RCD Hotels anticipates a successful 2025: new hotels and amenities, renovations, sustainability and social awareness

What are your goals and strategy for this year?

We mainly want to continue growing and maintaining the presence of RCD properties in Latin America. As we have said for many years, RCD arrived with a specific sales team to stay in the region and be close to customers and business partners. We want to continue growing hand in hand with our business partners who have made RCD where it is today, with all the brands we work with, which fortunately we are increasing. 

Hard Rock is our best-positioned brand with five destinations, Punta Cana, Riviera Maya, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos, but our own brands are also very strong, such as UNICO and AVA, which opened last year with sustainability in its DNA, with ocean views and 1,600 rooms.

Our partnerships with Marriott also have very positive results. We opened three Residence Inns during the pandemic and two Marriotts in Santo Domingo, which expand our offerings, along with their coordination. 

We are very pleased because we continue to grow and it is a pleasure for us to be able to remain and expand the portfolio that we offer to our clients, friends and business partners. We are a company that is there to support, serve, generate, solve and establish a link between the needs of the market and the final product at the destination.

What assessment can you make of what happened in 2024?

It was definitely very positive, denoting the result of the actions of the commercial team in conjunction with the work of our travel agents and operators. It is a very well synchronized work because we are attentive to everything that happens, to the needs and variables.

We know that the Argentine market grew by almost 12% or 13%, so we are very happy and we already see 2025 in the same way. We can say that the numbers for Argentina in individuals are extraordinary. Obviously, we continue working in other segments as well, such as groups and weddings, which are part of the company's ecosystem. 

What can you tell us about other international markets?

Fortunately, we continue to grow. The Brazilian market, for example, is currently the most affected by political issues that are completely unrelated to the industry, and despite this, it has remained at almost 90% compared to last year. In addition, we are considering that people continue to bet on Mexico and the Dominican Republic, which are mainly the most popular destinations in Latin America. Despite the existence of offers in Europe or the United States, the Caribbean is and will always be a privileged destination. We also have a very strong presence in weddings and groups in the Peruvian and Paraguayan markets, as well as in the Guatemalan and Colombian markets.

It is important to have the three segments well-oiled; groups, both regional, incentives, corporate and others, the wedding segment, since we continue to bet heavily on romance, and the individual segment, trying to break that stereotype that many impose on us that Hard Rock is only for adults, but in reality it is focused on families. In fact, we launched promotions for this entire year with free children in the properties, in some cases up to 17 years old, and we have a whole investment for teenagers, with a specific area for them. There are almost 3 thousand square meters of space with trampolines, a play area, mazes, gaming and technology. We are already expanding the spectrum and many adults are included in this entertainment offer. So, we have seen the great demand and acceptance in the family segment and especially teenagers, and obviously when parents see their children happy, it is a vacation already guaranteed for them. 

We have seen the willingness they have for those looking for a wellness and sports offer.

Yes, it is important for us to always be attentive to the needs. Golf is still very strong. We have three courses, the one in Punta Maya and the one just behind the Ava property, which share the same entrance and access, and we also have the one in Riviera Maya. They are excellent golf courses, with high technology and obviously they are an option for sports for our guests.

We are attentive to the needs and renovations. Remember that Hard Rock Punta Cana finished its renovation last year, with its 1,800 rooms and 15 restaurants, and Hard Rock Riviera Maya also completed its renovation last year with the inclusion of Bike City and the specific area for adults. 

Another of the central issues in the offer is gastronomy, right?

We offer traditional Mexican, Italian, and Brazilian cuisine, and we have a healthy area with freshly made juices, which is very important because there is a portion of the population that eats healthy on vacation. In addition, we have very specific offerings, one of which is the Lebanese restaurant that is present in several of our properties. We also have a Yucatecan restaurant, which according to the Guinness record is the only food and gastronomic offering that has a dish for every day of the year. 

At the AVA Resort Cancun, which opened last year, we also have the Black Iron, which is a restaurant that serves exquisite steaks, with extraordinary cuts. We also have Arabic and Mediterranean food.

