While the primary appeal of an all-inclusive is the promise of unrestricted access to food, beverages and resort amenities, the sector's growing emphasis on premium-level accommodation tiers known as club-level benefits often means that nowadays, all-inclusives are only really all-inclusive for an extra fee.
Premium or club-level benefits vary widely from property to property within the all-inclusive space, but they typically include perks such as dedicated concierge services, separate pool or beach areas, special access to dining venues or access to a dedicated club lounge that offers complimentary food and drinks.
According to Geoff Millar, co-owner of Gilbert, Ariz.-based Ultimate All-Inclusive Travel and Ultimate Hawaii Vacations, an increasing number of all-inclusives are offering club levels, calling the move an effective way for a property to "add some prestige without a major cash outlay."
Millar added, however, that the allure of an all-inclusive club level is often less about specific amenities and more about a general feeling of exclusivity.
"All-inclusives have borrowed from the concept of a traditional hotel offering a concierge floor," Millar said. "They're offering things like club lounges with hors d'oeuvres and alcohol. Well, it's an all-inclusive resort. Those things are already available to guests elsewhere on property. But they're putting a glass wall around some of those amenities to make people feel more important."
Debbie Boyd, a travel consultant with Cincinnati-based Travel Happy Agency, has found that the exclusivity factor has been in high demand among more well-traveled clients.
"Frequent business travelers hate the thought of not having access to everything," Boyd said. "There are just a lot of travelers in general, whether they're high-level executives or frequent flyers, who love their Delta lounges, who want club-level access at a resort. It's a psychological thing. If there's an area they can't access, they'll say, 'Why can't I go there, and why didn't I know about it?'"
Consequently, Boyd said she makes sure all her clients are made aware of any premium or club-level options. She estimated that some 60% to 70% of her all-inclusive clientele opt for an upgrade.
"I've noticed a trend toward more people asking for club-level rooms in the last two years," Boyd said. "All these all-inclusive resorts can be so busy, and some people want the all-inclusive but with a quieter, more VIP experience."
If Boyd doesn't highlight a premium club option, she also risks losing out on extra commission. Generally speaking, travel advisors don't earn anything if a client decides to upgrade to a club level at check-in.
Hidar Elmais, a travel advisor with Edmonton, Alberta-based Travel Gurus, said his company has adapted its policies to better tap into growing client demand for club-level experiences.
"Our agents used to not offer the upgrade, and [then we'd see] many clients upgrade when they got to the destination," Elmais said. "So we knew they valued the upgrades, but we needed to [better] present the value. We introduced a policy in our office late last year that made sure agents at least quoted the premium upgrades. Since we started, we've seen a 50% increase in clients adding premium upgrades."
Meanwhile, as premium levels become more complex in their offerings, it can be challenging to convey a club level's myriad services and amenities to customers.
"It's so different at every resort, even among resorts within the same brand," Boyd said. "It makes our job to explain all that to our customers that much more important, so they can decide if it's worth it."
Among the all-inclusives that Boyd said feature a strong value proposition with their premium tiers is the AMResorts family of brands, which offers a Preferred Club option across its Secrets, Dreams and Now flags. Boyd cited a recent stay at AMResorts' Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun, where Preferred Club status granted her morning access to Oceana, a restaurant that served a la carte breakfast only to members and featured "some of the best food we'd ever had. Period."
According to AMResorts, Preferred Club rates average $336 to $493 per night at a Secrets resort, $243 to $591 at Dreams properties and $282 to $379 across the Now brand.
Millar agreed that AMResorts' Preferred Club is often worth the upgrade, while adding that Sandals Resorts is likewise excelling on the premium front.
"Sandals is one of the few that has a true butler level, and they're sort of a gold standard when it comes to butler services," he said. "Some resorts say their premium levels have butlers, but it's really a concierge on steroids."
Sandals, for its part, has been offering a butler amenity to select premium-level guests since 2004, partnering with the U.K.'s Guild of Professional English Butlers to train and certify their butlers.
In high season, Sandals' Love Nest Butler Suite rates range from $433 per person, per night at the Sandals Emerald Bay in the Bahamas to more than $1,200 per person, per night in an overwater bungalow at the Sandals South Coast in Jamaica. Sandals reports that Butler Suite bookings account for roughly 35% of the brand's total business.
Gary Sadler, senior vice president of sales for Unique Vacations, Sandals' sales and marketing arm, said, "We've watched the luxury trend over the years and have transformed our suites to meet these demands. As Sandals Resorts has evolved, so too has the Sandals Resorts customer."