Hilton Honors enthusiasts have a new luxury hotel in Mexico to look forward to, as this hotel recently started accepting reservations.
The Waldorf Astoria Cancun is now accepting reservations for stays as of November 1, 2022. The resort will be located along 100 acres of Mayan coastline, and will be just 15 minutes from Cancun International Airport (CUN).
The Waldorf Astoria Cancun will feature 150 guest rooms and suites, plus a variety of other amenities:
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. 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, it seems that 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.
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. So will the Waldorf Astoria Cancun actually be a good enough reason to return, given the short flight, or is it best avoided for those of us who don’t love Cancun?
Again, that’s just my personal take, and I know others feel very differently about the Cancun area.
The Waldorf Astoria Cancun will be opening in November 2022. This seems like a 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.
What do you make of the new Waldorf Astoria Cancun? Anyone plan on checking it out?
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 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
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).
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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.
with the seaweed sargassum issue its insane to me how these expensive hotels are opening
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.
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