UVC's venture into Europe began in 2018 with ALG's purchase of Alua Hotels and Resorts. The original purchase included 12 Alua properties in the Balearic and Canary Islands off Spain. Since then, first ALG, then Hyatt, has opened other Aluas in Spain and has expanded the Alua brand into Bulgaria and Greece. Additionally, ALG, and then Hyatt, has opened European resorts in Spain, Portugal, Greece and Bulgaria under their older AMResorts brands: Secrets, Dreams and Zoetry.
The European properties are included in the UVC inventory in what UVC calls its "European Collection." Currently, there are about 40 properties in the European Collection that UVC members can book with membership benefits, but those properties have some different rules.
- Prices are quoted on the members' website and charged to your credit card in euros.
- Members cannot book with Premier Nights or VIP Weeks. Only a cash transaction (Unlimited Nights) can be used to reserve a European Collection property.
- Many resorts in the European Collection are open only from Spring to Fall. There are about a dozen properties that are open all year. UVC publishes a table showing the open months for European Collection resorts in the FAQs on the members' website.
- Members get their UVC discount at these properties, but the Alua properties (At least some of them. I haven't checked them all.) have a second loyalty program called "Customer Club" that offers partial discounts to non-UVC members. UVC members do not get a 25% discount off Customer Club pricing. They do get 25% off the non-Customer Club price, and price matching is allowed.
- The "all-inclusive" aspect works differently for European Collection properties. When reserving, a room can be booked with just breakfast, half-board (breakfast and dinner) or full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks). Some resorts offer beer as part of an all-inclusive option, but none offer unlimited alcohol like UVC resorts in the Americas. There are more options for a reservation due to the levels of food and drink you can include with your room reservation.
Other than the Customer Club offering free partial discounts that UVC members cannot price match to (the same issue I have with WoH), none of these rules bother me. What does bother me is that UVC members are not allowed to use club benefits at all Aluas.
Alua was an existing AMResorts brand and was part of the AMR Collection that ALG created in 2021 before the Hyatt purchase. As noted in this news story from 2021, "AMR Collection brands include Secrets, Dreams and Breathless Resorts & Spas, Zoetry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Alua Hotels & Resorts and Sunscape Resorts & Spas."
Yet, as of this post, Hyatt is preventing me from booking three Alua properties with club benefits:
1. Alua Calas de Mallorca
2. AluaSoul Costa Adeje
3. AluaSoul Sunny Beach
None of these European Collection properties can be booked on the UVC members' website despite contract language that allows UVC members to book "All AMResorts brands" with club benefits.
The language in this 2019 UVC contract is similar to the language in my contract. In Exhibit B on page 15 of 44, you'll find this:
Hyatt's UVC is behaving the same way with these three Alua properties as they are with the five Playa Resorts properties they rebranded to AMResorts brands. They willfully and brazenly refuse members a benefit they're contractually obligated to provide.
This issue came to light when Hyatt announced the opening of AluaSoul Sunny Beach in June 2025. Notice the quote in the second paragraph of the linked press release:
"...As travelers continue to seek all-inclusive stays in Europe, we’re dedicated to creating seamless experiences that allow guests and World of Hyatt members to relax in comfort while also connecting with local culture, exploring the destination, and enjoying stays that consistently exceed expectations."
Hyatt identifies its World of Hyatt members as beneficiaries of the new property but specifically excludes its UVC members. That's UVC members' reality for all three of these Aluas. They've been made available to Hyatt's free loyalty members in World of Hyatt, but not to their paid loyalty members in UVC despite a contractual obligation to the UVC members.
On the same day that Hyatt announced the opening of AluaSoul Sunny Beach, a UVC member asked this question in the Official UVC Facebook Group:
The question was an opportunity for Hyatt's UVC to let members know their intentions for the Aluas, but they rejected that opportunity. Ten months later, there's been no response to this question from the Official UVC FB group moderators. UVC should let the 150,000 (+/-) members whose contracts they're violating know their intentions for the Aluas. They don't.
Why are some Aluas being withheld from UVC members when others aren't? How is the decision made to withhold some? Will the properties currently being withheld ever be added to the UVC inventory? If so, what needs to happen, and what's Hyatt's schedule for getting them into the UVC inventory? If Hyatt's UVC has to violate contracts to address whatever issues are keeping these AMResorts properties out of the UVC inventory, they owe members these answers. They don't respond to member questions. Hyatt's contempt for its UVC members continues.
No matter what benefits you think you have with your UVC membership these days, you can't be sure which ones Hyatt's UVC will honor and which ones they'll ignore. What you have today may be gone tomorrow. This is Hyatt's UVC.