Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced yesterday that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a management agreement with Grupo Murano for Hyatt Vivid Grand Island, an adults-only resort and Dreams Grand Island, a family-friendly 616-room luxury resort. Both properties are expected to open in Cancun, Mexico in early 2024 within the Inclusive Collection, part of World of Hyatt. Hyatt Vivid Grand Island will mark the first Hyatt Vivid property in the Inclusive Collection portfolio.

“These plans for the first Hyatt Vivid resort reflect the continued evolution of travel and Hyatt’s unwavering dedication to the all-inclusive concept. Introducing a resort experience that blends culture and a free-spirted atmosphere with the conveniences of an all-inclusive is an ideal value proposition for owners who are eager to capitalize on this exciting opportunity to introduce the all-inclusive experience to the next generation of travelers,” said Javier Coll, group president, global business development & innovation, Inclusive Collection, Hyatt. “We are confident the winning combination of Hyatt Vivid Grand Island and Dreams Grand Island will create a must-visit destination that will appeal to a variety of travel occasions and guests.”

“Working with one of the most prominent brands in hospitality aligns with Grupo Murano’s strategic vision,” said Marcos Sacal, CEO, Grupo Murano. “We are thrilled to continue collaborating with Hyatt, now in Cancun, to launch the new Hyatt Vivid brand. As we expand our services, offerings, and developments, we are eager to work with like-minded companies and brands, such as Hyatt and the Inclusive Collection, that are evolving the travel and hospitality space.”

Hyatt Vivid hotels and resorts will offer couples, friends and solo travelers locally inspired itineraries and encourage social interaction at every turn through experiential-driven programming, dining, and entertainment. Created to appeal to the next generation of forward-thinking travelers, the new brand is designed for adults seeking casual comforts filled with simple pleasures. Signature dining experiences will offer a casual and inviting approach focused on flexibility over formality, including a culinary collective comprised of taco trucks, ceviche carts, a food hall, and more. For active travelers looking to maintain healthy routines and fitness goals, resorts will offer specialty classes to complement state-of-the-art fitness centers.

Hyatt Vivid Grand Island will feature 400 guest rooms designed for comfort and featuring expansive views. Reminiscent of the Mayan deity Kukulcan, the resort is being designed by world renowned and award-winning architects, HOK.

Guests can expect to have seamless access to the adjacent Dreams Grand Island, a family-friendly 616-room resort expected to open in early 2024, providing additional options and amenities for a truly immersive experience. Guests will enjoy the brand’s signatured inclusions, such as pool and beach service, unlimited international and domestic top-shelf spirits, 24-hour room and concierge services, daily activities and entertainment, nightly events and more.

Together, the resorts will offer 19 unique culinary concepts comprised of Japanese, Mexican, French, Mediterranean, and more. Guests will have access to a 26,000-square-foot spa, complete with 25 treatment rooms, a state-of-the-art fitness center, multiple pools, a beach club and more.

Source: Hotel News Resources

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The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned seven individuals and 19 Mexican companies believed to be involved in timeshare fraud led by the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación – CJNG) in Puerto Vallarta, a major tourist destination in on Mexico’s Pacific coast. OFAC sanctioned eight other Mexican companies that were linked to the same network in March.

The fraudsters allegedly made unsolicited offers to purchase timeshare properties. Once the owners agreed to sell, the fraudsters requested advance payments that they said would cover fees and taxes and would expedite the sale. Once the owners paid, the scammers disappeared, leaving the victims with no buyer and no money, according to a Treasury Department press release.

In another scheme, real estate companies sold units in timeshare developments that were never built, either because the companies simply vanished or because the projects were purposefully planned in protected natural areas and subsequently canceled, a government official working in security matters who did not want to be identified for security reasons, told InSight Crime. The money was never refunded.

This type of timeshare fraud often targets people looking for retirement or vacation properties abroad and helps the CJNG generate revenue beyond its traditional drug trafficking activities.

“They take advantage of the fact that these are usually older people who tend to be trusting and do not follow basic security measures such as asking for references or checking public information about the property,” said the source.

The CJNG also utilized frontmen, people who received payments for using their official ID, or nominees to register the companies carrying out scams, according to documents obtained by VICE. In some cases, these nominees may have been deceased or unaware that their identity was used for criminal activities.

InSight Crime Analysis

The CJNG’s involvement in the timeshare scheme is only the tip of the iceberg concerning their involvement in businesses across the tourism sector in Puerto Vallarta, which has been a goldmine for the group for years.

Hotels, bars, restaurants, and now timeshares are particularly attractive since they provide access to a range of other criminal activities, including money laundering, human trafficking, and drug trafficking, explained the source consulted by InSight Crime.

While the most recent sanctions target a scam operation, drug trafficking organizations are frequently involved in real construction projects to launder money. As a high-traffic tourist area, constructing housing developments or residential complexes in Puerto Vallarta offers criminal groups a sound way to launder investments, said the source.

Criminal groups use frontmen or front companies to make large purchase orders for building materials or finance the construction of properties with dirty money. The cost of a beachfront apartment is high, meaning it is an easy way to legitimize large sums of ill-gotten cash.

The restaurant sector is also crucial to the CJNG’s activities, as restaurants are used as a place of exchange for drug shipments and sales. However, restaurants can also become epicenters of violence and attract the attention of local authorities. For instance, in 2016, two sons of Joaquín Guzmán Loera’s, alias ‘El Chapo,’ were kidnapped — and subsequently released — in an upscale restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, allegedly on orders from Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias ‘El Mencho,” leader of the CJNG. Additionally, the former governor Aristóteles Sandoval was assassinated at a restaurant in Puerto Vallarta in 2020. The CJNG was linked to his murder.

Despite the various criminal economies within the tourism sector in Puerto Vallarta, the effectiveness of both international sanctions and seizures of properties by local authorities is questionable. US sanctions will have little impact on the criminal operation but will make accessing the US banking system much more difficult for the accused companies. Seizures made at the local level, “represent minimal damage” to the organization, said the source. “For every ten businesses they target, they have 100 operating, so it’s not very significant.”

The Cuinis, a once-powerful money-laundering wing of the CJNG, used the real estate sector in Puerto Vallarta and other Jalisco beach resorts to launder their drug money for years. The sanctioning of 15 businesses and six individuals linked to the gang by the US Treasury Department in 2015 has done little to curb the CJNG’s use of the tourism sector for money laundering and profiteering.

Source: Insight Crime

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