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Playa Del Carmen’s Hottest Hotels Aren’t What You Think – Why Small Is The New Luxury

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Travelers to Playa del Carmen are thinking small for their spring holiday beach vacation getaways this year.

In fact, many of the popular boutique resort hotels in the popular Mexican Caribbean travel hotspot are projected to be sold out for the very busy peak spring holiday travel period.

No Room at the Inn

Playa del Carmen City Center

The trend is small hotels for the spring holidays this year, especially in the popular resort town of Playa del Carmen.

According to officials with the Organization of Small Hotels in the Center of Playa del Carmen, occupancy for the boutique hotels is expected to be 85 to 95 percent or more during the peak of the upcoming spring holiday period.

“For Holy Thursday and Good Friday, we definitely expect to be above 95% and during Holy Week in general above 90% and Easter week above 85%,” said the President of the Organization of Small Hotels in the Center of Playa del Carmen, Ofner Ancona, in a news article on the topic.

busy street with tourists in Playa Del Carmen

European Plan Hotels

Many of the boutique hotels in Playa del Carmen are what are considered European plan hotels.

These styles of hotels give tourists more flexibility in their reservation as they only include the nightly room rate without forcing travelers to stay at the resort for included dining options like the local all-inclusive resorts.

sunrise on beach in playa del carmen

Many visitors are looking for small, intimate hotels with a limited number of rooms and more personalized service than they receive at the service levels at the large, all-inclusive resorts in the area.

The more luxurious feel of these resorts resonates with the demands of customers looking for a more customized vacation, especially after the forced distancing experienced during the recent pandemic.

City Center Location

Playa del Carmen Shopping District

Another interesting fact about popular boutique hotels is that most of them are not located on the beach but in the city center of Playa del Carmen.

Hotel owners are not surprised and think that the convenient proximity to restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, as opposed to all inclusives on the beach, is the key differentiator for travelers.

That reflects the changing tastes and preferences of visitors to Playa del Carmen and the Mexican Caribbean for a more authentic city center experience.

Some of the most popular options include:

  • Hotel B&B Boutique Hotel
  • La Semilla
  • Magic Blue Spa Boutique Hotel
Street Art in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Overall, Riviera Maya is Still Busy

Even with the shift in the desired hotel accommodations for many travelers to Playa del Carmen, overall, the entire region is still popular with visitors.

According to a news report, the entire Riviera Maya region, with more than 55,000 hotel rooms, started the month of March with a bounty of tourists and about an 87 percent occupancy rate.

tourists enjoying sunset on popular Playa Del Carmen beach

During the upcoming peak spring holiday travel season, the Riviera Maya’s hotels and resorts are expecting to host a number of travelers enjoying the area’s sun, sand, and surf.

Resort and hotel operators expect periods when the properties in the area are about 90 percent full of vacation getaway visitors.

What Travelers Need to Know

Busy 5th Avenue in Playa del Carmen

With just days to go until the start of the peak spring holiday travel season, tourists are selecting more boutique hotel properties this year than the large all-inclusive resorts.

Some of the reasons include added flexibility about dining options, traveler perception of more personalized service, and a desire for more city center locations compared to beachfront locations.

Many of these reflect a trend of more personalized experiences travelers are now seeking after the public distancing requirements and lack of personalized service during the recent pandemic.

Tourists looking to enjoy this new trend can expect to pay premium prices for their boutique hotel experience with just days to go until the peak weeks of the spring holiday travel season.

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nik

Monday 25th of March 2024

Playa del Carmen is finished as a beach resort. Mass erosion took care of this.

Lawrence Ricketts

Tuesday 26th of March 2024

@nik, its a serious problem....they need to allocate at least 20 million for beach repair