Well here’s a partnership that I never saw coming…
Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel chain, has announced the addition of 19 all-inclusive resorts to its portfolio in partnership with Sunwing Travel Group, the parent company behind the Canada’s very own Sunwing Airlines.
These properties are expected to roll into the Marriott umbrella by mid-2021, and are expected to introduce new ways for Marriott Bonvoy members to redeem points for all-inclusive experiences.
19 All-Inclusive Resorts Will Join Marriott’s Autograph Collection
In recent years, Marriott has ramped up its plans to compete in the all-inclusive resort space and add more all-inclusive properties to its portfolio. Indeed, there are already a few such resorts where we can earn and redeem Bonvoy points, such as the Westin Reserva Conchal All-Inclusive in Costa Rica.
The hotelier has also indicated that many of its brands will eventually offer all-inclusive resorts, including The Ritz-Carlton, Westin, W Hotels, Luxury Collection, Autograph Collection, Marriott, and Delta by Marriott.
In partnering with Blue Diamond, the hotel subsidiary of Sunwing Travel Group, Marriott will take a major step in adding no less than 19 existing all-inclusive properties to its Autograph Collection brand and doubling its existing all-inclusive portfolio.
These 19 hotels are listed as follows:
In particular, the St. Lucia and Antigua properties will represent Marriott’s first foray into these markets.
While it’s always good to see new properties joining, I do question the choice of the Autograph Collection brand for these 19 new resorts. It would seem to me that the cookie-cutter nature of an all-inclusive resort fits better with something like a Delta or a Westin, rather than potentially diluting Autograph Collection’s reputation as a brand for upscale boutique properties around the world with a unique character.
(Indeed, Autograph Collections in the Caribbean have already been a bit of a cookie-cutter brand, such as the Atlantis Bahamas resorts, so this would only be a continuation of that trend.)
Then again, change was always going to be afoot with Marriott’s intention to grow in the all-inclusive space. I’ll be very interested to see what a Ritz-Carlton or W all-inclusive looks like, and whether these will dilute from the high standards that these brands have set or if Marriott can indeed find a winning formula.
Will We Be Able to Redeem Marriott Bonvoy Points?
It remains to be seen to what extent these resorts will participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program, including the ability to earn and redeem points, which hotel categories they’ll fall into, the ability to redeem Free Night Awards, and the elite status benefits that members receive.
Tony Capuano, Group President, Global Development & Design and Operations Services at Marriott International, was quoted as follows:
Sunwing Travel Group’s premium, all inclusive resorts will serve as excellent additions to the Marriott portfolio, adding two new leisure destinations – St. Lucia and Antigua – to our footprint and doubling our presence in this segment. We will draw on their expertise in the all inclusive segment to bring even more choices and exceptional experiences to our Marriott Bonvoy members.
Based on this statement, as well as existing all-inclusive resorts in the Marriott portfolio, I’d expect a high degree of integration with the Marriott Bonvoy program at the new all-inclusive resorts. And that would be a very good thing, since one of the common complaints about the all-inclusive travel style is the monotony of the “resort factory” experience, so it’d be great if elite status could provide some differentiation.
(Then again, with unlimited food and drinks already included in your stay, the properties would need to come up with some creative new benefits to deliver for high-status Bonvoy members.)
The other outstanding question is whether there might be a closer level of integration with Sunwing Airlines, who would presumably have favourable rates and access to these 19 properties under their parent company.
It would be interesting to see all-inclusive packages, including return flights from key Canadian markets, being offered for a Bonvoy redemption at a good value.
I think the most likely outcome here is that we’ll see all-inclusive packages being bookable as part of Marriott Bonvoy Moments, similar to offerings we’ve seen from Marriott’s other global partners in a variety of industries.
More Options for All-Inclusive Travel
The all-inclusive travel style can be pretty polarizing. It’s undeniably popular among the travelling public, and for that reason, some segments of more experienced travellers like to turn their noses up at it.
(“Don’t knock it until you try it,” they say. Many moons ago, I had taken an all-inclusive trip to Cayo Santa Maria in Cuba back in my university days, so I do feel I’m able to comment.)
The way I see it, an all-inclusive experience can be a solid entry-point for first-time travellers to get a taste of international travel and inspire them to embark on other trips in the future.
For groups of young adults or families on a tighter travel budget, an all-inclusive beach resort can be the simplest and most affordable way to enjoy a much-needed sunny getaway. If the traveller gets a chance to visit, say, Havana’s old town, Costa Rica’s jungles, or the ruins of Chichen Itza on a day trip, their curiosity might be piqued to pursue a more independent travel style in the future.
In a similar vein, the ability to earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy points at an all-inclusive resort can greatly expand the appeal of the Bonvoy program itself.
Previously, there was never a good way to book all-inclusive trips on points other than redeeming fixed-value currencies to offset the cost. If Marriott Bonvoy can fulfill that gap in the market and offer high-value ways to redeem points, it can also expand its loyalty program to cater to a much wider range of travellers in the long run.
