Hilton Sees Bigger Meetings and Events Role in All-Inclusive Resort Growth
Photo Credit: Hilton's push into all-inclusive resorts isn't just about leisure travel (pictured: the planned Hilton Vallarta Riviera All-Inclusive Resort). Hilton
Skift Take
All-inclusive resorts are always going to be dominated by leisure travel, but it's a smart move by Hilton to position these properties for some level of corporate meetings and events. Leisure traveler tastes aren't the only ones that changed over the span of the pandemic.
Some of the world’s largest hotel companies pushed into all-inclusive resorts in recent years, but one is diverting from the Club Med and Sandals playbook.
Hilton struck a three-property deal this month for all-inclusive and luxury resorts in Mexico. The company plans to use its eponymous brand for the two all-inclusive resorts slated for Tulum and Puerto Vallarta. Hilton, like Marriott and Hyatt, sees all-inclusive resorts as another option for members of its loyalty program to redeem and earn points.
But the company also sees this typically leisure-dominated space as another venue to pitch to meetings and events bookers.
“I do believe we'll be able to bring something to the all-inclusive market that they've never really had before, and that's the concept of the corporate market and the corporate meetings market,” said Danny Hughes, executive vice president and president of the Americas at Hilton. “We're betting big that this can be a great meetings market as well as
