Inside Mexico’s Sunny Travel Forecast for 2016

The 92-room Thompson Playa del Carmen made its debut on November 16.
The 92-room Thompson Playa del Carmen made its debut on November 16.

Los Cabos made a quick recovery after being hit by Hurricane Odile 15 months ago, and today most of the resorts there are back up and running, many with upgrades — and more are on the way. These include several luxury hotels, which is significant considering that MMGY Global’s 2015 Portrait of American Travelers shows that visits by affluent guests have increased two years in a row.

Luxury travel was in the spotlight at the recent VIP Summit in Los Cabos, which showcased the destination’s newly opened and recently renovated show stoppers. Event venues included The Cape, a Thompson Hotel; The Resort at Pedregal; Las Ventanas al Paraiso and the brand-new JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach Resort & Spa. The latter, entering its first winter season following a November opening, has 299 guest rooms and suites; six pools, including infinity and salt water; a 21,000-square-foot Jasha Spa with a modern-day temazcal (Mexican sweat lodge); and seven restaurants and bars, including the signature Café des Artistes.

Also at the VIP Summit, the Los Cabos Tourism Board reported that in the next two years, nearly 4,000 new hotel rooms will come on line. Most will come from familiar names such as Le Blanc, Montage, Park Hyatt, Auberge and Ritz Carlton. Others are new to the North American market. Case in point: Cachet Hotel Group will open Cachet Corazon late in 2016. This will be the first resort destination project for the Hong Kong-based hotel group, which will be created in partnership with Cabo Villas Beach Resort and Spa.

AMResorts’ first Breathless resort in Mexico, Breathless Cabo San Lucas, welcomed its first guests December 17. Nestled on Medano Beach near Cabo San Lucas’ nightlife scene, it offers 169 suites, each of which have private terraces offering ocean and marina views. There will also be seven dining options ranging from buffets to à la carte grills and a café, five bars and lounges, two pools and free 24-hour room service.

Riviera Maya saw a strong 2015 with the addition of more than 2,000 hotel rooms — and it looks as if 2016 also will be a promising year with The Bank of Foreign Trade currently signing more loans to local entrepreneurs. The funding will help build new projects. Looking ahead, the hope is that the region will continue to grow and by 2017 there will be an additional 4,000 new rooms in Quintana Roo.

New for this winter is the 92-room Thompson Playa del Carmen, which debuted on November 16. It is sited on La Quinta Avenida, Playa’s two-mile, pedestrian-only thoroughfare with many shopping and dining options.

Ocean by H10 plans to open its third all-inclusive, five-star property in Riviera Maya, in December 2016. The new 970-room Ocean Riviera Paradise, will have four distinct guest subdivisions, including one for adults only and a family-friendly section with adjoining rooms and a children’s pool. Ocean by H10 also operates Ocean Coral & Turquesa in Puerto Morelos and Ocean Maya Royale in Playa Del Carmen.

Spanish hotel brands in Cancun and Riviera Maya will soon have better representation thanks to the creation of the National Association of Hotel Investors, with 40,000 representatives across such hotel chains as Riu, Iberostar, Excellent, Melia, Bahia Principe, Oasis, Barcelo and H10.