An all-inclusive resort is a holiday resort that includes at a minimum lodging, three meals daily, soft drinks, most

alcoholic drink An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The c ...

s, gratuities, and possibly other services in the price. Many also offer sports and non-motorized watersports and other activities that are included in the price as well. They are often located in warmer regions of the world, particularly in Mexico and the Caribbean. Though some Butlin's holiday camps in the U.K. had offered a similar concept in the 1930s, the modern all-inclusive resort has its origins in the 1950s with the foundation of the

Club Med Club Med SAS, commonly known as Club Med and previously known as Club Méditerranée SA, is a French travel and tourism operator headquartered in Paris, specializing in all-inclusive holidays. Founded in 1950, the company has been primarily o ...

company by Belgian entrepreneur Gérard Blitz. Their very first resort was opened in Alcúdia, Majorca, Spain in 1950, where guests stayed in tents and basic straw huts along the beach. The concept has evolved over the decades. All-inclusives in the 1980s and 1990s were generally heavily marketed towards singles, whereas nowadays they are more popular with couples and families. Those geared toward families may have facilities like craft centers, game rooms, and

water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

s to keep children of all ages entertained. All-inclusive resorts geared towards couples are also very popular locations for

weddings A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marria ...

and honeymoons.

Resorts by type

All-inclusive resort

An all-inclusive resort, in addition to all the amenities of a resort, charges a fixed price that includes most or all items offered. At a minimum, most inclusive resorts include lodging, drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), food (three meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner), indoor and outdoor activities, and entertainment for a fixed price.

Destination resorts

They generally are called "all-inclusive destination resorts". These facilities provide food, drink, lodging, sports, fitness programs and spas, entertainment, and shopping, with the advantage that guests do not have to leave the resort after arriving. Generally, these facilities offer a higher quality of service than if one were to stay and eat at a regular hotel. However, this is not all so common in Europe as they are generally perceived as cheap and of an inferior quality experience.

Adults-only all-inclusive resorts

In most cases, "Adults Only" means that resorts in this category do not admit children. The minimum age of admission varies from resort to resort but is usually 18 years of age or older.

Criticisms

It has been noted that, depending on the

fine print Fine print, small print, or mouseprint is less noticeable print smaller than the more obvious larger print it accompanies that advertises or otherwise describes or partially describes a commercial product or service. The larger print that is us ...

, and the traveller's individual interests - especially with respect to out-of-resort-trips - that an "all-inclusive" offer may eventually turn out more costly than a regular offer. Also, ambiguity about what "all-inclusive" means sometimes leads to travelers being disappointed that services which they expected are not available or require payment of additional fees.

References