In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Alfredo González, Director of Global Sales at Hilton.
What is the importance of All Inclusive for Hilton?
As you know, we have been developing our all-inclusive segment for the past five years. We started with a partnership with Playa Resorts, where several hotels were opened under the Hilton brand and extended to other brands, and then we began developing Hilton All-Inclusive as a segment.
Which one was the first?
The first was Hilton Vallarta Riviera in Puerto Vallarta and then we continued with Hilton Cancun, Hilton Honors Tulum and recently we opened the Hilton Cancun Mar Caribe in the hotel zone of Cancun.
All of these hotels in the Mexican Caribbean, except for the Hilton Cancun Mar Caribe, which is in the hotel zone, have meeting rooms. That is why the group segment is very important for the rest of the hotels, all of them equally.
A property is about to open in Miches. What's the latest on this development?
Miches is going to be opening at the end of the year, we are already accepting reservations at the hotel starting in February 2025. It is a luxury hotel, it is a Curio Collection brand. It is in a new area that is being developed in the Dominican Republic, you can get to Punta Cana airport and then 1 hour and a half drive to Miches.
It has 500 rooms, 100% all-inclusive restaurants, bars and entertainment for families. It is a family hotel, aiming for a higher level.
What benefits does Hilton offer to differentiate itself in the All Inclusive category?
The main thing is food and beverage. All of that knowledge from Hilton operating for more than 105 years has been brought to the all-inclusive hotels, and in the restaurants that we have open at night it is practically as if you were in a restaurant in a corporate hotel. It is a la carte, you can order the dish you want. There are different types of restaurants: Italian, Asian, steakhouses, Mexican. Premium drinks also make the difference. In addition, the minibar is included. The food and beverage part has been a big focus of our hotels, and we are also trying to make a difference in entertainment.
In relation to feed markets, which ones can we consider in priority order and where are they targeting in order to develop the markets?
The natural market is the United States due to the proximity and location of the hotels. However, in Latin America, Mexico is a very important market for our hotels.
Are they being promoted in Europe?
Yes, of course. We have just converted a hotel in Crete, Greece, to all-inclusive, it is a more boutique hotel, part of the Curio Collection, and all this development is going to continue growing.
You have several brands, which ones are the all-inclusive ones so far?
For now we have Hilton, Curio and Tapestry. In order of luxury, Curio is a little bit higher end, then there is Hilton, and Tapestry is a lifestyle brand that also targets a high end segment.
Apart from that, we have the entire development of all the other brands globally. We have more than 7,600 hotels, 25 brands in total today.
If someone has to take a prestigious hotel, why do they have to take Hilton?
Our main differentiator is service, and then it will depend on what type of brand the client is looking for, because we have luxury brands, full-service brands, full-service hotels and then there are the rest of the brands that are different depending on Lifestyle, focused service or suites.