Why Luxury All-Inclusive Resorts Are One Of The Hottest Travel Trends

When I graduated from college my girlfriend and I went to an all-inclusive Club Med Caribbean resort where guests were divided into two “Olympic” teams for a series of competitions that concluded with a beer guzzling relay race. Really. In between “events” we dined on mediocre buffet food offered in endless quantities. That was a long time ago, and the good news is that the all-inclusive model has evolved dramatically, and for the better. It is now being embraced at the highest end of luxury travel by Forbes 4 and 5-Star properties and some of the most venerable hotel brands, such as Four Seasons and Ritz-Carton. This has been developing for quite some time, but now it is catching fire, and suddenly luxury all-inclusive resorts are one of the hottest travel trends.

The Hottest Travel Trends

I am just back for the annual North American edition of the International Luxury Travel Market trade show in the Bahamas, one of the most important industry events in high-end travel (there’s a second even bigger annual International ILTM show in Cannes, France). This is where many of the top travel advisors (the luxury term for travel agents) gather to meet with marquee brands in hotels, resorts, spas, cruises, aviation, tour operators, and every other niche in luxury travel, to learn and network and return with new ideas and expertise for their traveling consumer clients.

By the way, if you are not currently using a travel advisor to plan your vacations you are missing out in a big way. There are many reasons why you should use an advisor, from less hassle with the horrific state of airlines to free room upgrades and extras at hotels and on cruises, much better local guides and food tours than you will find on the internet yourself, VIP experiences and access to museums and attractions. This is all in addition to deep expertise that will help you choose better destinations and plan better trips to begin with. It can save you money and will definitely save you time. The top industry group, the American Society of Travel Advisors, has a credentialing program certifying better advisors as Verified Travel Advisors, and they recently launched a site, VeriVacation.com, to help consumers easily find a good verified advisor match based on the type of travel they’re hoping to book, from African safaris to Polar expeditions, or by regions.

Just about anyone and everyone in the luxury travel field attends one of the ILTM shows, and the big international hotel brands have executives come and speak, discussing current and future trends, plans, openings and expansions. Many of the biggest companies in recent years have made it a practice to commission industry surveys and consumer studies of trends, many of which are shared with the media for the very first time at ILTM.

I listened to presentations by and/or had meeting with executives from Marriott/Bonvoy, Hilton, Hyatt and Accor, each of which has multiple (in many cases dozens) brands in its portfolio. A recurring theme I heard over and over was the expansion into luxury all-inclusives, something all of these companies have already started and are planning on doing much more of.

Why Go All-Inclusive?

No matter what your budget, no one like overpaying, unpleasant financial surprises, or worst of all, the feeling of being ripped off. As an example, with the well-publicized drop-off of travel to Las Vegas, many consumers interviewed cited the city’s high-price nickel and diming of guests with “resort fees,” extra charges for which guests typically get absolutely nothing hotels do not already offer; extortionate parking fees even for self-parking; extra high-priced adult beverages at every turn; and simply outrageous mini-bar fees, with one of the most famous Strip hotels charging $26 for a regular bottle of water.

But it’s not just Vegas: many luxury resorts, especially in secluded destinations where you are on an island or cannot walk to town charge extra-high rates simply because they know they have a captive audience, and many travelers are just sick of being treated like a personal ATM for the hotel industry.

Choosing an all-inclusive lets you know pretty much what your bill will be at the end of the vacation, avoiding surprises, and is much better for budgeting. It is also just mentally freeing and creates an extra sense of indulgence. The concept is especially attractive for those who consume a lot of alcoholic drinks, or for large families, where extras like overpriced resort breakfasts and poolside snacks quickly add up on normal vacations.

What Is A Luxury All-Inclusive?

The difference between the budget all-inclusive popular for decades in Mexico and the Caribbean, especially hotbeds such as the Riveira Maya and Dominican Republic (like the one I went to a few decades back) and the new generation is across the board in the quality of food, drink and lodging. In general, almost no all-inclusives are actually all-inclusive, and items they almost all charge extra for include spa treatments, specialty sports such as golf, skiing and motorized watersports, personal training, and in most cases, specialty or top shelf liquors and wines, often with an optional “reserve“ list for those who want to spend more to have pricier beverages.

