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?
Stayed at Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta 2 weeks ago. I thought it was excellent (expansive private beach, plenty of chairs with shade, great service with drink server at poolside every 10 minutes, nice large room with balcony for Globalist using my award with hot tub on balcony, not too many upcharges other than lobster). The Food (other than breakfast which was very good) was a bit “meh” – some selections very good, others not so much. Very secure with ID needed to get into hotel – even for taxi driver to drive in. At $239 a night, I thought a good value. I would normally pay that much for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with wine for the 2 of us.
I stayed there in January. I liked the location and listening to the waves when leaving the balcony door open.
I think that I skipped the breakfast every morning and rather typed away in the cafe.
We had dinner there twice (a Globalist friend had his own room) and it was acceptable, although not great.
I think that i paid $200/night (including taxes/fees) that was acceptable if I felt getting $50 worth of F&B per day.
We stayed at the Hilton La Romana in Dominican Republic and had an AWFUL experience there. We are Diamond and were put into a 2nd class room on the 3rd floor with NO elevators. We had to lug our own luggage to/from room. It took forever to get drinks at the bars, and the bartenders had no idea how to make most drinks. We were there over New Year’s Eve and all week kept hearing how they were going to serve us Lobsters during the NYE dinner. They ran out of lobster 1/2 way thru the dinner. The food was just OK, and it seemed impossible to get refills of coffee at breakfast. Our room A/C kept making an extremely loud noise that sounded like an animal screaming. We don’t think we’ll ever go back. To many other better choices.
@pratzert:disqus -I too just recently returned from there, and was disappointed as it’s a Playa Resorts owned and operated hotel (just like the Ziva/Zilara) and usually has higher standards. Keep in mind that the property itself was formally a Dreams, so when they take over, there is only so much they can and will do with the infrastructure. Are there places that are worse? Absolutely. Could it have been better as far as food, service, etc. Absolutely. Glad we tried it but won’t return. Might I suggest the Ziva Cap Cana instead, as it was MUCH better.
I may be mistaken, but aren’t these rooms usually priced a lot better if bundling buying through an airline or other vacation site? Like I said, I may be wrong, but it puzzles me how much cheaper it can be vs booking direct.
They probably have highly discounted rates for bundling purposes.
I have never stayed at an all inclusive before but recently stayed at The Marriott Resort and Spa Puerto Vallarta. For reference, I am Titanium status, pretty picky, and frequent the Ritz and St. Regis. I was pleasantly surprised at the value of the all inclusive. It was me, my husband and our 21 and 22 year old. Two of us don’t drink and the other 2 had 1 to 2 drinks max per day if drinking. The food options were plentiful and delicious. Best fajitas we have ever had. Excellent sushi restaurant with great service. Staff was fantastic. We paid $1300 USD per room for 2 ocean balcony rooms for 7 nights. All the restaurants on site were included. Room service was included. A coffee shop with pastries was included. Snacks and beverages by the pool was included. Yes, there were some higher priced options like lobster not included, but we are from New England, so we can have lobster any time. Everything that was not included was clearly marked and we did not feel like we were missing out. Was the hotel super luxe? Nope – but it was clean, had friendly staff and good food.
It was better than your relative expectations.
I’ve stayed at The Westin Reserve Conchal in Costa Rica and thought it was great. Only one of the six restaurants was not excellent in food and service. As an Elite member we were given wrist bands to signify we were able to order better liquors with no additional charge. And no coco was not an additional charge!
To me, the benefit is to not worry about sticker shock when I’m checking out and looking at the folio. They’re not always the best deal out there and often can save money by paying ala carte, but when one is on vacation, it’s one less thing to worry about and there’s a lot of value in that for me.
With non-branded hotels (not Marriott etc) I often find it to be a better deal when doing a package inc. flights vs paying for things separately. It can often mean the flight is effectively free when factoring in the savings. YMMV of course, but that’s another consideration. And, potentially, they’re one of the better uses of the Citi Prestige 4th night free.
