Are All Inclusive Hotels Of Any Value?

As Marriott and Hyatt have in the past few years expanded in the All-Inclusive segment, I have been curious about the guest experiences, mainly food and beverage wise, at these hotels.

Based on the searches and bookings I have made, these All-Inclusive hotels tend to be double or triple the price of comparable hotels if non-All Inclusive options are available. It is challenging for me to justify the difference considering the quality, or lack thereof, of food and beverage options.

The issues:

There is no incentive for the hotel to have good F&B options available as they already have your money.

Hotels are not really “all-inclusive.” Want coco instead of an adult beverage? $10, please. A lobster is offered as a dining option for $100 more. Want premium adult beverage? Be ready to open your wallet.

All-inclusive hotels appear to draw a segment of guests that I don’t usually see at brands I frequent.

Conclusion

I don’t pretend to be an expert when it comes to all-inclusives, as I have only stayed at three, of which two were Hyatt Zivas in Mexico this year.

In Cancun, the Hyatt Ziva was actually ok, and I would not mind staying there again if an option for a room-only stay existed. Earlier this month, the rates for the weekend were in the $600+ range for two (used points), and I thought that the pricing was absurd.

The maximum I would have considered acceptable, taking the food quality into account, would have been perhaps in the $250 to $300 a night range.

I understand why some may choose an all-inclusive if they don’t plan to leave the hotel premises at all and are heavy drinkers.

I am just curious if our readers find all-inclusive hotels a good option and why?