PHOENIX – Brand interest in all-inclusive hotels and resorts has been growing for several years, and recent moves in the space have opened up opportunities for third-party management companies to dive in as well.
That’s Aimbridge Hospitality’s plan. The third-party giant launched an all-inclusive division in August. The first two resorts in the division are the Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana and Wyndham Alltra Samaná, both in the Dominican Republic and both previously managed by Playa Hotels and Resorts.
When Hyatt Hotels Corporation bought all-inclusive resort owner and operator Playa Hotels & Resorts earlier this year, “opportunities really accelerated” for other third-party management companies to start seeking all-inclusive management contracts, said Eric Jacobs, Aimbridge’s chief global growth officer.
Playa over the last two decades managed all-inclusive resorts in Latin America and the Caribbean for a number of major hotel brand companies. Its managed portfolio included the two Wyndham Alltra resorts that now are part of Aimbridge’s managed portfolio.
While Aimbridge’s all-inclusive division may be new, it’s been on the leadership team’s mind since current CEO Craig Smith joined the organization in early 2024.
Smith, a longtime Marriott executive before joining Aimbridge, was part of the company when Marriott struck a partnership with Blue Diamond Resorts in 2021. That partner agreement accelerated Marriott’s footprint in all-inclusive and showed Smith the possibilities, Jacobs said.
“We started the work around this new division a year ago; we were talking to Playa last summer about this,” Jacobs said. “It’s been on our radar since Craig and I joined the company. There weren’t a lot of players with dedicated platforms in this market.”
Aimbridge is creating a new division, likely seated in Miami, with “significant resources to stand up that division,” Jacobs said.
“It’s such a different business and operating model, particularly around tours and incentive travel, so you need dedicated resources around that,” he said.
The two Alltras are already under Aimbridge’s management. A third, under a different brand and located in Florida, is slated to join Aimbridge this fall. An additional pipeline of four or five more are in the works, Jacobs said.
Aimbridge’s reach in this space definitely won’t be limited to the Caribbean, Jacobs said.
Opportunities abound along the “Mexican Riviera” along the Pacific coast and in Belize, he said. And while the operating platforms are different, Aimbridge already has a third-party-managed portfolio of European-plan hotels in Mexico. In 2021, the company acquired Grupo Hotelero Prisma, Mexico’s largest third-party operator, which had 42 hotels including brands like JW Marriott and Westin.
“There’s also quite a bit of interest for all-inclusive in different parts of Europe, which we’ll be pursuing,” Jacobs said.
And don’t rule out North America, which traditionally hasn’t been ripe for the traditional all-inclusive beach resort model.
“In North America, all-inclusive could be glamping, or Western-style dude ranches,” he said.
He also pointed out the trend of hybrid operating models.
“We’re seeing some European-plan hotels offering an all-inclusive package in shoulder seasons,” he said.
Overall, he said the changing perception of all-inclusive resorts benefits all stakeholders. Guests have seen more sophisticated products, and “it’s a profitable opportunity for owners and investors,” he said, citing the current pipeline of all-inclusive hotels overall that are under construction.
As Aimbridge grows under its current leadership team — most of whom have been with the company less than two years — change management has been the focus.
The company went through a capital restructuring earlier this year and moved forward with a focus on quality, higher-end hotels and long-term partnerships.
"We made a decision to not be all things to all people, and we're focused on moving our portfolio more to upscale chain scales," Jacobs said. "We're partnering with people with a more long-term outlook, and that tends to be in the higher chain scales."
The company in August added Chris O'Donnell, former chief operating officer at Atrium Hospitality, as president of its select-service division. In July, Aimbridge promoted Allison Handy to chief commercial officer.