And $600 for the Hyatt Ziva is a ripoff. I wouldn’t pay that, either, but at $200-300 it’s a much better proposition. I paid about that much at the Ziva in Montego Bay a couple years ago and felt that at the $200 level is was a good deal.
You are probably right that non-branded or local brands offer much better value if one chooses an all-inclusive option, and good note on the packages that many airlines and OTAs offer.
I have stayed at many non all inclusive hotels at beach destinations and recently tried to visit some friends at nearby all inclusive hotels and found it was a pain to get in for starters since I was not a guest. What I noticed about my friends when with them was that my friends were less stressed and worried about what they would eat every meal and more focused on enjoying their vacation time…. where as at my nearby hotels I felt I was being “nickel and dimed” for everything which is stressful when you’re trying to budget and save at a touristy destination. If you have only a couple of days I can see the value in not having to worry about the food experience. The food in most cases seemed comparable to the a la carte options. Considering that most beach destinations do not have any benefits for elite members like city hotels do I can see the value in the all inclusive now more so then I did in the past… especially when in an expensive resort area where things would cost a fortune anyways especially if you’re not willing to head out to the grocery store and cheap fast food restaurants every day..
Depends on price and food quality. My experiences at hotels in various countries in the under $300 range per night for 2 has been bad!! same as your commnets.
1. liquor – need to pay up to get reasonable brands
2. food – mediocre
in mexico you can go to local restaurants with much better food for dinner at a reasonable price.
same in egypt. Ive tried both options and prefer eating out or ordering in . much better quality and similar overall price.
Makes me think back to what a bargain Club Med was back in the ’70-’90s prior to their demise. There were some amazing properties and locations and some average properties but still great locations. And the atmosphere was part of ambiance’s long as you avoided the “family” properties! Good memories on 3 continents.
They had quite a brand back then. Not sure why they fizzled out?
I think it was a combination of negatives IMO. The economy and much more competition than they ever had. For the most part, they were the only game in town for quite some time.
You make fair points John, but what it really boils down to is what are you looking for and wanting when staying at a beachside resort…having the convenience of having all your food and beverage included, plus entertainment (daily activities, kids club, waterpark and nightly shows) or just a room/pool/beach with onsite restaurants that you pay for. I’ve gone to over a dozen different known/established brands throughout Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic at varying price points, and even when you land on a company name that you like, experiences, food quality and overall offerings can vary by location. Through trial and error, we have eliminated those brands that don’t meet our (personal) needs and standards at to what’s important. For others, certain hotels check off their boxes and are great…which is why you can’t reply on Tripadvisor to gauge what’s ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ And yes, it is true that to some extent, you get what you pay for when it comes to price comparisons.
The one time we didn’t do an all-inclusive in Cabo was while staying at the Sheraton on an employee/family rate. Got upgraded to a large suite and all our meals were going to be covered by my spouse as a business express while she worked. The food was so bad that we ended up driving to Costco/Walmart to buy food to bring back and cook in the room and left the property at times to seek dining options elsewhere, both of which we really didn’t want to spend the time and energy doing. Since then we have only stayed at AIs and are happy to try out and visit new places as they are built and open up. If we find a great one (like the Ziva Cap Cana in the D.R.), then we’ll happily return again and again. (I used to feel that way about the Ziva in Cabo but after noticing many implemented cuts to their offerings, we have moved on).
We recently stayed at the Ventana Inn, now a Hyatt all-inclusive property.
We used points, and were given a generous upgrade because of our globalist status.
The price? Our suite was over $2000 a night.
It’s a lovely property. Wonderful and caring staff. Excellent dinners and lovely ocean views from the breakfast and dinner restaurant… Terrific poolside food, lovely s’mores, a room service menu that was fun and enticing, And the fires in the fireplace are so romantic, as you snack on salami and cheese, popcorn and cookies— oh, I almost forgot… everything in the mini bar was free! Candy bars, colas, nuts,, caramel popcorn…
Really, we ate way too much… it was all so good. And that inspired us to go for a daily waddle in the words… Very healthy, and lovely… and again, you can’t say too many wonderful things about the staff…
And… You can eat yourself stupid…
But … $2000 a night? Are you kidding me?
