Want to take advantage of Hilton Impresario benefits at no extra cost (when paying for your stay with cash), including a room upgrade, free breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He doesn’t charge booking fees, and may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked.
Hilton Honors’ newest luxury property in North America has just opened as of today. Let’s go over the details.
In this post:
Basics of the Waldorf Astoria Cancun
The Waldorf Astoria Cancun is open as of November 1, 2022. The resort is located along 100 acres of Mayan coastline, and is just 15 minutes from Cancun International Airport (CUN).
The Waldorf Astoria Cancun features 150 guest rooms and suites, plus a variety of other amenities:
- The Waldorf Astoria Cancun offers ocean views from all rooms, and accommodations are a minimum of 675 square feet, with each featuring a plunge pool
- The Waldorf Astoria Cancun has 21 spa treatment rooms (13 of which are outside), a salon, a sauna and steam room, an ice fountain, a relaxing pool, and a gym
- The Waldorf Astoria Cancun features a variety of dining outlets, including Malpeque (a fine dining restaurant), Chaya (an international and Mexican restaurant), Ja’o (a poolside restaurant with specialty cocktails), and Peacock Alley (the signature Waldorf Astoria bar)
- The Waldorf Astoria Cancun features three outdoor pools, including a family pool, an adults-only pool, and a spa pool
Below are some pictures of the Waldorf Astoria Cancun.
Furthermore, below is a brochure from the hotel about dining options, to give you a sense of hours, more details on what to expect from each restaurant, etc.
Waldorf Astoria Cancun rates & points requirements
What’s pricing like at the Waldorf Astoria Cancun? As you’d expect, rates vary seasonally, and start at somewhere around $550-800 per night. I’d say that rate is roughly in line with what I’d expect. Unfortunately that doesn’t include Mexico’s steep 29% tax & service charge, which increases cash rates significantly.
If you are going to book a paid stay at the Waldorf Astoria Cancun, I’d highly recommend doing so through the Hilton Impresario program (Ford happy to help with these requests, and can be reached at [email protected]).
This will score you perks like complimentary breakfast, a $100 food & beverage credit, a room upgrade subject to availability, and more. Furthermore, exclusively through Hilton Impresario, the hotel is currently offering a fourth night free promotion for stays through March 31, 2023.
If you’re looking to redeem points at the Waldorf Astoria Cancun, the hotel is generally retailing for 95,000 Hilton Honors points per night when there’s standard room availability. All Hilton Honors elite members get a fifth night free on award redemptions, which would bring down the average cost over five nights to 76,000 points per night.
You can of course also redeem free night certificates at this property, which can be earned with Hilton’s co-branded credit cards. Since you can often acquire Hilton Honors points for ~0.5 cents each (also what I value them), I consider 95,000 points to be the equivalent of paying $475 per night, including all taxes & fees (and you pay even less if you get a fifth night free).
Redeeming points here is a great value, especially since you’re not on the hook for the taxes & service charges.
Why I feel lukewarm about this property
On the one hand, I’m excited about the Waldorf Astoria Cancun. Cancun is just a short flight from Florida, so this seems like a great getaway for redeeming Hilton Honors points and free night certificates. I love visiting Mexico in general, from the friendly people, to the amazing food, to the beautiful scenery.
As far as Mexican beach destinations go, I’m a huge fan of Los Cabos — there are top notch hotels there (including the Waldorf Astoria Pedregal), the climate is amazing, and I love the rugged desert-meets-ocean landscape.
Unfortunately I don’t quite share the same love the Cancun area, even though it’s so much more convenient to get to. Maybe part of the issue is that it’s too similar to Florida for me, in terms of the climate (the seasons are similar) and the landscape (you have ocean and you have lagoons with crocodiles/alligators).
Similarly, I haven’t found hotels in Cancun to be of the same caliber to those in Los Cabos. They’re typically luxury factories, with hundreds of rooms, while Los Cabos has lots of more intimate properties.
I enjoyed visiting the Andaz Mayakoba, but it’s not a place I have to return to anytime soon. Admittedly if you’re looking to just get away for a long weekend, often a nice resort can be enough reason to pick a destination.
