Offner Arjona, president of the Playa del Carmen Small Hotels Association, noted that low rates and high costs have compounded the low hotel occupancy, so they are considering not only “solidarity layoffs” but also furloughing staff.
“We reviewed our colleagues’ occupancy yesterday, and from August 4 to 10, the average occupancy was 50%; the week before, it was 48%,” Arjona said, adding that “a question for all of you reading this is: what has gone down in price? The answer is nothing, because everything is going up, except rates. Despite all the increases in our operating costs, rates are going down,” he noted.
Arjona commented that the association has asked for greater control over vacation rentals, because they are increasing and we don’t pay low taxes. “After complying with everything they’ve asked of us, we’re asking for some support, because it’s very difficult to remain competitive in this situation, and we don’t want to fall into a ‘rate war’ with vacation rentals,” he said, according to QuintanaRooHoy.
The Mexican Caribbean Hotel Council (CHCM) recently expressed its concern over the proposed increase in the property tax rates for the municipality of Playa del Carmen for the 2026 fiscal year and issued an urgent call for dialogue with authorities, citizens, and the business community. (Playa del Carmen: hoteliers fear more taxes due to property tax increase.)
A letter sent to the municipality’s Property Tax Directorate, signed by David Ortiz Mena, vice president of CHCM, the organization that represents all the state’s hotel associations, warns that a disproportionate increase could have negative impacts on both the tourism sector and the general population.
Source: reportur