So, when it comes to gastronomic offerings, we try to vary and go beyond the conventional. In addition, we host gastronomic events at our properties, guest chefs come and obviously our guests can enjoy those dishes at no additional charge.

How does RCD Hotels work with local communities?

Nowadays this is a vital issue. Many people are beginning to consider it as a reason to select a hotel. 

The values ​​in our DNA are fundamental and we have been working on them for a long time. Our RCD foundation, on which we have been working hard since our Fam Fest event to familiarize travel agents in September, has been present, reaching out to the communities and raising awareness about the environment in which we work and the impact we leave on these communities. It is a great pleasure to be part of a company that cares for the area and the people around us.

When a hotel opens or is incorporated, thousands of jobs are created. How many employees does RCD Hotels have today?

In Mexico alone we are talking about almost 10 thousand employees. We have some foreign colleagues, but 90% or 95% are Mexican and many of them are obviously employees from nearby areas. In the operational part of the hotels; as chambermaids, waiters, gardeners and others, people from the regions of Mexico work. For us it is important to continue investing in this integral and social work. 

As a company, they have the Fam Fest and also an important promotion at fairs and in different countries…

With the Fam Fest, we have been generating a gratitude event for travel agents and the tourism industry for 10 years, which has been awarded in Spain with the awards of excellence within the framework of Fitur. For us it is a commitment because we have clients who have been with us since the beginning of this event. Obviously, changes are coming and many actions focused on the new pillars: social responsibility and environmental care.  

In addition, we are working hard to be present at as many events as possible throughout the region. We are kicking off this strong tour with Fam Fest Unidos, where we are doing specific promotion for Fam Fest Latam, and we are bringing you the latest news so that all travel agents can continue to register, book and record their sales in our Amplified Rewards program, where they can earn nights and money in dollars.

There are seven cities in different countries that we are going to visit on this tour. We start in Argentina on March 10 and we will be with the entire RCD local and corporate team doing this promotion.

We talked about social responsibility earlier, and there is another vital point, which is sustainability. What initiatives are being implemented in hotels in this area?

With the pandemic, it was something that generated a lot of notoriety in the tourism industry, and for us as a company it was quite bearable, because we already met many of the requirements that were asked of us.

With AVA Resort Cancun, which opened last year, we raised the bar a little higher than we were used to, both in terms of environmental and social awareness. This hotel is the pinnacle where all the environmental care systems and water care come together. We use Crystal Lagoon, which is a technology that is used in various parts of the world. In Mexico we are the first hotel to use it, with almost 3,000 cubic meters of saline water, which makes the water treatment last up to three years. The carbon footprint that we are leaving in terms of water care and recycling is very important.

In addition, AVA is a property whose 1,600 rooms are 100% self-sustaining, with solar panels that store energy in Tesla batteries. 

It gives us great satisfaction to be able to demonstrate that when we talk about luxury and comfort, the client is not affected in order to guarantee care for the environment and to take care of what we inherit to the next generations. For us, AVA Resort Cancun is not only a luxury hotel that is included in our own brand chain, but it is also a standard-bearer for caring for the environment. 

What are the company's future plans? 

With RCD, the truth is that we always have constant growth and we are pleased to be a 100% Mexican company that continues to grow with the association of its brand partners. We have targeted growth for the end of the year with our UNICO brand in a destination as beautiful as Puerto Vallarta. The opening is scheduled for the second half of 2025. There will be 300 rooms, obviously with the same concept that we manage with UNICO 20°87°. 

We want guests to feel that they are not only staying at a luxury adults-only property, but that they are also arriving at a hotel that has the essence of the destination.

What final message would you give to our audience of tourism industry professionals?

I think we should try to work in harmony and for mutual benefit. That is what we do at RCD and we love being able to work with friends rather than with partners. 

During these last 16 years that we have been at RCD, we have looked forward and we love having friends, and meeting and meeting again along the way with new programs, products or offers. We have to keep moving forward against all odds. 

The entire RCD team is here to support you and grow together.