Tag: Benson

As we look ahead to 2025, the all-inclusive industry continues to evolve, presenting new opportunities and innovations that reshape the landscape of vacation experiences. In a recent interview with Recommend, Mark Benson, Associate VP of Sales & Strategy for Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection, shared insights into emerging trends that will transform how travelers experience all-inclusive resorts and how travel advisors can best take advantage of Hyatt’s offer.

New Destinations and All-Inclusive Resort Concepts

According to Benson, one of Hyatt’s primary trends for 2025 is the development of new destinations and resort concepts. “For us and our brands, the trend is certainly new destinations, new resorts, new builds,” Benson explains. This focus on expansion and innovation reflects the industry’s ongoing commitment to meeting changing traveler preferences and expectations.

Over the past five to six years, Benson’s company has been dedicated to creating what he calls “shiny things on the hill.” This metaphor encapsulates their strategy of developing standout properties and experiences that capture travelers’ imaginations.

Reinventing the All-Inclusive

As the travel industry moves forward, there’s a growing emphasis on experiential offerings within the all-inclusive model. Benson notes, “And by experiential I don’t mean sort of jumping off cliffs and paragliding and whatever, but experiential in different, different ways to enjoy an all-inclusive vacation.”

One of the most intriguing developments Benson shared is the recent launch of Il Mare, a groundbreaking concept that promises to redefine the all-inclusive experience. Opened in December 2024, Il Mare is described as “a series of 52 individual bungalows” that will be integrated into the Dreams Curaçao Resort, Spa & Casino as a resort within a resort.

Benson adds, “The bungalows are exclusive. If you’re staying in other parts of the resort, you can’t come in. They have their own restaurant, swimming pool, beach area, etc.” Il Mare will offer guests access to all the amenities of Dreams Curacao and the other Hyatt property next door, Zoetry Curaçao Resort & Spa, while providing elevated privacy and personalized services, but not vice versa. “Bookings are through the roof,” he emphasizes.

Similarly, Secrets Tulum Resort & Beach Club recently opened Casa Zamna, a 21-room “boutique enclave” at the resort’s beach club. The concept is the same: Secrets guests can go to the beach club but don’t have access to Casa Zamna’s restaurant or separate beach area, but Casa Zamna guests are welcome to everything Secrets offers.

“Another great example is at Dreams Sapphire Riviera Cancun. We’ve just opened a section there called Indigo, which is, again, a resort within a resort. But what is so significant is that we’ve got 10 all-inclusive villas. These are great for families; they have two bedrooms and can sleep up to eight people. And again, you have all the benefits of an all-inclusive resort, but you’ve got your own villa.”

Creating Something New

“[The resort within a resort] offers a different angle for an all-inclusive vacation while still having all the benefits of the resort. So, you know, we’re creating our new trends,” Benson adds. And there’s more.

“Going into Aruba is creating something completely new. There are a handful of all-inclusive resorts, as you know, in the north of Aruba, around Eagle Beach and Palm Beach, but there’s nothing in the south of the island. We’re breaking completely new ground. We couldn’t have opened an all-inclusive resort in the north of the island because the government doesn’t allow any more all-inclusive resorts. A couple are there already, but they want to keep it as an EP destination. But in the south, in Baby Beach, we got permission and can build an all-inclusive resort because it’s a little bit more isolated. It will create a completely new market for Aruba, which is one we’re very excited about. So, again, we’re a trendsetter.”

“To summarize, what we’re doing is expanding, being very faithful to our brand footprints and developing within that new brands, new concepts and new ways to enjoy your vacation. Your clients will always see something new, year after year. You need to reinvent and refresh yourself. Within the coming year we’ll be opening a new angle on existing resorts.”

Luxury Continues to Trend

As the positive response to the premium resort within a resort brand shows, luxury sales are not slowing down. “There’s always that element of the high-end luxury market, which is more impervious to economic, political, or social issues. It tends to be self-sustaining during a crisis,” explains Benson.

“It’s the one that survives if you like. And even after the pandemic, when we started opening the hotels, we were filling up from the top down. We weren’t filling from the bottom up. [We have] very healthy ADRs and can increase rates against demand and maintain them. And, remember: The cost of running an all-inclusive—a luxury all-inclusive—is very different than a luxury EP resort. We’ve been able to maintain the standard and deliver on that extra that we promised. We’ve done excellently and still fill very much from the top down.”

Selling the Many Faces of Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection

If you’re an advisor who’s just now dipping your toes into Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection, it might seem a bit daunting at first, but know you’re not alone.  ”We have ten brands in total,” says Benson. “Ten brands are a lot of brands. Each of those brands has its own strong identity. I think the way that we differentiate the brands is really how we approach the advisor and the training for each brand. There are undoubtedly similarities between what we offer and what some of our competitors offer, but not all of them.”

Benson explains that advisor education is key to brand differentiation—and sales. “That’s fundamental to our success. The Confidant Learning program, the training modules within that on all our individual brands, the fun interactive training, not droning through and answering questions.”

The best way to start? In a nutshell: “Pick your brand, specialize in that, learn it. Get all the training resources you can. In the case of us, we’ve got extensive training resources. And find out who your BDM is. Go to their webinars, go to their cocktail events. Use the resources that are there for you to use. And FAM trips, absolutely the FAM trips. And? Learn that market. Know geography. Buy a globe, buy an atlas. Learn the globe, learn everything, even if it’s countries that you’re not going to be sending people to. You want to give that impression that you really know what you’re talking about, so look and learn about the countries on the map.”

For more information, visit hyattinclusivecollection.com/en/travel-advisors/.