Happy Job, Happy Life: The Playa Difference

Last week, TravelPulse Canada was invited to attend a Playa Hotels and Resorts FAM as a guest of the recently renovated Hilton La Romana. An adults-only hotel, the gorgeous property opened just in August and its family-friendly side is set to open in December.

Touring the property it’s clear that guests will experience a sense of luxury: the décor is modern with an echo of the tropical paradise that is La Romana. Its 356 rooms are colourful and sleek and feature full amenities that include 24 hour room service (free of charge for Premium level, a small delivery charge applies for basic rooms). At the main infinity pool, cabanas can be rented for $50 US/day.

The restaurants on site are very good and feature a variety of tastes that include Italian, Asian, and Mediterranean as well as a lobby coffee shop featuring delicious brews and treats.

By all means, Hilton La Romana will become a top destination for all-inclusive travelers looking for an elevated experience. But there was something different that was making the resort stand out, something we couldn’t quite put our finger on.

We decided to explore the resort fully as a guest, and with one swim in the pool it became apparent.

“Happy job, happy life,” Junior, the pool’s bartender sang as he wiped the counter. That was it.

The employees here are truly enjoying their jobs and it reflects in the level of service guests receive. We asked Junior how he liked working at Hilton La Romana and he smiled, “I love it. It’s a great company to work for and I get to meet people from all over the world and be a fun part of their vacation.”

From the time of checkin right through check out, guests are held to a high standard by every staff member we came in contact with. It’s something we wanted to talk about with Sales Manager Angie Jimenez.

“We try to go above and beyond to please our guests, if it can be done, it will be done.”

Jimenez says many of the staff were inherited from the hotel when it was previously Dreams, and that the resort is very close to La Romana city, where many workers live, making an easier commute home to families.

“Everyone was very excited because of the renovations,” she tells us. “There were a lot of upgrades to rooms, venues and such and that was a big part of that excitement. Human Resources planned a lot of training for our staff, which is a key point across all of Playa’s brands."

"We are all about service from the heart, that’s our hello. It’s very Playa, everybody is all very much about “yes, it’s my pleasure to help.”

Hilton La Romana was operating currently at just over 50% occupancy, which is on target with the recent opening and time of the year and strong numbers are on the books heading into the typical holiday season. Jimenez added that once the family-friendly side opens, occupancy will increase even more.

The family friendly side will have 412 rooms and feature a waterpark. Guests at both resorts will be able to share amenities like restaurants, provided they are 18+. Of the nine resorts located in Bayahibe, Hilton La Romana will be the only one with a waterpark when it opens in December which the resort thinks will be a big draw for family travelers.

TravelPulse Canada also got a hard hat tour of the soon to be open Hyatt Zilara and Hyatt Ziva. Scheduled to open November 1st, the Playa team gave a rundown of the massive resort when they visited Toronto on their roadshow in September. Work on the property is still being completed, but most rooms are finished and the property was designed by renowned hospitality architect Ken Shannon.

No doubt those properties will have the same level of service as the rest of the Playa Hotels and Resorts.

“Service is key to us. We get a lot of recognition from guests during their stay,” Jimenez says. “Guests get something different and it’s constant. And I think that’s what makes it magical.”