And if we had consumed alcohol, and indulged in the spa, the add-ons would’ve been another couple hundred dollars a day…
I…I….I… what can I say?
Still, more than 50% of the fairly young crowd of I suppose silicon valley shakers and movers, were paying two grand a night…a. Night.
I don’t get it…
Well, yes I do… I got it. With points.
Stayed there in March on points. I thought it was a bargain on points. We added the Falconry experience and the moon bathing walk as our only extra costs. I’d go there again!
I avoid hotels where “AI” option is presented. Usually that means screams, unhappy faces of married couples and bad selection of audience. Not to mention cheap food and cheap drinks which I simply not consume in normal life. Whenever possible I prefer hotels which not allow children under age 12 and not allow even small animals
The ones that have good scotch i’m always down for.
Stayed at the hyatt zilara for my sisters wedding, there was 6 restaurants all with amazing food, nothing was extra charge. They even had insane bars everywhere with excellent selections. Sure there was no single malt as expected, but i’m quite happy with unlimited black label. The rum, vodka, wine, etc were on similar levels, quality stuff some places would consider premium, but nothing mega expensive.
And the service was insane. So many staff. Literally someone dedicated to every task you could imagine. 1 guys only job was cleaning sunglasses for example.
And yea, if you can drink like I can, the hotel is losing money. We had a timeshare rate, well under $200 each.. I probably drank enough cover several rooms heh.
But yea they super encourage it there and more than make it up in tips. (and my dad getting suckered into the timeshare)
I’m a marriott loyalist for the most part, but the half requirements to get globalist this year is tempting, if only for the all inclusives. Marriott has far fewer and im guessing unlimited johnnie walker black label is hard to find outside of there lounges.
I think of them as a sort of way to subsidize others alcoholism. Obviously if you don’t drink, or not heavily/expensive liquor, it’s tough to get value out of them.
Plus im usually content with just drinking at the honor bar at various marriotts before we head out, so haven’t done many all inclusives despite my good experience.
I’ve stayed at two Hilton all-inclusive resorts in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. I paid the regular room rate- about $50-$60 per night-plus $25 per night for the all-inclusive packages. Shark’s Bay and Waterfalls both had nice rooms and great service. At both there were outstanding buffets and specialty restaurants where some things were included and other things cost slightly more. At both the local alcohol was included and it was okay. Waterfalls had a large bar in the lobby and specialty drinks cost 50 Egyptian pounds. I loved all of the food at both hotels. I once stayed at Waterfalls resort for 36 days. I hated leaving and wished I could have stayed forever.
My only problem with all-inclusive hotels is with other guests who stampede buffets and guzzle drinks. Poolside bars in both hotels opened around 11 am and by noon, well, you know. I was at one of the resorts for the Hilton 100th birthday party by the lower pool. Around 3 pm they brought out a huge cake and maybe a dozen bottles of top of the line vodka for the crowd on a day when it was 110F/44C. The cake was gobbled up in minutes. The bartenders tried to make some mixed drinks but that crowd drank them in no time. The bartenders then put a few ice cubes in the cups of vodka. Silly bartenders! The crowd wanted their vodka straight, warm, and right now. A good time was had by all and remembered by only a few.
I avoid hotels where “AI” option is presented. Usually that means screams, unhappy faces of married couples and bad selection of audience. Not to mention cheap food and cheap drinks which I simply not consume in normal life. Whenever possible I prefer hotels which not allow children under age 12 and not allow even small animals
If you hold elite status it is sort of similar to what you get anyway. Think about it. Breakfast is usually part of the lounge or included and if there is happy hour of some sort that covers most of the meals as is.
The problem is at most beach resort destinations that breakfast benefit can’t be counted on and many do not even have lounges… so holding the elite status is almost useless on most resort properties… so that’s where the value of an all inclusive starts to shine a bit.