On Location: “A great vibe” – Strategy, resort updates take centre stage at Hyatt’s Confidant Connect Live

“The faces in this room are the heartbeat of our industry.”

That was the message from Tonya Joyce, a U.S.-based regional sales director for the Hyatt Inclusive Collection (HIC), as she welcomed 100 top-producing travel advisors from the U.S. and Canada to this year’s Confidant Connect Live in the Dominican Republic.

With 70 per cent of attendees participating for the first time—thanks to revised qualification rules—the room reflected both elite performance and fresh momentum.

“These are our very top advisors—the best of the best,” Carolina Bellina, senior director of Canadian sales, Hyatt Inclusive Collection, later told PAX, which covered the event on location. “Most are Icons, our highest loyalty tier. By shifting from a booking window to a travel window, we were able to reward new advisors who hadn’t qualified before.”

The sixth annual three-day conference took place December 5–7 at Secrets Tides Punta Cana, giving advisors, partners, guests and media the chance to experience resort, which opened in 2024, and celebrate a year of success.

Amongst the honorees there were four recipients of the Confidant Cares award, with two of them from Canada; Bobbi-Jo Roback from The Travel Agent Next Door (unable to be there in person), and Bujar Zejnullahu from TravelOnly, who was in attendance.

Attendee Carol Starr Taylor from Sell Off Vacations was thrilled to be there.

“I love to learn new things, I love to learn about the brands,” Taylor said. “Hyatt is a top brand and I’m proud to sell it. This allows me to connect and meet other people and also learn about what’s coming down the pipe.”

It was also Taylor’s first time attending.

“This gives me the chance to experience what I’m already selling to my clients,” she said, noting the popularity of Dreams and Secrets. “It’s a great vibe.” 

“Canada has had an incredible year”

At the onsite conference centre, attendees heard a video address from Javier Aguila, president of Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection, who unveiled the 2025 theme: Clear Horizons. Explore More. Discover More. Achieve More.

Aguila announced that Hyatt’s full brand integration will be completed by 2026 and that new Inclusive Collection resorts are being planned across Europe, North Africa and beyond, expanding well outside the Caribbean.

 “You are fundamental to our success and at the heart to how we reach our guests.” he said, after taking time to express his thoughts about colleagues in Jamaica, still rebuilding after Hurricane Melissa.

Mark Benson, associate vice president sales and strategy for the Hyatt Inclusive Collection, ran through some numbers, including the fact that the company reached more than 90,000 travel advisors in 2025, representing 5,826 activities with them, from virtual trainings to sales calls. 

A “Confidant Confidential Podcast” took to the video screens, with Tonya Joyce, Matt Brightman (regional manager, Midwest) and Kelly Koehler (regional manager, east) acting as hosts as they led the audience through some more numbers, including an interview with Scott Reid, business development manager for Canada.

“Canada has had an incredible year,” said Reid. “Initiatives are up 85 per cent, and our in-person engagement is up 80 per cent.”

His advice for additional and continued success in 2026 was simple.

“Join our webinars, take advantage of FAM trips,” he said. “The more advisors immerse themselves into the brand story, the more they can inspire their clients’ confidence.”

Property updates

The podcast recounted the successes from 2025, including the opening of Secrets Mirabel Cancun, who welcomed their first guests into a new preferred tower.

In Cancun, the Hyatt Ziva was rebranded to Dreams Puerto Morelos (formerly Secrets Silver Sands).

The Vivid brand is expanding in the Dominican Republic, with the Punta Cana opening (formerly Dreams Palm Beach).

The new Secrets and Dreams in the Esmerelda Miches area of the DR are now open, and Dreams Montego Bay came over with the acquisition of Playa resorts, making it the first Dreams resort to open in Jamaica.

Less than 10 minutes from where the conference was taking place, the Zoëtry Agua reopened in November 2025, after being closed for almost a year.

PAX was invited to tour this 92-suite resort which offers peace, tranquility, and beautiful ocean front rooms and villas.

