More Inclusive and All-Fun Inclusive Concepts Aim to Extend Tourist Stays in the Mexican Caribbean

Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo — For decades, the promise of an all-inclusive vacation was simple: book a room and leave your wallet in the safe while meals, drinks and entertainment were provided inside the resort.

Two of the Mexican Caribbean’s largest tourism groups are now expanding that formula beyond the hotel gates. Grupo Lomas and Grupo Xcaret are packaging accommodations with airport transfers, water parks, cenote excursions, sailing trips and other activities in an effort to attract affluent travelers, fill more days of their vacations and encourage longer stays.

Grupo Lomas introduced its More Inclusive program in April 2024, as the tourism industry continued adjusting to changes in traveler behavior after the pandemic. Grupo Xcaret’s All-Fun Inclusive concept predates the health crisis, having launched with Hotel Xcaret México in December 2017.

Although the two models differ, both sell the same basic idea: the hotel should serve as the starting point for a destination-wide vacation rather than the place where guests spend nearly all their time.

Grupo Lomas takes guests beyond the resort

Grupo Lomas, one of the Mexican Caribbean’s longest-established tourism companies, was founded in 1981 by Dolores “Lolita” López Lira and José Luis Martínez Alday. Its businesses now include hotels, transportation, excursions and attractions, giving the company many of the components needed to assemble a vacation under one umbrella.

López Lira, president of Grupo Lomas, said the More Inclusive program combines upscale accommodations, round-trip transportation from Cancún International Airport and access to a selection of off-property experiences.

Depending on the participating resort, guests may be able to sail on a catamaran, snorkel on a reef, use nonmotorized water equipment, swim in a cenote, explore underground rivers, visit an ecotourism ranch or spend a day at Aqua Nick, the Nickelodeon-themed water park.

The package also includes access to Maroma Beach, where listed experiences include a beachfront brunch, food and drinks, and selected marine activities.

Participating properties include El Dorado Royale, El Dorado Casitas Royale, Generations Riviera Maya, El Dorado Seaside Suites, El Dorado Seaside Palms, Hidden Beach Resort, El Dorado Maroma and the Palafitos Overwater Bungalows.

López Lira described the program as a combination of luxury accommodations, ecotourism, regional food, premium drinks and water-based recreation. She said it has been drawing visitors with greater purchasing power and delivering encouraging results for the group.

The experience is not entirely spontaneous, however. Grupo Lomas advises that activities are subject to availability and generally require advance reservations through the hospitality desks at participating hotels. Exact benefits can also vary by property, room category and length of stay. Some promotions, for example, limit Aqua Nick admission to one visit for stays of three nights or longer.

Travelers should therefore confirm the inclusions attached to their specific reservation rather than assume every excursion is unlimited.

Xcaret built its hotel model around access to its parks

Grupo Xcaret took a similar approach when it entered the hotel business in 2017. Instead of adding excursions to a conventional resort package, the company designed Hotel Xcaret México around unlimited access to its existing network of parks.

Its All-Fun Inclusive program now operates at Hotel Xcaret México, Hotel Xcaret Arte and La Casa de la Playa.

The package generally includes accommodations, food and drinks, airport transportation, transfers to company attractions and admission to parks including Xcaret, Xel-Há, Xplor, Xplor Fuego, Xenses and Xoximilco, along with the Xenotes tour.

Guests can also receive Xcaret Xailing ferry tickets to Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, transportation to the departure piers and selected catamaran experiences.

The result is a vacation that can be unusually active. A guest could spend one day snorkeling at Xel-Há, another riding zip lines at Xplor, an evening at Xplor Fuego and a separate day exploring Xcaret’s cultural attractions and underground rivers, all without purchasing standard admission tickets separately.

Not every outing works the same way. Xcaret and Xplor ordinarily allow guests to board hotel transportation without advance park reservations, while Xel-Há, Xenotes, Xoximilco and some other experiences require reservations through the concierge. Dining restrictions, premium experiences and inclusions can also differ by hotel and room category.

Airport transfers are included, but guests must follow the company’s schedules and booking instructions. Hotel Xcaret México advertises regular shuttle departures throughout the day, while La Casa de la Playa asks guests to arrange its private transfer service at least 24 hours before arrival.

A different kind of luxury traveler

Traditional all-inclusive resorts grew rapidly in Cancún and the Riviera Maya during the 1990s by offering predictability. Visitors paid most of the vacation cost in advance and could eat, drink and relax without calculating every expense.

The newer model adds convenience outside the resort. For families and active travelers, the appeal is not simply unlimited meals and drinks but the ability to build a full itinerary without repeatedly arranging transportation, buying admission tickets or comparing excursion companies.

That convenience comes at a premium. These programs are aimed largely at guests who can afford higher nightly rates but want clarity about the total vacation cost.

For the hotel groups, bundling more services provides another advantage: more of the visitor’s spending remains within the same company. The room, airport transfer, meals, tours, parks and ferry journey may all be operated by related businesses.

It can also encourage travelers to book longer visits. A conventional beach vacation may be planned around three or four nights, but a package containing multiple parks and excursions is difficult to complete in a short stay.

López Lira said high-spending visitors are particularly valuable during slower or more difficult operating seasons. She added that the Mexican Caribbean is improving the experience it offers and receiving an increasingly strong response from international travelers.

More freedom, but within a managed itinerary

The packages solve a common vacation-planning problem, but they do not necessarily provide unlimited access to everything in the region.

Travelers remain largely inside each company’s tourism network. Someone staying at an Xcaret hotel receives significant value by visiting Xcaret attractions, while a More Inclusive guest is directed toward experiences operated or arranged through Grupo Lomas.

That can be ideal for visitors who value convenience, dependable transportation and a predictable total price. Travelers who prefer independent restaurants, locally operated tours or unplanned day trips may find the packages less flexible.

Before booking, guests should compare the room rate against the experiences they will realistically use. A package containing six parks is not necessarily a bargain for someone who intends to spend most of the week beside the pool.

They should also check which activities require reservations, whether food and drinks are included during off-property outings, how often transportation operates and whether weather-related cancellations can be rescheduled.

The traditional all-inclusive is not disappearing. But in the Riviera Maya’s increasingly competitive luxury market, the room, buffet and beach are no longer always enough. The next contest is over who can package the most compelling version of the entire destination.