The 10 Hottest New Resorts the Caribbean and Mexico

Meeting and incentive planners seeking out properties in the Caribbean and Mexico will find all their favorite brands present in the region and some introducing new offerings. Among the variety of new and renovated meeting properties making their debut this year are a “resort within a resort” in Aruba and a massive new 2,000+-room convention hotel in Punta Cana. 

These 10 caught the attention of Skift Meetings’ editors.

Mexico

1. Alila Mayakoba

The former Andaz resort in the Mayakoba development,  a private, gated luxury resort community along the Riviera Maya, reopened in February as the Alila Mayakoba, a Hyatt brand. The focal point is the spa, and several spiritual experiences are inspired by the Yucateca Mayans, including a sacred fire ritual and a water blessing. There are 182 renovated rooms, five restaurants, a beach club, and 14,000 square feet of meeting space.

2. St. Regis Costa Mujeres

In July, Marriott’s newest luxury resort in the Mexican Caribbean is set to open — the 163-room St. Regis Costa Mujeres Resort. Costa Mujeres is an emerging destination just north of Cancun’s hotel zone. The resort will feature 163 rooms and suites, three on-site restaurants, an outdoor pool, a spa, and butler service, as well as 2,411 square feet of meeting space.

3. Grand Hyatt Cancun Beach Resort

Grand Hyatt Cancun Beach Resort will open in September with 500 guest rooms and suites, each with a balcony overlooking either the marina or the Caribbean Sea. There are 10 dining options, nine pools, a spa, and more than 34,000 square feet of meeting space, with the biggest ballroom accommodating 1,066 attendees, plus a variety of breakout rooms and outdoor event spaces.

4. Kimpton Tres Rios

Kimpton’s first all-inclusive will open later this year. The 355-suite Kimpton Tres Rios in Riviera Maya will feature seven eateries and the Kej spa. Guest rooms will overlook either a mangrove forest or the Caribbean Sea. The largest meeting room, the Tres Rios Ballroom, can accommodate 800 attendees.

5. Perla La Paz

Opening in June, the Perla La Paz, the renovation of the historic Hotel Perla, will be the first Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel in Baja California and the first Hilton hotel in La Paz, Mexico. The 90-room Art Deco–style property is located in the heart of La Paz Sea boardwalk overlooking the beach, and includes a rooftop pool and bar with views of the Gulf of California. This historic, Art Deco-style property includes a third-story pool and bar, and three small meeting rooms that can accommodate 370 attendees between them.  

Caribbean

6. Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana

Following in the footsteps of the popular Moon Palace The Grand in Cancun, the new Moon Palace The Grand Punta Cana, which will open this spring, lives up to the “grand” in its name — with 2,171 rooms. There’s a destination spa, a Greg Norman–designed golf course, and a total of 225,247 square feet of event space, with 124,897 of that located in 19 indoor meeting rooms. 

7. Secrets Macao Beach Punta Cana

Opening later this year, the new 406-room Secrets Macao Beach Punta Cana is a new addition to Hyatt’s expanding Inclusive Collection. The resort will be home to three pools, including a beach club–style main pool and a rooftop pool for Preferred members, and 111 swim-out suites. Its nine restaurants will include a farm-to-table restaurant located within an on-site organic garden. Guests at Secrets Macao Beach will also have access to amenities at the neighboring Dreams Macao Beach Resort, including meeting space that can accommodate 700 attendees for cocktails.

8. The Westerly, Aruba

A new “resort within a resort,” the 161-room Westerly offers a boutique-style experience within the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino. The new oceanfront tower features a private check-in area, a dedicated concierge team, and priority spa access. There’s a 10th-floor rooftop terrace, oceanfront balconies, ground-floor rooms with swim-up access, and direct access to Palm Beach. The tower is part of a larger $100 million renovation and enhancement project at the Hilton Aruba, which has 60,000 square feet of event space, with 15,000 indoors and 45,000 outdoors.

9. Grand Hyatt Grand Cayman Resort & Spa

The new Grand Hyatt Grand Cayman Resort & Spa is conveniently located on Seven Mile Beach and 10 minutes from Owen Roberts International Airport. There are 382 rooms and suites (80% of which are oceanfront), five dining concepts, a rooftop bar, and the Mera Spa. When it opens this summer, it will be the biggest resort on the island and will be geared toward large group business, with 23,000 square feet of meeting space. 

10. Andaz Turks and Caicos at Grace Bay

The Hyatt boutique brand’s first property in Turks and Caicos, opening in May, will feature multiple pools, a beach terrace, a spa, a pickleball court, and access to snorkeling at Bight Reef — one of the world’s largest barrier reefs. With 59 rooms, the resort will also have three restaurants and bars, including a rooftop venue with views of the Bay. There will be 7,201 square feet of meeting space, with 1,800 square feet in the largest room.