Major luxury brands have responded to the growing surge of interest in all-inclusive vacations by investing for the first time in Europe-from-all-inclusive resorts as such for the US market, or vice versa. There, traditional luxury brands catering primarily to Caribbean and Mexican tourists would now look forward to satiating the region’s emerging and growing appetite for premium stays.
This is a significant shift in the landscape of luxury travel, where European travelers—and, for that matter, travelers to Europe—seek all-inclusive packages with convenient indulgence without sacrificing any high-end service and all the fine amenities synonymous with luxury brands.
Traditionally, the all-inclusive model was associated with middle-of-the-range hotels, creating an economical option that offered a single price for lodging, dining, and other activities. But US luxury hotels are now reviving it by mixing the convenience appeal of an all-inclusive with the experience luxury only they know.
All travelers want a stress-free getaway without worrying about room arrangements, where to eat, and other stuff they could do without making other prior arrangements. The more advanced the room booking is the more free time one could get for relaxing and exploratory purposes.
Among the first movers is Hyatt, which just expanded its Inclusive Collection following the acquisition of several upscale hotels in Europe, primarily in Spain and Greece. This brand caters to luxury resorts, a variety of gourmet dining and spa services, and activity curates to provide guests with the depth of local culture.
Hyatt’s all-inclusive resorts are designed to give the guest a unique combination of traditional European elegance and contemporary luxury service, making them the desirable alternative to traditional European hotel stays.
Marriott resorts are also entering Europe’s fast-growing all-inclusive sector, targeting premium properties, such as coastal resorts along Italy’s Amalfi Coast and Portugal’s scenic Algarve region, where they can deliver that versatile experience from family-orientated activities to all-adults-only facilities on the resort, enabling diverse inclusions for all. Marriott provides gourmet dining venues, private beach access, and customized excursions including the vineyard tour and local art workshop to indulge a desire for leisurely and cultural immersion.
Hilton has made significant investments in all-inclusive resorts along Europe’s Mediterranean coastline. It includes Turkish and Croatian locations among the investments.
Of its all-inclusive resort brands, wellness is a high priority with world-class spas and private beach cabanas providing a range of wellness programs to guests, such as private yoga and meditation classes. Through this feature of wellness addition to an all-inclusive experience, Hilton remains to attract more health-conscious travelers who need rejuvenation throughout their vacation.
It thus reflects what is becoming more and more the preference in travel in terms of having convenience allied with high-quality standards: the all-inclusive mode. With increasing numbers that now prefer an experience over materials, the latter model becomes a way in which everything that happens through its stay gets savored by the traveling individual without concerns as to high costs.
All these also resonate well into the recent post-pandemic phase of travel because of concern for safety and privacy or ease of preparation on the whole. US luxury hotel groups already very well experience these demands and are highly prepared to move into the all-inclusive market of Europe.
The trend is also similar to the demographic changes within the luxury travel sector: younger travelers and families seek a hassle-free experience. Extending into Europe’s all-inclusive market appeals to the luxury US hotel groups by having an appealing market wherein the luxury exclusivity within the high-end hospitality arena will go alongside with simplicity of the all-inclusive package. This move helps US hotel brands not only to meet current demand but also to prepare for future growth in an increasingly dynamic luxury travel environment.
Entry of luxury US hotel groups into the all-inclusive market of Europe has proven to be a new turn of the hospitality industry. At a time when all-inclusive concepts are very appealing to people, new waves of luxury are helping brands like Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton change their experience by redefining convenience through luxury and taking care of the new generations of luxury travelers in Europe. This strategy highlights luxury hospitality’s adaptability as well as underscores the rapidly growing popularity of the models around the world.