I think Marriott’s increased involvement in the all-inclusive space will be a positive development for travellers on the whole, even if I don’t personally plan on booking an all-inclusive trip anytime soon (well, aside from the highly aspirational all-inclusive Al Maha Desert Resort Dubai, of course). 😉
Conclusion
Marriott International has partnered with our very own Sunwing Travel Group to add 19 new all-inclusive Caribbean resorts to its Autograph Collection brand in 2021. It’s expected that Marriott Bonvoy members will have access to a wider range of choices if they’re interested in redeeming points for an all-inclusive stay.
While the all-inclusive travel style may not be the most appealing to more experienced travellers, it remains undeniably popular among the general public, so it’s always good to have more options on the horizon for booking all-inclusive stays a lower cost.
I look forward to seeing how Marriott will integrate the all-inclusive resort model with its Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, as well as what future all-inclusive resorts under other brands like Ritz-Carlton and W Hotels might look like.
Just wondering if I can collect points see on my booking. I just booked the Royalton Riviera through Sunwing for a week in April and was curious if my Gold Status meant anything there or not.
If focusing purely on money – all inclusives can actually be costlier. A week at a Hard Rock resort could be in the range of $3K per, so $6k for two. If we focus on collecting enough pts currencies to cover the flights and perhaps some hotel stays, then that $6K can easily cover a nice 2 or 3 week trip afar.
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that it’ll still make more “sense” for the seasoned points practitioner to pay cash and then reap the points haul from elite status, credit cards etc. Of course, the “gotcha” Marriott may be counting on is that paying cash for these resorts is still a lot of……cash. So in essence they’re opening a pressure release valve to let people with lots of points (but no real inclination to use them the way we do) use them in a way that they couldn’t before, rather than just sitting on them (and points on the books are a liability hanging over their head). Redemption value may be piss poor, but they’ve shrewdly targeted a segment of the points arena that isn’t going for high value aspirational, and didn’t have a “niche” redemption option to get them to use those points rather than hoard them.
My first few travels were to all inclusive resorts and I have since lost the draw to them, as it’s nice to get out and explore, without feeling like you need to rush back to the hotel for your “free” meal and drinks that you have already paid for. On the flip side, post pandemic (or at least when travel restrictions start to ease and infection levels drop) I foresee the all inclusive model as being a popular choice for travelers to ease into travel or test out the travel experience, as opposed to multi city/flights/hotels. I think that people will still be hesitant to go back to cruises and the AI resorts will receive some of that market. I booked a spec trip to Bali for this Xmas and my significant other talked me down to just booking a week in Maui to put our toes back in the water, so to speak.
All inclusives are actually what I tend to gravitate towards if choosing a hot destination, when I go to have fun on the beach and drink and eat I dont want to think about how to save every last penny, its why I loved going to Atlantis where so many people cant stop thinking about the cost, I don’t go on multiple trips per year because of the kids and life stages so when i go I prioritize 2 things: comfort and convenience……different travellers different needs though like everything….
For me the biggest eyebrow raiser for me is if I had to take a sunwing flight at 6’2″ 280 lbs I am not sitting in economy and certainly not in a sunwing or transat or any other sardine packer airplane, 19″ of seat pitch I cant actually put my feet in front of me, not happening.
That said more options is always a good thing, and I may even take advantage of the new options upon a time.
I think the “all-inclusive” part refers to the Hotel and not the flight to get you there. I don’t see how BV could offer the flight as part of a package since the cost would vary widely depending on the time of year and departure city.
Sometimes you go on vacation sometimes you travel.
For families with young kids and limited time available. All-inclusive is an option.
I use this option for a quick winter getaway where I don’t want to think about airbnb or buy food in the local supermarket and so on.
It is not an option for everybody. Also there are some levels of All-Inclusive. It is not the same to stay in the budget Riu than on the Riu Palace. for example.
Informative thought: Cancun, Planet Hollywood in 2018 in October cost me and my wife 2500/pp CND for a 7 night stay including taxes and air from Sunwing. In USD just for hotel I would say its like 1500 usd? 1500 usd ÷ 7 nights works out to 250 a night.. that would be maximum a 4 or a stretch 5 category hotel.
At these levels paying cash would always be better than using points. God forbid Mariott charges a premium for us to visit these low cost hotels, not sure what they are thinking here. You can get insane value for example by going to Maldives or Bali from your points why would you ever ever agree to overpay just for an all inclusive?
Lastly, why have Plat status at all if you are at an all inclusive? Your perks and upgrades are super discounted. How come no one is picking up on this?
I picked up on this: “(Then again, with unlimited food and drinks already included in your stay, the properties would need to come up with some creative new benefits to deliver for high-status Bonvoy members.)”
All-inclusives do have their place – on some trips I want to discover new corners of the world, but on other trips I just want to remove my brain from any possible decision-making for a week. We can get picky about Branding in our hobby, but more points options are always better. Having to fly Sunwing to get to them though, that’s something else entirely.
Fully agree, more optionality can only be a good thing. Let’s just hope the properties are reasonably priced when they join the program.
Depends where you’re flying out of. On the East Coast, we’re pretty much always have to stuck go through YUL or YYZ if we fly Air Canada, even for sun destinations. But Sunwing & Air Transat fly direct. The idea of Sunwing potentially being part of a major loyalty program would be a huge deal here.
True dat!