With two bars and four restaurants (each of which do “double duty,” switching menus every other night), a spa and the opportunity for beachside dining, the resort offers a slower pace, more personal vacation option. And families are welcome.

Christine Eichelman, director sales support and strategic compliance, and Carol Ann Palutis later announced that Confident Rewards will soon be available for World of Hyatt points redemption.

A Top 50 Advisor leaderboard, which will display the top 50 global advisors is also coming.

“Time here is worth more”

Ana Tomicevic, VP, global brands took the stage to explain the current branding and marketing campaign, “Time here is worth more.”

“Travel is being redefined by both emotion and economics. This is an invitation to disconnect from noise and reconnect with what matters,” Tomicevic said.

While COVID was a big catalyst for all-inclusive travel, clients soon realized that it was more than just unlimited food.

“With time thin and budgets under pressure, we’re seeing travellers seek even more. More in every moment and more in every dollar. Time has become a very scarce resource,” said Tomicevic. “They want moments to help them truly slow down.”

She noted the rise of “Distinctive Experiences,” which offers guests opportunities outside of the inclusive resort (for an additional cost), such as music therapy, snorkelling with sea turtles, and of course the spa.

This extends to wellness. Now available at over 80 resorts, the Hyatt X Peloton program has expanded to HIC’s in Latin American & Caribbean.

At the host resort location, there is only one Peloton bike available, but guests can sync their account and earn Hyatt rewards for rides over 20 minutes.

New restaurant concepts are coming to HIC properties as well, including vegan and plant-based options.

The Hyatt-Playa deal

The event also addressed Hyatt completing its acquisition of Playa Hotels & Resorts.

 “Who would have thought that your two favourite all-inclusive companies would come together as one and bring you such an incredible portfolio?” said Amanda Morris, director of sales at Playa. “It’s been a very natural transition for our properties to come into the Hyatt Inclusive Collection.”

Playa Hotels and Resorts have 14 hotels under the Zilara, Ziva, Vivid, Secrets, Dreams, Sunscape, and Jewel brands.

Some of the names have changed. The Hyatt Vivid Playa del Carmen used to be a Hilton, and before that old Royal del Carmen.

The Wyndham Ultra Cancun is now Sunscape. Secrets La Romana/Dreams La Romana, used to be Dreams, then Hilton, now it's back to  Dreams. 

The Dreams Rose Hall in Jamaica is undergoing extensive renovations. And the Hyatt Zilara Cancun, which was the very first Hyatt all-inclusive hotel (310 rooms) ever, will reopen next year after a multi0million dollar renovation.

The Playa AgentCash program is sunsetting, merging into Confidant Rewards. Any 2026 bookings in AgentCash now will be automatically transferred into Confidant Rewards.

Growth from Canada

Carolina Bellina sat down the PAX to talk about the importance of the Canadian market to HIC.

“The growth (from Canadians) is almost 20 per cent year over year – mostly to Cancun and Punta Cana. Quebec is more Punta Cana, Ontario is both,” she said. “It’s more than 95 per cent sold by travel advisors.”

Secrets Tides Punta Cana, meanwhile, is located on 800 feet of beach in Uvero Alto.

There are 668 suites across 14 room categories. Each guest has access to 24-hour room service, a daily refreshed mini bar, and wait service at the pool and the beach.

Plus, Preferred Club guests have a dedicated butler, a private pool area, two outdoor hot tubs and three private lounges.

Restaurants include Meraki (Pan-Asian and Mediterranean cuisine), Tierra (Amazon inspired South American foods), the beachy Barefoot Grill, Oceana for seafood specialties, Marketplace buffet and The Patio. There are 10 restaurants and 7 bars and lounges in total.  The CoCo Café offers coffee, ice cream and light snacks 24/7. There is an expansive spa and fully equipped fitness centre. Just 40 minutes from Punta Cana airport, this adult-only resort   

The location for the seventh annual Confidant Connect Live has not yet been announced but will once again take place in early December.

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