “it’s about guests being comfortable and knowing, in advance, how much they are going to spend,” said General Manager Victor Concepcion Peren. “If you are a family of four or five, you definitely want that peace of mind that comes from paying a fixed price.” 

Researching other luxury properties that offer upscale meal plans, he learned that “limitations are not good. The secret to success is not to put too many restrictions on it,” Peren said, “and to keep the quality high, no matter what.” 

Still, the $199 price tag is enough to cover the expenses in a family-oriented resort like this. “People cannot eat as much as they think they can,” he said. “In a family of four, the woman never eats like the man, and the kids eat pizza.” 

About 10 percent of guests take the plan, Peren said, and “It’s becoming a very successful strategy.”  

Luxury included around the world 
Other luxury properties are following the same strategy, taking all-inclusive meal plans to the next level. At the Marigot Bay Resort in Saint Lucia, for example, sushi and tapas are on the menu — and the option to eat at local Masala Bay and Julietta’s restaurants, as well.  

The Grand Velas Riviera Maya offers six world-class restaurants and visiting Michelin chefs. The Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita in Mexico includes a sushi and ceviche bar.  

The new TRS Coral Hotel at the Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort & Spa, outside Cancun, and a member of Leading Hotels of the World, includes the Chic Cabaret & Restaurant, offering acrobats and music while you eat, as well as seven themed restaurants. 

And in the Middle East, Abu Dhabi just got its first luxury all-inclusive, the Rixos Saadiyat, with 10 restaurants and bars offering Turkish, Italian, Japanese and Rob Stern Teppanyaki; tea and shisha lounges; food carts; and an exclusive restaurant for villa guests only. 

Consult your travel agent 
Travel agents, meanwhile, say a great all-inclusive plan is a definite draw for many customers. Just as the cruise lines are finding that all-inclusives are very popular, luxury properties “are circling back around again to the same subject,” says Matthew Vaughan at Cruise Experts Travel Ltd. “It makes a lot of sense. People on vacation are often willing to pay more for convenience and value. 

Many Marriotts in the Caribbean offer all-inclusive plans, but the draw of the new ones is their open policy and focus on foodie-worthy F&B, agrees Rob Stern, founder of robplansyourtrip.com. Even with their high rates (they include water sports and resort fees) and many restrictions, the Marriott plans are a popular option in places like St. Thomas, especially for guests who do not have passports. 

Lainey Melnick, owner of Lainey Melnick & Associates Dream Vacations, is also a fan. “I get asked for all-inclusives regularly; when the resort is the destination, and it’s known for high-quality dining, it makes a lot of sense,” she says. “Most people like the convenience and knowing what their whole vacation will cost upfront.” 

And travel consultant Adrienne Sasson, at Rubinsohn Travel, likes the idea of a resort that offers the choice of an all-inclusive plan or not. “That’s very beneficial,” she said. “Guests like it if all they want to do is sit on the beach or by a pool and not have a care in the world.” 

More than ever, with all the new options, “all all-inclusives are not the same — from house wines to sommeliers, liquor to top-shelf cocktails, buffets to Gourmet Club table dining, with so many options in between,” noted Jeni Chaffer at Journeys Travel Inc. “That’s another reason to use a travel professional, to explain the price and value.”