As the Waldorf Astoria opens, I was hoping to be impressed, but unfortunately I’m not too optimistic. First of all, am I the only one who thinks the rooms look rather bland and uninspiring? It’s giving me Ritz-Carlton Turks & Caicos vibes. The initial renderings of the property made the rooms look much more luxurious, so I’m not sure if the developers ended up being on a budget, or what.
The actual picture of the room looks more like what I’d expect from a Hilton than a Waldorf Astoria. Furthermore, presumably the 675 square foot minimum room size includes outdoor space, but even so, I can’t really make sense of how the room is that big based on the room picture. Where is the plunge pool, exactly, as it doesn’t seem to be visible on the balcony?
The Waldorf Astoria is also located in the same complex as the all-inclusive Hilton Cancun. The Waldorf Astoria is even selling day passes so that guests can use the Hilton Cancun facilities, and take advantage of the all-inclusive aspect of that. The pricing is generally $150-200 per person, though could vary over time.
For two adults, it’s almost the same price to just stay at the Waldorf Astoria. Nothing against the all-inclusive Hilton, as I’m sure it’s a great value and fun. But why would you pay such a huge premium to stay at the Waldorf Astoria, only to then pay these prices to spend your day at an all-inclusive Hilton?
I get they’re part of the same hotel group, but for a slightly different example, you don’t book a Four Seasons so that you can hang out at an all-inclusive Sheraton.
Bottom line
The Waldorf Astoria Cancun is opening as of today. This seems like a potentially great new luxury option for those who enjoy visiting Cancun, and for Hilton Honors loyalists looking for a vacation in Mexico.
This looks like a pretty nice hotel, though I continue to have a hard time getting excited about the Cancun area, as convenient as it is to get there. I’m also not totally sold on this hotel as such, based on the real pictures, as well as the general complex this is in.
What do you make of the new Waldorf Astoria Cancun? Anyone plan on checking it out?
I just returned from a stay at this property using points. Thanks for the heads up OMAAT! It was a pretty amazing stay and relaxing. Hotel design is top notch. Amazing marble/stone everywhere. Would definitely recommend for a long weekend. Only downside was the expensive taxi to go out at night.
I'm wondering if the plunge pool amenity is a typo on Hiltons end. In the app for general amentites, it says each room has a soaking tub. However, when going into each room type it says plunge pool? I agree, where are the plunge pools? On the balcony?
Yes each balcony has a large soaking tub. Very relaxing
You should definitely try "La Casa de la Playa" by Xcaret. Best hotel I've ever been to. You have access to the other two hotels, breathtaking pools, Michelin quality restaurants and all the Xcaret parks... Give it a try.
Am headed here from Nov 13th - 18th using points and free nights.
I think spending $150-$200 per person for a day pass the the Hilton is outrageous! That is the total cost for a room there!
Anyway, hope that this is a good use of our points and certificates and I am glad that we have rented a car so that it isn't necessary to stay on property for all meals.
Is it just me or are all these new "luxury" hotels in Mexico starting to look the same? I am sure that this hotel will be nice, but how different is this WA from the new Conrad down the coast? And for that matter the new Hiltons at both properties? And furthermore all the other new resorts being built at the moment. Yes, I get charging a higher rate will make the properties feel more...
Is it just me or are all these new "luxury" hotels in Mexico starting to look the same? I am sure that this hotel will be nice, but how different is this WA from the new Conrad down the coast? And for that matter the new Hiltons at both properties? And furthermore all the other new resorts being built at the moment. Yes, I get charging a higher rate will make the properties feel more exclusive...but will they be? I feel like Waldorf Astoria suffers from the same issues with inconsistency as Ritz Carlton, albeit with fewer properties, some are super nice and some really fall flat (eg, WA Panama City).
Just got back from a 5 night stay at The Conrad down the coast further towards Tulum. The sargassum (sp) is not an issue from now until April/May and this depends on ocean current, wind direction and ocean temperature. We were given a tour of the WA on our return trip as all of the Hilton properties are owned by the same group. If the service is truly 5 stars this would separate it from...
