Hyatt Looks to Add More Greek Hotels in its Luxury ‘Inclusive Collection’

Apple Leisure Group (ALG) Director of Development EMEA Carlos Paredes. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Hyatt-owned Apple Leisure Group (ALG), a leading US group in the travel segment, is interested in further enhancing and developing its presence in Greece, according to the group’s Director of Development EMEA, Carlos Paredes.

A leading resort brand management platform in the hospitality market since the 70s and providing management services to the largest portfolio of luxury all-inclusive resorts in the Americas, ALG was acquired by Hyatt Hotels Corporation in late 2021.

Two hotels in Greece portfolio

Prior to the acquisition, ALG in 2018 entered the European market and in 2020 took over the management of two hotels in Greece: the 200-room Dreams Corfu Resort & Spa (former Corcyra Beach) and the 161-room AluaSoul Zakynthos (former Plagos Beach).

Today, the two hotels are members of Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection – a global portfolio of distinct luxury all-inclusive resort brands.

Speaking to GTP Headlines on the sidelines of the recent 6th International Hospitality Forum in Athens, Paredes informed that ALG is interested in extending Hyatt’s brand footprint in Greece.

ALG explores Greece to find hotels, destinations with the ‘right fit’

AluaSoul Zakynthos.

“We believe that for Hyatt’s brands, this is the right country and the right fit for us,” Paredes said, adding that ALG is keen on examining potential opportunities for expansion to other Greek islands such as Crete, Rhodes and Kos.

“We are also interested in destinations on the mainland such as Thessaloniki and Halkidiki as well as places like Evia, which is only a two-hour distance from Athens,” he said.

From an all-inclusive beach resort and Inclusive Collection perspective, ALG is also interested in the coast of Attica. “The Athens Riviera would be a perfect place for us to be but there are not so many opportunities,” Paredes said, making it clear that ALG is not only open to islands. “We are open to explore many options… The Peloponnese is also a potential place where we would be interested in going,” he said.

Currently in the process of examining locations for potential further development in Greece, Paredes said there are no announcements to be made at the moment.

“I believe that 2024 will be a year that we expect to grow more than 100 percent in the Greek market,” he said.

Hotels in Greece performing better than expected

Dreams Corfu Resort & Spa.

Paredes also informed that the two hotels in Greece, under Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection, are performing better than expected.

“We all know that Greece had an outstanding season this past summer, so obviously it affected every single product… The Greek market is going faster than what we anticipated and we are doing better than we expected… We hope to keep doing the same with the new openings that we will have in the future,” he said.

According to Paredes, rooms at both the Dreams Corfu and AluaSoul Zakynthos are already selling for the 2023 season since November.

“Bookings are already on a very good pace and the latest information tells us we will have a very good summer again… Greece is definitely one of the top priority markets for us,” he said.

Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection

Hyatt has four curated collections – the Timeless Collection, the Boundless Collection, the Independent Collection and the Inclusive Collection – that meet the full range of travel occasions.

Focused on leisure demand, the Inclusive Collection launched in May 2022 and is a global portfolio of nine distinct luxury all-inclusive resort brands: Hyatt Ziva resorts, Hyatt Zilara resorts, Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets Resorts & Spas, Breathless Resorts & Spas, Dreams Resorts & Spas, Vivid Hotels & Resorts, Alua Hotels & Resorts and Sunscape Resorts & Spas.

The hotels in Greece under ALG’s management are part of the Inclusive Collection and specifically belong to the Dreams Resorts & Spas (Dreams Corfu) and the Alua Hotels & Resorts (AluaSoul Zakynthos) brands.

According to Paredes, resorts in Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection deliver immersive, elevated and seamless all-inclusive experiences.

“The Inclusive Collection offers something for everyone, catering to all types of travelers, lifestyles, and stages of life,” Paredes said, adding that a hotel in the collection needs to “obviously” have outstanding service.

“We, as Hyatt, are much focused on delivering super high standards,” he told GTP Headlines.

Selection process: Location is key

Paredes added that the location of a hotel interested in joining is critical for the selection process and may determine whether a hotel fits or it doesn’t “fit” the brand.

“As priority we prefer destinations that are more approachable from a transportation perspective for our customers. It’s always important that the journey from where they arrive to the hotel doesn’t take up half of their day, so being close to an airport is a plus,” he said.

ALG is very focused on adding prime assets to its portfolio of distinct luxury all-inclusive resort brands.

“It’s very important obviously to find the right partner… For us, luxury is not only about service but it’s also about how you position yourself… Other criteria relevant to the selection process of a property includes the willingness of the owner to invest and really elevate the level of offered hospitality services… Usually it’s a process that sees us going hand in hand with the owner or operating company of the property,” Paredes said.

Moreover, he highlighted that hotels that become members of the Inclusive Collection benefit from the value of the Hyatt brand as well as the hotel chain’s distribution power.

Inclusive Collection resorts are part of the World of Hyatt loyalty program which enable guests to experience accommodation at an all-inclusive with one-of-a kind signature programs like Endless Privileges, Unlimited-Luxury, and Unlimited-Fun with benefits at select resorts, such as no check-in or check-out times, 24-hour room service, top-shelf cocktails, gourmet a la carte dining without reservations required and endless activities throughout the day and night.