Discovering W Punta Cana: An all-inclusive hotel done the W way

In the Dominican Republic, the all-inclusive resort concept is as Dominican as Mamajuana—the indigenous concoction made by combining rum, red wine and honey with tree bark and herbs. Like the country, it’s electric. In the growing city of Punta Cana, all-inclusive resorts are proliferating rapidly, and one of the newest players in the field is W Punta Cana, the first all-inclusive hotel from the Marriott International luxury lifestyle brand.

With its relaxed, modern, going-with-the-flow approach, W Hotels is betting on redefining the all-inclusive concept in nothing less than the epicenter of it. Its journey is just beginning, but the results are appealing and HOTELS Magazine was there to experience it.

‘ALL-IN’ PROMISE

All-inclusive resorts mean different things to different brands. For W, the promise of including everything (no compromises, no extra fees) is the goal they strive for. While some all-inclusive hotels charge extra for premium liquors, admission to gourmet restaurants or offer free experiences in exchange for listening to timeshare presentations, guests at W Punta Cana will only find extra charges for very specific menu items (a $500 bottle of tequila, for instance), no matter the room they stay in. Everything else promises to be one wish away, or, in W terms, a WhatsApp text away from a “personal insider” (W’s take on a butler).

TRANQUILITY MEETS EXCITEMENT

W Punta Cana, with its 340 rooms and globally recognized identity, aims for fun— hand in hand with serenity.

While in its early days the W brand was synonymous with cool and hip, when the younger generations began to swap shots for soft drinks and clubbing for morning yoga, the brand began its transformation toward laid-back, healthy strive, without neglecting its youthful spirit.

W Punta Cana is a clear example of the fusion between both worlds: every Monday, its AWAY spa transforms into a party with the ‘AWAY after dark’ program. At the Senzazioni theater, there is both live jazz for a calm conversation and a Drag Queen show for more enthusiastic audiences. At the CHILL pool, tonic drinks and relaxing music create the ambiance to meditate or fall asleep, while at the WET Deck, live DJs crank up the BPM and keep guests in the mood for a ‘sunset rooftop party.’ Likewise, the speakeasy-style bar 33 1/3, with its bold design, vintage music collection and arcade room, ignites the spark to misbehave until the wee hours of the morning (keeping in mind that 1 a.m. may be late for some). For those who enjoy balance after a wild night, there are always morning sports classes, the FIT gym and the Trade Market and Outpost Café, with plenty of buffet foods and healthy grab-and-go options, respectively.

DESIGN AND FOCUS

One of the hotel’s main focuses is mixology. In addition to its extensive program of mixology classes, including a class on how to prepare the Mamajuana elixir, each dining outlet has its own thing. At the Nikkei rooftop restaurant Satsuma, the star attraction are cocoa-infused drinks; the traditional W Living Room offers classic cocktails; and at the eclectic Scena, the hotel’s most elevated culinary offering à la open kitchen, the cocktails are just as irreverent as the dishes (consider the Golden Elixir, a mix of whiskey, banana peel, peanut butter and bitters).

W Hotels are renowned for their design rooted in the natural and local environment, and W Punta Cana is no exception. The hotel is filled with vegetation from the Uvero Alto beach and features materials such as Dominican black granite, marble from the province of Samana and the local Larimar stone for its rooms’ bathrooms. In the center of the AWAY spa is a fallen tree trunk called Pe-pino (cucumber in English), which the hotel’s architect decided to incorporate into the design after it came floating in at sea and washed ashore on the beach.

Just like Mamajuana, W Punta Cana brings a hint of cheekiness combined with wellness to the Dominican Republic. It becomes clear that, for W Hotels, the competition to conquer the all-inclusive market here does not lie in building the largest hotel, with the largest pools and infinite amenities, but rather about winning over guests with its heartfelt slogan Whatever/Whenever and Dominican state of mind.