The budget properties typically had lackluster lodging and blase all you can eat food, with a focus on buffets, whereas the new generation luxury all-inclusive has sit down specialty restaurants, serving Italian, French, sushi and steakhouse, often eschews buffets entirely, and in many cases are just as good as typical upscale a la carte hotel restaurants. Some of the newer properties have no upcharge for premium adult beverages and instead offer deeper, better wine lists and top shelf spirits for all guests. A Marriott exec described the “indulgence” of ordering The Macallan, the world’s most acclaimed Scotch whisky, and not something typically available without paying a premium, from the included offerings at a new all-inclusive W Resort in the Dominican Republic, the brand’s first ever and purpose built to be all-inclusive.

Rooms are also much more elegant and often competitive with 5-Star resorts, down to features like individual plunge pools or swim up balconies opening onto larger pools, oversized private jetted tubs, and some are all-suite configurations. Some even offer private villas.

More activities are typically included without extra cost, from gym and yoga classes to tennis, pickleball, bikes, non-motorized watersports and more. In some cases, this goes above and beyond, such as the all-inclusive golf packages with greens fees at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic, a very rare extra, as is included downhill skiing at ultra-luxe 5-Star all-inclusives such as Vermonts Twin Farms and top luxury dude ranches in Montana and Wyoming. In rare cases even spa treatments are included, such as at the Four Seasons Naviva (limited during the stay) or at destination fitness resorts such as the Ranch Malibu or Greece’s Euphoria Retreat which also tend to be run on an all-inclusive basis (without booze).

Existing Luxury All-Inclusives (Old School)

Fo years there have been a handful of standout all-inclusive true luxury escapes, headlined by Vermont’s Twin Farms, long one of the smallest properties in the world to win Forbes 5-Star status. I’ve been a few times and this is not just one of the best all-inclusives, it is one of the finest lodging experiences in the country period, and it has won just about top every award in the industry, from Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report best in the U.S. to the most recent Number One in New England 2025 from Conde Nast Traveler.

Stunning gourmet farm to table meals with curated ingredients are better than the vast majority of high-end restaurants, personally customized for each guest, with perfectly picked wine pairing choices. Everything you could want, from picnic baskets and champagne delivered to you trailside mid-hike to midnight warm chocolate chip cookies brought to your room is also part of the stay. The resort has a private alpine ski area, fly fishing lake and extensive summer and winter trail system with Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking and more. Twin Farms has always been at the outside edge of this particular envelope and recently expanded with the addition of new luxury “Treehouse” units, which I profiled here at Forbes.

Very similar to style as Twin Farms is Colorado’s Dunton Hot Springs, outside Telluride, another luxury boutique resort with personally curated meals, included adult beverages and outdoor recreation, except it is set in a former Old West ghost town with lodging in restored historic structures such as the sheriff’s office. Other top examples of existing U.S. properties include top luxury dude ranches such as Ranch at Rock Creek, Triple Creek Ranch, and Brush Creek Ranch, all Forbes 4 or 5-Star properties run as all-inclusives (though many pricey guest ranches, such as the Resort at Paws Up, are not).

Outside the U.S., there are many examples of true luxury all-inclusives, and this category is headlined by the many stunning boutique African safari lodges, brands like Singita, Royal Malewane, andBeyond, Great Plains Conservation and more, the vast majority of which are extremely all-inclusive, down to game drives and laundry. Safaris have been trending lately, and there are so many new lodges in so many places it is hard to keep track of, and planning a safari is serious business that should be left to top professionals such as acknowledged industry leader and the only 10-Time winner of Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best, Micato Safaris. Safaris are quite expensive vacations, but a true once-in-a-lifetime experience and the good news is that these are trips where you know going in pretty much exactly what your costs will be. Last year I wrote a comprehensive safari article here at Forbes covering a lot of this.

Another category of lodges like safari that tend to be all-inclusive are outdoor adventure resorts in South America, which typically include all food, wine and beverages as well as a huge slate of guide daily activities, hiking, biking, rafting, horseback, and more. The classic leader and creator of this category is Explora (not to be confused with the newer and unrelated cruise line Explora Journeys), an eco-friendly and conservation-focused family-owned company with top shelf luxury lodges across Chile, Argentina, Peru and Bolivia. I have traveled to several Explora lodges and they are excellent, among my favorites in all of active travel, and I wrote most recently about a new one in Patagonia here at Forbes. Other competitors in this space include Tierra, Awasi and andBeyond.

