If you’ve decided to stay at an all-inclusive resort, the next decision to be made for booking purposes concerns whether or not to upgrade your resort experience.  Many all-inclusive resorts offer upgrades these days–the terms “Premium”, “Preferred Club”, “Privilege Club”, “Elegance Club”, “Excellence Club”, etc., typically connote the opportunity to purchase more amenities and services.  The question is, is it worth it?

While resort upgrades can vary to a great extent, the following amenities and services are typically included in most upgraded packages:

• Private check-in/out.  This may or may not result in a faster or better check-in experience.  There may be fewer staff available to check-in guests with an upgrade than at a regular check-in desk.  At a Hyatt all-inclusive resort in Cabo I had to wait 45-min. with a wet washcloth (which was never collected)  before I even got a chance to check-in.  In comparison, Live Aqua Beach Resort Cancun had me set up with a drink and hors d’oeuvres in their 5th floor Aqua Club Lounge while I waited for about 5 min. for the next check-in staff.  Both part of the upgraded resort check-in experience, but miles apart in service.
• Better room location.  Resorts typically reserve sections of or entire guest room buildings for upgraded guests.  These sections or buildings are usually closer to the beach, the main pool, or other premier resort offerings.  If you are staying at a beachfront resort, a balcony ocean view can greatly increase satisfaction with one’s resort experience.  Here’s a TIP:  over the years I have experienced a much better chance of getting an even better room location if I book an upgrade directly with the resort in question vs. booking with a third party wholesaler.  For example, I upgraded to a Premium room at the adults-only Barcelo Maya Riviera on their website using their free guest loyalty program (My Barcelo) and wound up in their smaller beachfront guest building section only steps from the sand and pool access.
• Access to a private lounge (this is typically where private check-in/out occurs).  These lounges usually offer top-shelf liquor (the more expensive the resort the more top-shelf liquor offerings there are); more resorts these days have private bartender service in these lounges, but a few still have serve yourself.  Snacks, reading material, flat screen TV’s, comfortable seating areas, and access to computers and printers are also typically included in private lounge areas.  A plus that some private resort lounges also include is indoor/outdoor space with a great view.
• Upgraded room amenities.  These can vary from better mini-bar selections, in-room bottles of alcohol and/or wine, soaps and lotions, aromatherapy, pillow menus, to small kits including razors, combs, and toothbrushes/toothpaste.  Check with individual resorts for specifics.
• Access to a private concierge who can make reservations.    A private concierge can make spa and dinner reservations (and handle any other type of matter for you) which can come in handy.  Having a private concierge make dinner reservations for you can be particularly helpful when a la carte dinner reservations are required–upgraded guests generally get first priority at dinner restaurants where reservations are required.  Be aware, however, that not all resorts allow advance dinner reservations, even with purchased upgrades; an example would be AMResorts.

There are other amenities and services often offered with resort upgrades including but not limited to butler service, private pools and/or beach sections, access to a private restaurant or specific meals at a restaurant only available for upgraded guests at specific times, access to private bars, complimentary access to the spa’s hydrotherapy circuit, in-room bottles of liquor (all-inclusive resorts generally offer only beer choices in the room’s mini-bar), or free WiFi and room service at resorts which still charge for such services.

To see if an upgrade would be worth the extra expenditure, check the resort’s list of upgraded services and amenities and see if there are certain items you need for a great vacation (do you want to be closer to the beach, receive private butler service, have in-room liquor, access to a private beach bar, guaranteed dinner reservations, etc.).  Also, check the price difference between a non-upgraded room category and the same room category with an upgrade.  If you don’t have a travel agent to do this for you, it is not that difficult to ascertain if you are booking online.  Resort websites often list prices p/night in each room category, so doing a price comparison is actually pretty easy for specified dates of stay.

I personally prefer to book an upgrade when I decide to visit an all-inclusive resort.  A majority of the time I thought those stays were worth every penny; the only exception I’ve found was booking an upgrade at Now Sapphire (Now Sapphire is currently known as Dreams Sapphire).  The private lounge was still in 1970’s decor, I had an immensely long wait to check-in, there were no small bottles of liquor in the room which is supposed to be part of being upgraded, and the room location was nothing special with only a tropical view.  If I were going to stay at that resort again (which I do not intend to do), I would only upgrade if I were going to book the beachfront swim-out rooms.

What’s your take on upgraded room bookings at all-inclusive resorts?  I would love to read your thoughts and experiences about it….