USA Today points out that Dominican all-inclusive hotels are going upscale but the US$150-US$230 daily rate package deals are still reasonable even in these financial free-fall days. In a report on all-inclusive vacations in Punta Cana, the reporter stresses that the everything-covered industry is wooing guests with new, over-the-top Shangri-Las courting resort sophisticates with Architectural Digest-style decor, non-buffet eateries, butlers, family freebies and velvet-rope VIP areas with their own pools and restaurant
“They have a very high rate of returning guests,” says Scott Berman, head of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ US hospitality and leisure consulting group. “In other down cycles, they have performed very well.”
Brands operating in the DR such as Iberostar, Occidental, Club Med and Paradisus have renovated and added even more luxurious getaways and targeting upscale clients who would never have booked an all-inclusive vacation in the past, the newspaper points out. The luxury is recognized and some are members of The Leading Hotels of the World consortium, such as the Punta Cana Paradisus Palma Real.
www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-11-13-all-inclusive-resorts_N.htm