Hyatt celebrates rebuild of Los Cabos property

It was a very different kind of party last night at the grand opening gala for Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos - but then, that’s exactly what the masterminds behind the brand are going for.

Marking the completion of a full year’s work to restore a property devastated by a hurricane in 2014, the gala, with its roaring 1920s theme, fireworks and endless array of food and drink, had all the bells and whistles one would expect for a triumphant comeback.

“It was extremely challenging,” Alex Stadlin, CEO for Playa Resorts Management, said of the rebuild, explaining that after Hurricane Odile hit the property, the destination of San Jose Los Cabos itself was cut off from Mexico for months, with limited access to the supplies and labour needed to undo the damage.

That didn’t stop the Hyatt and Playa teams however; the resort reopened for business again one year to the day from when Odile hit, and according to Bruce Wardinski, CEO of Playa Hotels & Resorts, the experience was viewed more as an opportunity for the brand to improve on what was its first foray into the all-inclusive market.

“Every room was touched,” he said. “So while the physical structures have remained the same, 100 per cent of the rooms have been redone, and we now have a higher quality food and beverage establishments.”

The property’s transformation includes a newly redesigned lobby, with an open-air view of the ocean designed to ‘wow’ guests as soon as they set foot in the resort. All 591 of the accommodations are suites, 34 of which are swim-up. There are 12 restaurants, bars and lounges with unique dining concepts that include a Mexican breakfast buffet and a Tapas bar, many of which have been redesigned to accommodate the resort’s capacity.

“We’ve gone to great lengths to expand our restaurants so that no one has to wait in line for a reservation,” Kevin Froemming, executive vice-president and CMO for Playa Hotels & Resorts shared, “but at the same time we’ve created these pockets within the space so guests can have an intimate dining experience.”

It’s the attention to details like that which Froemming maintains sets the Hyatt all-inclusive brand, which includes Ziva and Zilara properties catering to all-ages and adults-only respectively, apart from the competition.

“Our goal is that everything is excellent, consistently,” he said. “Anybody can put on a great party. Anybody can create a great meal once. We commit to that 365 days of the year.”

Indeed, it’s been a busy year for the resort chain, the result of a joint venture between Hyatt and Playa Hotels & Resorts to bring about a collection of properties designed to challenge common perceptions of the all-inclusive experience.

Beginning with the opening of its Puerto Vallarta location in December 2014, the organization has made waves with new properties in Montego Bay, Los Cabos, and as of November 2015, Cancun.

According to Wadinski, although it’s still early days, the venture is going extremely well, and there are further plans for expansion coming in 2016.

“It’s not only incredibly satisfying to the guest,” he shared of the concept’s success, “but it’s a profitable business, because we meet all the client demands.”

Check back next week for more On Location coverage of the destination!

PHOTO: From left: Carlos Cabrera, senior VP - all-inclusive operations, Hyatt Hotels; Alex Stadlin, CEO, Playa Resorts Management; Bruce Wardinski, chairman & CEO, Playa Hotels & Resorts; Carlos Mendoza Davis, Governor of State Baja California Sur; Francisco Silva Meana, managing director, Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos; Arturo de la Rosa, municipal president of Los Cabos; Genaro Ruiz, secretary of tourism, Baja California Sur.