Turkiye (formerly Turkey) is especially strong in luxury all-inclusive resorts, both at the beach (Bodrum) and golf coast (Belek), but the portfolio even includes ski resorts, an all-inclusive rarity. There is probably no better value in this category, and I am a big fan of travel to Turkiye in general, it has a lot of great food, great nature, great culture and a tremendous bang for the buck. Turkish Airlines flies to more destinations than any carrier in the world, including more than a dozen North American gateways with non-stop service, and typically wins best business class and best coach in Europe despite consistently having some of the lowest fares.

If you want a luxury trip with no costly surprises that begins as soon as you get to the airport it is hard to beat Turkiye, where many of the top resorts have over-the-top suites and private villas with private pools or swim up accommodations, and excellent food to match. They take all-inclusive so seriously that it includes in-room minibars and often extends to beverage carts on the golf courses, unheard of, and clubhouse meals even when playing courses at competing resorts. I did a story on golf in Turkiye here at Forbes, but wherever you go in the country, top all-inclusive resort brands include Maxx Royal, Gloria and Kaya Palazzo, along with international big names such as Kempinski.

New Wave of All-Inclusives

The big change is all-inclusive coming to mainstream brands previously not known for this kind of pricing and operation, which in many cases opens them up to the point-obsessed members of loyalty programs such as Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt. Four Seasons stuck its toe in the water with Naviva, even fancier than the larger Forbes 5-Star Four Seasons Punta Mita Resort it is attached to. This jewel box boutique resort occupies a gorgeous 48-acre coastal enclave and gives guests the best of both worlds, access to Punta Mita’s two Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses, marina and endless array of activities and facilities, though many never leave the oasis. It has just 15 luxury safari-inspired tented villas with private pools, its own beach, its own hiking trails, spa, fitness center and watersports, and incredible inclusion, from top shelf tequila to private cooking lessons to fishing to pretty much anything you ask for. A set number of spa treatments and private yoga classes are also included in rates, very unusual, and Naviva is an exceptional standout property, radically different from every other Four Seasons, expect for the stellar service levels. I wrote about it and the rest of Punta Mita here at Forbes.

Marriott recently opened the first all-inclusive resort in its luxury W brand, in the Dominican’s Punta Cana, an adult-only property with a whopping 13 sit down restaurants and no buffet, a mark of distinction in the all-inclusive space. This is the one mentioned above with no extras for premium liquors and wines. In Marriott’s high-tier Luxury Collection, home of iconic properties like the Gritti Palace in Venice and Prince de Galles in Paris, they recently added the Sanctuary, an all-inclusive within the Dominican’s Cap Cana community, and there are other all-inclusive Luxury Collection properties in Mexico, Almare and Paraiso de la Bonita. Westin, another brand in Marriott’s luxury tier, has several all-inclusive resorts in different countries including Panama, Brazil, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Autograph Collection, Marriott’s brand of distinctive luxury independent hotels that defy easy categorization, has an all-inclusive Royalton in Antigua, along with properties in Los Cabos, Mexico, Barbados, Jamaica and Grenada. The hotel giant just announced plans for the first ever all-inclusive Ritz-Carlton, purpose built and opening in the Dominican Republic in 2028. All of these fall under the Bonvoy program umbrella.

Hilton (and Hilton Honors) has several all-inclusives in its Curio Collection, comparable to Marriott’s Autograph with luxury one-of-a-kind independent-style properties. These include Curacao, the Dominican Republic, and ultra-popular Greece. They also have Hilton branded properties in Turkiye, alongside the homegrown luxury brands such as Maxx Royal and Kaya Palazzo.

Hyatt (World of Hyatt) has rolled out a higher tier of its all-inclusive Secrets brand, Impression by Secrets, currently positioned as its current top tier luxury badge, with limitless top-shelf spirits, 24-hour room service dining, and an all-suite setup with private butlers. There are two locations in Mexico.

In recent years there ahs also been a spate of homegrown luxury all-inclusive brands in Mexico and the Caribbean, several of which have even earned Forbes 4-Stars, previously unthinkable for large all-inclusive resorts and the same rating as many traditional high-priced a la carte resorts in these areas from top brands such as Banyan Tree, Thompson, Belmond, Fairmont, Four Seasons, Nobu, One & Only, Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis.