Just got back from a 5 night stay at The Conrad down the coast further towards Tulum. The sargassum (sp) is not an issue from now until April/May and this depends on ocean current, wind direction and ocean temperature. We were given a tour of the WA on our return trip as all of the Hilton properties are owned by the same group. If the service is truly 5 stars this would separate it from the Hilton. We had the same concern staying at the Conrad with the Hilton all-inclusive on the same property. We did have our own rental car so we were not captive the entire time on resort property as there is so much to explore. Was safety ever a concern, yes, but as long as the locals were out and about, the federalis or guardia nacional were around it was fine. If it didn't pass the gut check then we didn't hang around.
No, you cannot consider "95,000 points to be the equivalent of paying $475 per night" because based on the information you provided in the post 95,000 could...
No, you cannot consider "95,000 points to be the equivalent of paying $475 per night" because based on the information you provided in the post 95,000 could also be "equivalent" to $749. In fact, it is not even the "equivalent" of what one would pay per night. It should be the equivalent of what one would save per night! What is the going on here?
Simple: 95,000 HH points do not have a monetary "equivalent" until after the points have been redeemed according to individual preferences!
Here are three illustrative scenarios, using nightly standard award costs and cash room rates provided in the post, that should be drive the point home:
Scenario #1
If I book a 1-night award stay for at WA Cancun for November 17-18 (cash rate: $541/night),
95,000 HH points would be "equivalent" to $541, yielding a HH point value of $541/95,000 = 0.56cent = 0.6cpp
Scenario #2
If I book a 1-night award stay for at WA Cancun for November 24-25 (cash rate: $749/night),
95,000 HH points would be "equivalent" to $749, yielding a HH point value of $749/95,000 = 0.78cent = 0.8cpp
Scenario #3
If I book a 5-night award stay for at WA Cancun for November (cash rate $749/night; 5th award night free),
95,000 HH points would be "equivalent" to ($749 * 5)/(95,000 * 4) * 95,000 = $936.25, yielding a HH point value of $936.25/95,000 = 0.99cent = 1.0cpp
See that? Three different scenarios, and in each scenario 95,000 HH points are "equivalent" to a different monetary value, with each yielding a "value" of Hilton point that is different and higher than ~0.5cpp (one is actually 2x higher).
So, what is the meaning of the value of ~0.5 cent of a Hilton point that is constantly thrown around?!
I will tell you, one more time: hotel points currencies have two distinct values:
1. A "face" or "nominal" value, which is (a) assigned by each program, (b) is objective, (c) is fixed, and (d) can be calculated analytically.
2. A "redemption" value, which (a) does not exist until points have been redeemed for an award according to individual preferences and is, thus, (b) subjective and (c) highly variable.
What everyone does, because they are confused, is to lump together those two different values hotel points currencies, which leads to erroneous claims of "equivalence" I just yet again pointed out.
The value of 0.5cpp for a HH point is simply its "face" value and it's fixed (it's the value that Hilton assigns to its point).
The values of 0.6cpp, 0.8cpp and 1.0cpp I calculated above are "redemption" values of a Hilton point for each the three subjectiveredemption scenarios, and are variable because they depend on the scenario.
The post contained all the information needed to provide reliable estimates of "redemption" values that can be achieved at this new WA Cancun property. There was no need to resort to the usual and misguided practice of estimating "redemption" values based on "face" values of points currencies! It is why such estimates are almost always unrealistically low. Anyone can get a lot more "value" than $450 out of 95K HH...without even trying!
G'day!
Cut & paste error propagation!
"...stay for at WA..." = simple "...stay at WA..."
Real talk: what happened to you during your childhood?
I was a bookworm and got really smart...
Lol at the all-inclusive access pass for WA guests. Isn’t a perk of staying at the WA to not be around people that redeemed LESS points to stay at an all-inclusive? I imagine there’s a huge drop in guest quality.
This WA is a hard pass from me. Doesn’t seem to have the luxurious touches of Pedregal, all the while being held geographically hostage making it difficult to hop out and enjoy the local fare.
Why was this hotel built so close to the ocean? like yeah beachfront makes sense but the area between the pool and beach looks non existent
Aren't they just upgrading/ changing the Hilton all inclusive to be waldorf? Or is this a completely new property??
It’s a completely new property (the Hilton has only been open for a year) and the Waldorf is right next door. They look similar from the outside (pools, how the hotels are built) but would hope the WA is a few notches above in the inside.
We’ve stayed at the Hilton twice. Although a lovely property with great service, don’t come here if you are looking for a great beach.
