Thompson Playa Del Carmen Rebrands As Hyatt Centric

One of Hyatt’s popular resorts in Mexico will be rebranding, though probably not for the reason that Hyatt is claiming.

Details of the “new” Hyatt Centric Playa del Carmen

On December 1, 2024, we’ll see the opening of the Hyatt Centric Playa del Carmen. In reality, this is just a rebranding of the existing Thompson Playa del Carmen, which first opened back in 2016, and is just closed for a period of several weeks.

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The 119-key property consists of a Main House and Beach House:

• The “Downtown House” will feature 92 guest rooms and suites, and will be adults-only; this will feature a lively rooftop social bar and restaurant, a day club, and more
• The “Beach House” will feature 27 suites, and will be family-friendly; this will be a bit more serene and is beachfront, and has a signature restaurant

Don’t expect much to change about the property with it rebranding, as it’ll have the same mid-century modern(ish) decor that the Thompson brand is known for.

Why the Thompson Playa del Carmen is rebranding

The Hyatt Centric brand is supposed to offer properties in the heart of cities. So, why is Hyatt rebranding this property? Here’s the official explanation:

Rebranding Thompson Playa del Carmen Main and Beach House to Hyatt Centric Playa del Carmen was a strategic decision based on the hotel’s location in the heart of Playa del Carmen, a key differentiator for the Hyatt Centric brand, which is known to be in the center of the action, embrace the locale and inspire exploration. The hotel is ideally situated on Fifth Avenue or ‘La Quinta Avenida’, a vibrant street filled with shopping, dining, entertainment and nightlife stretching five miles long through the center of Playa del Carmen’s downtown. The hotel’s standout location allows savvy travelers to discover the best of what the coastal Mexican beach town has to offer with premium lifestyle accommodations.

But let’s be honest — this explanation is a bunch of malarkey. Thompson is unarguably a higher end brand than Hyatt Centric, and also has more of a loyal following. There are people who seek out Thompson properties, but I don’t think there are nearly as many people who specifically seek out Hyatt Centric properties.

So it’s pretty clear what’s going on here — this hotel was no longer adhering to Thompson brand standards, so got “demoted.” For context:

• Hyatt management has made it clear that it’s holding properties to brand standards, and is reflagging properties that aren’t to the expected levels (which I very much appreciate)
• This has been known for being one of the weaker Thompson properties out there, though in fairness, it has also historically been pretty reasonably priced
• While Hyatt Centric is a brand that consistently has properties with central locations, it otherwise doesn’t have much in the way of brand standards, with huge variance in terms of the quality and design of properties

So I feel pretty confident that this rebranding isn’t for the reasons that Hyatt is claiming. After all, there are lots of Thompson properties right in the heart of the action (in Chicago, New York, Seattle, etc.), but you don’t see them suddenly becoming Hyatt Centrics.

Bottom line

The Thompson Playa del Carmen is being rebranded as a Hyatt Centric. While Hyatt claims this rebranding is intended to better reflect the property’s central location, it’s pretty clear that the property is being kicked out of the Thompson brand, presumably based on the owners being unwilling to update the property to be up to brand standards.

What do you make of the Thompson Playa del Carmen becoming a Hyatt Centric?