While Tulum may be known more for its eclectic small inns and boutique hotels, it’s quietly becoming an all-inclusive destination in its own right.
The latest brand to open in the Mexico hotspot? Hilton, which this week announced the opening of the Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya All-Inclusive Resort.
It’s the company’s first-ever all-inclusive in Tulum, in a high-volume, low-scale design set across a series of three-story villa-style buildings.
Indeed, there are 735 rooms at the Riviera Maya property — making it Hilton’s largest resort in all of the Caribbean and Latin America.
That’s along with 13 restaurants and what Hilton calls an “upscale beverage program,” along with eight pools, five Jacuzzis and a soon-to-debut Family Zone with a water park playground and other amenities.
It joins the campus of the adjacent Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya.
Hilton says it’s planning to open another 30 Hilton-branded properties in Mexico in the coming years.
Hilton is one of a number of major travel brands on an all-inclusive expansion push, particularly in the Mexican Caribbean.
Marriott’s major move into the all-inclusive space is continuing this summer with a new adults-only all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic.
Marriott is joining forces with Playa Hotels and Resorts on the Sanctuary Cap Cana resort, which will be the first-ever all-inclusive hotel in Marriott’s Luxury Collection.
The hotel is expected to open this summer as the Sanctuary Cap Cana, a Luxury Collection Adult All-Inclusive Resort .
The all-inclusive resort is set in Cap Cana, the most exclusive corner of the tourism hub of Punta Cana.
The 325-resort underwent a renovation in 2019 and features five eateries, six bars, five pools and a nightlife destination called “Sanctuary Town.”
Notably, it’s the first-ever Playa-managed resort under a Marriott International brand.
Image by http://c2a.studio
“We are thrilled to bring our first The Luxury Collection all-inclusive brand extension to the Dominican
Republic and we are grateful to the Martínez family for developing such a unique resort,” said Laurent de Kousemaeker, Chief Development Officer, Caribbean and Latin America, Marriott International. “We are also excited for the opportunity to work with Playa Hotels and Resorts, a very reputable all-inclusive operator.”
The hotel is owned by Francisco Martinez.
“In our first joint venture with Marriott International, Sanctuary Cap Cana is the perfect choice for the level of style and sophistication that has made Marriott’s The Luxury Collection resorts the standard- bearer for unique, one-of-a-kind vacations,” said Fernando Mulet, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Playa Hotels and Resorts. “I would like to personally thank Mr. Martinez for his continuous trust in Playa and commitment to the success of this magnificent property.”
Now, the company has a portfolio of 28 all-inclusive resorts, the vast majority of which are in the Caribbean (including a number of hotels in the Blue Diamond portfolio).
Caribbean all-inclusive brand Elite Island Resorts has partnered with reggae legend Causion on a major new musical tribute to the island of Antigua.
The song, Antigua Me Come From, is a common phrase of identity and heritage for Antiguans; a love letter to the island, it’s a message to travelers to “forget their troubles, to come take a load off their shoulder and feel the energy when their feet touch the ground.”
It’s another major video for Causion, whose long career includes touring with Third World, Rita Marley and Freddie McGregor, among others.
“Personally growing up in Antigua was the greatest experience I can imagine. I grew up on the water in English Harbour, and most of my childhood was on the water, sailing and fishing, and the freedom to do that was phenomenal,” he says. “Antigua is a place I have loved from the bottom of my heart, and there is no place I would rather be. As a musician and writer, when you go to Antigua the words keep coming, the artistry and creation keep coming because you find that place of peace.”
The idea of the song and video, according to Elite Island Resorts Chairman Rob Barrett was to “”give the people of Antigua and Barbuda something that shares the beauty and spirit and Antigua with the world for years to come.”
“This amazing collaboration between Elite Island Resorts and Causion captures the essence Antigua and is a project we can all be very proud of,” Barrett said.
Elite Island Resorts has a portfolio of five hotels on the island of Antigua, including Hammock Cove; the Pineapple Beach Club; the Verandah Resort and Spa; the Galley Bay Resort and Spa; and the St James’s Club and Villas.
Hammock Cove in Antigua.
“Music has a way of touching us and bringing us closer to where we want to be.” Exploring the concepts of happiness, and what fuels it, he compares the joy from acquiring material things with the lasting power of memories,” Causion says. “A lot of the things I experienced in Antigua when I was younger, those fond memories are still with me today. You can’t buy that kind of happiness.”
“Covid has brought the rest of the world and the Caribbean into a frame of mind to open up their eyes and respect each other more. To appreciate each other and what we bring to the table,” he says. “We also appreciate that people are coming to our shores. Now more than ever, in this world when nothing can be assumed, we are learning to appreciate, respect, embrace, and welcome each other.”
The song is especially poignant for the artist, in light of his recent, ongoing battle with cancer, one that sees him traveling monthly between Antigua and Florida.
It’s a battle that has put his island home in a new light, he says. “I go on hikes to experience the country in a way I didn’t before. It’s an enormous feeling, seeing it from a different perspective for the past two years, and I have found a new love for the country.”
