Hyatt Hotels Corp. has long been at the forefront of luxury, all-inclusive expansion, but its latest brand, Hyatt Vivid, is targeting a younger and more price-conscious demographic.
Melanie Benozich, Hyatt’s associate vice president for marketing and global branding, said the company began developing the adults-only Vivid concept in 2021, tapping into market research that identified a void in Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection portfolio of all-inclusives. Currently, the collection has 10 brands, the majority positioned at the higher end of the market.
“We thought of it like a life cycle,” Benozich said. “When you get married, maybe you’re going to do your honeymoon at a Secrets, and then you have kids and you’re going to go to a Hyatt Ziva. And we found that there really wasn’t a place for the next-gen traveler, including Gen Z, who may not yet have a ton of disposable income or be fully secure in their career but who loves to travel nonetheless and wants great experiences.”
Benozich said the Hyatt Vivid brand plays in the upper-upscale space, sitting at a price point below the Inclusive Collection’s luxury, adults-only Secrets Resorts & Spas brand but above the portfolio’s upscale/midrange Sunscape Resorts & Spas or Alua Hotels & Resorts flags.
“But there isn’t that feeling that you’re sacrificing anything,” added Benozich.
The Hyatt Vivid brand made its debut earlier this year with the April opening of the Hyatt Vivid Grand Island in Cancun.
The 400-room property, which is located 10 minutes outside of Cancun’s Hotel Zone, is co-located with the family-friendly Dreams Grand Island, which is on track to open as part of the Inclusive Collection later this year. Rates at the Hyatt Vivid Grand Island for early June start around $400 per night, double.
Like Hyatt’s higher-end all-inclusives, the Vivid offers numerous a la carte food and beverage options, including Japanese, French and Mediterranean. But it takes a more casual and flexible approach to dining, putting an emphasis on what Ben-ozich described as “approachable, fork-free cuisine.
That includes an abundance of grab-and-go options across multiple venues, including packed picnic baskets as well as tacos and other food truck-style offerings. And in lieu of a more traditional buffet, the resort offers a food court-style “food hall,” with grab-and-go options available across a variety of cuisines.
“You don’t have to be confined to sitting in a restaurant and dressing a certain way,” said Benozich, adding that some culinary programming is also designed to rotate throughout the week, to ensure variety.
Room service is also available, though limited to certain hours, in contrast to the 24-hour room service offered by sister brands like Secrets.
Upgrade to the Vantage Club
Hyatt Vivid Grand Island guests looking to upgrade their experience can opt for the property’s Vantage Club, which offers access to perks like special dining hours and elevated in-room amenities like a soaking tub, an espresso machine and a pillow menu. Approximately one-third of the property’s room inventory is part of the Vantage Club program.
Beyond convenient culinary offerings and club-level amenities, another core pillar of the Hyatt Vivid brand centers on curating an eclectic mix of on-site experiences, Benozich said. At the Grand Island resort, that means frequent pop-up entertainment in the form of DJs or live music performances as well as complimentary activities like glow-in-the-dark volleyball, evening bonfires, paddleboard yoga and pottery or kite making.
As for further expansion of the Vivid concept, definitive plans have yet to be announced. But according to Benozich, Hyatt is in the process of “having conversations” with potential owners for Hyatt Vivids throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
“And then once we see some additional success in those areas, we’ll likely look to potentially expand beyond that,” she said. “People are looking for something different. And there is that need [for a product that] allows the younger traveler, who maybe has never been out of the country, to experience something different.”