I don't see how this property can compete with the all-inclusives that line the region. Having to pay those prices, on top of food and beverage costs, just leaves a bad sting. Compared to paying those same prices (or even less), while getting all food and beverage comped, is a lot more stomach-able.
And for the wealthy looking for a Mexican getaway who can afford such a stay, they're much more likely to go to Cabo or Tulum, rather than Cancun.
I wouldn't recommend it, Ben. Cancun is becoming a destination with a very bad reputation due to fights between drug cartels. There have been shooting incidents in tourist areas and even private beaches of luxury resorts. The government of the state of Quintana Roo, where Cancun is located, has done nothing to address this and added to the accumulation of sargassum, makes Cancun a non-recommendable destination for business or family tourism, becoming a destination for...
I wouldn't recommend it, Ben. Cancun is becoming a destination with a very bad reputation due to fights between drug cartels. There have been shooting incidents in tourist areas and even private beaches of luxury resorts. The government of the state of Quintana Roo, where Cancun is located, has done nothing to address this and added to the accumulation of sargassum, makes Cancun a non-recommendable destination for business or family tourism, becoming a destination for American or European tourists to come and get drugs.
Shooting incidents are incredibly rare. They are just amplified by the media. It is a much safer destination than many featured on this site and other travel blogs.
It’s basically the same building as the Hilton Cancun that’s an all inclusive at a much cheaper rate…. I understand that WA is all about service, but why would you pay that much more and then have to pay to dine? The food better be exquisite. I might do a 5 night at the all inclusive and use a free night at WA to check it out.
I’d do the same. I’ve stayed at the Hilton next door twice and the food has been fine by me, also nice entertainment, service and kids club. The hotels are also off the beaten path, so you are kind of held captive to eating at the hotel, making the all-inclusive make that much more sense.
I stayed at the adjoining Hilton Cancun in May. We were supposed to stay at the WA but the open date kept getting pushed back. The WA is not all inclusive, while the Hilton is. While the resort itself was nice enough (and staff was great), the seaweed was absolutely unbearable (ended up going to the Hyatt Ziva the last two nights)…the stench was horrible. I definitely wouldn’t pay cash to go to the same...
I stayed at the adjoining Hilton Cancun in May. We were supposed to stay at the WA but the open date kept getting pushed back. The WA is not all inclusive, while the Hilton is. While the resort itself was nice enough (and staff was great), the seaweed was absolutely unbearable (ended up going to the Hyatt Ziva the last two nights)…the stench was horrible. I definitely wouldn’t pay cash to go to the same beach as the Hilton and then have to pay for expensive meals on top of it. Also note that if you’re looking for a Caribbean-beach vibe, this area of Cancun is not it.
with the seaweed sargassum issue its insane to me how these expensive hotels are opening
Agree! If you value a clean beach and clear, swimmable water, one is well advised to avoid eastward-facing beaches in this region.
Honestly, I would not gamble on trips with room rate that high when sargassum issue has been plaguing that area for years. At least, all inclusives have many activities and food variety if the beach is pilled with sargassum.
So many great all inclusive options up and down cancun dont see the reason to go here. If you want luxury in mexico you go to cabo. If you want solid all inclusives you go to cancun, pretty simple.
For those prices I'd definitely look to the Rosewood or other Mayakoba properties
Outrageous pricing and surprising taxable stay 29 percent.Mexico has many great things to see other than an inflated bill .
That 29% tax, good grief. Mexico is not the place for cash stays, especially at luxury destinations.
You mention that all rooms will have ocean views, which is a big deal in this area as many hotels are built where ocean views are premium upgrades. Also, all rooms will have plunge pools like Pedregal.
One big word of caution is the sargassum seaweed issue that plagues this region. Also, the hotel is far from anything to do or elsewhere to eat (unlike Pedregal) so bring a lot of $$$$ for on-property...
You mention that all rooms will have ocean views, which is a big deal in this area as many hotels are built where ocean views are premium upgrades. Also, all rooms will have plunge pools like Pedregal.
One big word of caution is the sargassum seaweed issue that plagues this region. Also, the hotel is far from anything to do or elsewhere to eat (unlike Pedregal) so bring a lot of $$$$ for on-property f&b, and be ready for long taxis to go on any adventures (no Uber in Cancun area).