The leading example is gourmet food driven brand Grand Velas, which has two 4-star winners in the Yucatan Peninsula, featuring what it calls “Beyond All-Inclusive,” all suites with jetted hot tubs, private plunge pools, multiple fine dining and gourmet restaurants, 24-hour room service, mini-bar, fitness classes, and premium beverages. The multiple Hotel Xcaret properties in the Mayan Riviera also earn 4-Stars, as does one of the Paradisus resorts. Several others are Fobes Recommended, including the Grand Fiesta group.

All-Inclusive Ski & Snowboard Vacations

Skiing and snowboarding is one kind of vacation where travelers can really benefit from all-inclusive because prices for ski-in/out luxury hotels have skyrocketed in recent years, and high priced extras confront visitors at every turn, especially families, from $60 for a so-so breakfast buffet to unscrupulous resort fees, excessive parking and $30 après cocktails—before gear rentals, lift tickets and rentals. Unfortunately, when it comes to these winter vacations, there are not many luxury all-inclusive options.

This is why I have been a huge fan of the European staffed chalet model, where instead of staying in a hotel you choose a luxury chalet with first rate amenities that often include indoor pools, gyms, saunas, hot tubs, billiard rooms and home theaters, all for your private group, instead of sharing these with strangers for $1500 a night at many top U.S. resorts. These chalets have exquisite food, often better than eating out, even in Europe, and easily better than most U.S. ski resort restaurants, even at the highest end.

Breakfast, lunch, après canapes, multi-course gourmet dinners and frequent snacks are all included and customized to your wishes, along with unlimited top shelf spirits, paired wines and free flowing real (French) champagne. Included are private drivers to whisk you into town for shopping or nightlife, and unlike “house cars” at luxury hotels, they are there for you all the time and you don’t have to hope for first come, first served availability. If you have special dietary needs (vegan, gluten free, nut free), instead of dealing with it at every meal, your private chef handles it from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave.

These are luxury vacations for sure, but also incredible values and the pricing just cannot be beat, especially when compared to luxury ski hotels. Chalets don’t include the skiing or instruction, but most of the major French, Swiss and Italian resorts where they are found—the largest ski resorts in the world, dwarfing anything in North America—are on one of the popular unlimited ski passes, Epic or Ikon. Even if they are not, lift tickets are much cheaper in Europe, and last winter I paid less for a 5-day pass to Val d’Isère—the largest ski resort in the world—than for a one day ticket over peak holiday season at Jackson Hole or Deer Valley. Lessons are half to a third what they cost in the U.S., even though instructors are subject to more rigorous qualification standards, and chalets offer their guests further discounts on lessons and gear rentals.

All in, a luxury, decadent and totally private chalet stay at a top European resort runs half to a third what a similar quality stay at a ski-in/out luxury hotel in the U.S. would run, and even flights are often less expensive these days. This is a subject I wrote about here in detail at Forbes. In fact, last winter I did a story showing how a family ski trip to Europe saved so much that the difference covered paid business class tickets.

This is not a new part of the all-inclusive landscape, but a lot of chalets have been added recently as demand has grown, and it is largely new to the U.S. market. Just a few years ago almost no Americans knew about this and the popularity has skyrocketed to the point where major chalet agencies are reporting more than half their business from our country for the first time. I have used a British company called Purple Ski several times and they do a great job, but other popular brands include Eterniti, or chalets can be arranged through specialty ski tour operators such as U.S. based Alpine Adventures, a favorite of mine.

Twin Farms, an ultra-luxe all-inclusive described above, has its own small alpine ski area, best suited for beginners and is a wonderful place to try skiing for the first time, with one on attention and zero crowds. Like almost everything else at Twin Farms it is included in the rates. The Forbes 5-Star Magee Homestead and Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming also has a larger private ski area—with sno-cat skiing—and two other top luxury dude ranches in Montana, Ranch at Rock Creek and Triple Creek Ranch both have included skiing with lift tickets , transportation and meals at large full-service nearby ski resorts.

I also mentioned the impressive luxury market for all-inclusive beach and golf resorts in Turkiye above, and this extends to skiing, albeit at resorts that are small by U.S standards. But if you want a uniquely foreign luxury ski experience with everything included, check out the Kaya Palazzo Ski & Mountain Resort Kartalkaya, though for some reason Kaya Palazzo dislikes “all-inclusive” and calls its concept “Full Board Plus.” Whatever you call it, here it includes luxury lodging, four meals a day, adult beverages and even the skiing.