Part of the Gourmet Inclusive properties of Azul Hotels by Karisma, the Azul Sensatori Hotel is schedule to open this October. It will be the first Sensatori resort in the Americas - and will seek to feed the fives sense to reach what Buddhists call "satori," or, the "wow moment." The chick hotel will offer several restaurants, lounges with swinging beds, beach butlers, swim-up suites, kids and teens centers and upscale amenities. The architect on the project is Eduardo Sangry and the interior designer is Cecilia Carranza.
The woman at the front desk flashed a 1,000-watt smile. The dining room hostess greeted me by name. The bartender took one look, said "gin and tonic," and started mixing me one.
And I'd only been there one night.
At 97 rooms, the Azul Beach Hotel is easily the tiniest all-inclusive I've ever used, and proof that small can be beautiful.
The typical butler is no longer a tuxedo-clad gentleman who does everything from answer the door to assist with personal grooming. These days, butlers are becoming more specialized, as top hotels hire them to provide such niche services as drawing baths, serving frozen snacks and supplying technological support.
At the El Dorado Maroma in Riviera Maya, Mexico, beach butlers supply guests with tanning products, reading material, water vaporizers and towels (karismahotels .com; $677 per night).