Mexico's All-Inclusive Resorts Just Dominated the Most Prestigious Award in Hospitality
Seven of the ten AAA Five Diamond top hotels for 2026 are in Mexico, with several all-inclusive properties earning the coveted designation.
Mexico claimed seven of the ten spots on AAA's 2026 Top Hotels list, released on June 12 — the most lopsided showing in recent memory for its annual Five Diamond awards. Several of the winners are all-inclusive resorts along the country's Caribbean and Pacific coasts.
The all-inclusive honorees include Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets, Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancún, and Grand Velas Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen. La Casa de La Playa by Xcaret, also in Playa del Carmen, and Zadún Los Cabos, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, rounded out the Mexican contingent alongside the Four Seasons Resort & Residences Los Cabos at Costa Palmas and The St. Regis Mexico City.
The non-Mexican winners were the Four Seasons Resort Lanai in Hawaii, Four Seasons Hotel Montreal, and The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina.
AAA inspectors visit properties unannounced throughout the year, evaluating what the organization calls the four Cs: cleanliness, comfort, cuisine, and consistency. For Five Diamond hotels, inspectors spend the night to evaluate service and surroundings firsthand.
The results reinforce what the data has been showing for years: Riviera Maya and Cancún have become the global epicenter for luxury all-inclusive hospitality. The concentration of top-tier properties in the region — from Secrets and Grand Velas to Xcaret's boutique concepts — gives travelers a density of Five Diamond options that no other destination can match.