It’s been a big week for Hyatt, which has announced a myriad of openings, as well as planned expansions across a variety of brands all over the globe.
As far as openings, the company’s Zilara brand debuted in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. The all-inclusive, adults-only Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya has 291 rooms and suites, as well as nine restaurants, bars and lounges, activities such as aqua aerobics, water sports, cooking lessons and live performances, and a Zen Spa that houses 10 indoor treatment rooms.
Hyatt also launched Secrets Impression Resorts & Spas as it continues to expand its luxury all-inclusive portfolio. The adults-only brand will offer guests a romantic ambiance, gourmet dining and heightened level of service as part of its “Endless Privileges” concept. The first resort in this new line is the recently opened Secrets Impression Moxché, located within Corasol, a gated community in the heart of Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
In the Caribbean, Zoëtry Marigot Bay St. Lucia, part of Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection, has officially opened. The resort marks the Zoëtry brand’s debut into the destination of St. Lucia. There are 124 rooms, comprising penthouse residences, master suite residences and junior suites. Room may include plunge pools, fully equipped kitchens and master bathrooms with double vanities and rain shower; plus, guests also have access to concierge, personal assistant and private butler services.
Looking forward, the hotel company is planning to significantly grow its Independent Collection brands—including The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Destination by Hyatt and JdV by Hyatt—through 2025. New properties are set for Mexico, Finland, India, Switzerland, Florida, China, Rhode Island and France, among others. Many of these are on the smaller side, ranging from 41 to 231 rooms.
No Place Like Hotels for the Holidays: Hyatt also released the findings of a recent study, which found that nearly two-thirds of people traveling with families this festive season prefer to stay at a hotel or resort rather than a home rental. In addition, 61 percent of respondents said they would be excited to receive travel or an experience—such as a vacation, plane tickets, spa and meditation session or a cooking class—as a gift.
Also detailing its expansion plans this week was Meliá Hotels International, which anticipates launching eight properties across the globe in 2023, including several new luxury resorts. Upcoming luxury hotel openings include: Palazzo Cordusio, a Gran Meliá Hotel in Milan; Ngorongoro Lodge, a Meliá Collection Hotel in Tanzania; ME Malta; ME Lisbon; ME Guadalajara in Mexico; Paradisus Gran Canaria, Paradisus Salinas in Lanzarote; and Gran Meliá Nha Trang in Vietnam.
New Leaders
Two Caribbean resorts this week announced new general managers.
Four Seasons Resort Nevis named Billy Cueto as its new general manager. A 20-year Four Seasons veteran, Cueto brings to his role vast, international luxury hospitality experience. Prior to joining Four Seasons Resort Nevis, he most recently served as resort manager at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach; before that, he spent time as resort manager at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla. Cueto has worked across six different Four Seasons properties in total.
As well, Hôtel Barrière Le Carl Gustaf St. Barth announced the appointment of William Numa as its new GM. In his role, Numa will oversee the entire hotel, which is one of the Barrière Group’s flagship properties and opened in October 2020. Numa has been in the hospitality industry for two decades. In his most recent role, he ran the Quatrième Mur, in the Bordeaux region, one of the properties affiliated with Michelin-starred celebrity chef Philippe Etchebest.
Sustainable Travel
The Wood Hotel has opened its doors in the birthplace of cross-country skiing, Skellefteå, in Swedish Lapland. Made almost exclusively from wood, the new hotel is part of a four-night “Wood Hotel Experience” from Off the Map Travel. The 20-story hotel is made almost entirely from spruce and pine, sourced from the neighboring forests. It has 205 rooms, a rooftop spa and three restaurants, including an Italian café, an Asian restaurant and one with locally sourced, Sami-inspired food.
Elsewhere, The Travel Corporation introduced verified net-zero targets validated by the Science Based Target initiative. The group’s approach prioritizes reductions and eliminates the use of offsets, while its not-for-profit foundation, TreadRight, will prioritize nature-based solutions in support of its three pillars: Planet, people and wildlife. Initially the company planned to be carbon neutral by 2030 but has upped the ante, instead aiming to be net zero by 2050. (For clarification, achieving net zero means the removal of all greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere—not just carbon.)
What You Need to Know
This week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that enforcement of the REAL ID will not begin until May 7, 2025—two full years after the previously set date of May 3, 2023. In the interim, this means people traveling domestically within the United States can continue to use their existing form of identification.
Also important: Hilton partnered with Amadeus to implement its API within the Amadeus distribution system. The Amadeus GDS is the first to directly integrate with the company’s API, which means both Hilton and Amadeus will benefit from a faster, more advanced connection to the GDS channel in areas such as credit card information, cancelation policies, and meal plan details.
Related Stories
Princess Cruises Returns to Japan in 2023
Grand Central Terminal Tours Return After Pandemic Pause