Hyatt Expands All-Inclusive Offerings With Playa Resorts

Playa Hotels and Resorts operates a host of all-inclusive properties in a number of scenic locations across Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. And soon, it’ll be doing so as part of an even larger hospitality company. Earlier this month, Hyatt extended an exclusive arrangement with Playa Hotels and Resorts involving “potential strategic alternatives,” and now those discussions have reached one expected conclusion: Hyatt will spend roughly $2.6 billion to acquire the resort company.

As Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian explained in a statement, this acquisition builds upon an existing relationship between the two companies.

“We have respected and benefitted from Playa’s operating expertise and outstanding guest experience delivery for years through their ownership and management of eight of our Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara hotels,” Hoplamazian said. “This pending transaction allows us to broaden our portfolio while providing more value to all of our stakeholders through an expanded management platform for all-inclusive resorts.”

Based on Hyatt’s announcement, this very wide-ranging transaction is set to be followed by a number of additional deals. According to the company’s press release, once this sale closes, Hyatt “intends to identify third-party buyers for Playa’s owned properties,” which they believe will bring in $2 billion by 2027.

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In an analysis of the deal for The Points Guy, Cameron Sperance and Ellie Nan Storck noted that this announcent, coupled with Hyatt’s 2021 purchase of Apple Leisure Group, shows Hyatt taking an even larger stake in the inclusive resort business.

Between deals like this and the growth of the cruise ship sector, there’s a lot of money being invested in all-encompassing travel options — even as the concept of “slow tourism” also gains ground. It feels like there’s a shift afoot in the industry, but where it ends up remains to be seen.

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Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…