Hyatt’s New Punta Cana All-Inclusive Will Have Four Pools, a “Barefoot” Beach Bar and a Jazz Club

If you’ve been following the hotel industry in the Caribbean in recent years, you’ve seen just how much Hyatt has been expanding into the all-inclusive space. It began back in 2021 with its acquisition of then-all-inclusive leader Apple Leisure Group, and now the company’s Inclusive Collection continues to swell, with a focus on brands like Secrets and Dreams across much of the Caribbean and Mexico.

And yes, much of that resort growth has been in the Dominican Republic, the most-visited destination in the Caribbean by a large margin (with continued record-breaking arrival numbers) and home to more all-inclusive resorts than just about anywhere else on earth. 

But Hyatt’s next all-inclusive in the country’s tourism stronghold of Punta Cana will be wearing a new badge: Vivid, an all-inclusive brand Hyatt says is designed for the “next generation of all-inclusive travelers.”

The plan is for the new, adults-only Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana all-inclusive to open by the end of this year, with 500 rooms. No opening date has been revealed yet.

It’s not the first Vivid in the Caribbean region; Hyatt opened its inaugural Vivid in the Mexican Caribbean last spring, as Caribbean Journal reported.

The concept is a nod to all of the big buzz words in travel right now: local, experiential, immersive. Think special itineraries, custom events, a range of activities and dining concepts like a speakeasy jazz club (a welcome trend in the region, following last month’s debut of Jon Batiste’s club in Nassau) and a “barefoot” beach bar. 

That’s along with four pools, five eateries and, yes, a collection of swim-up rooms joined by a “quiet” pool. 

If you can’t wait until the end of this year, you can rest assured there are some terrific all-inclusive options in Punta Cana. That includes everything from the Hyatt Ziva and Zilara-branded resorts in Cap Cana (rooms from $1,953 per night right now) to the Lopesan Costa Bavaro, the latter begin a resort we loved on our recent stay for its copious, high-quality amenities and innovative designs. Rooms from $636.76 per night right now. 

As for getting to Punta Cana, it’s one of the easiest destinations to fly to anywhere in the Caribbean, with abundant airlift from just about every major city in the US. 

That includes $378 from New York on JetBlue right now, according to Google Flights, and $508 from Miami on JetBlue. You can fly from Chicago to Punta Cana on United for $385 round-trip in February. 

If you travel to the Dominican Republic, make sure you fill out the country’s mandatory digital immigration form, which covers both entry and exit from the Dominican Republic. You can find the “e-ticket” here.