Hyatt Aruba goes for $600 - $1000 during peak season, but you don't see them charging $17 for a bottle of water...

Base rooms were never that high at Hyatt Baha Mar (I've considered staying at the property a few times) and pretty much every blogger who has reviewed Baha Mar, has commented on the low cash rates during their stay. You can also check on TripAdvisor as well, most people commented that their room rate was fairly low during peak season before added taxes. Hyatt BM was regularly running free night promotions (4th night free) to try and lure people in. Even pre-Covid during Christmas week, I'm pretty sure base rates were only around $300 a night. Baha Mar is a mega resort. The Hyatt section of Baha Mar alone has 1,800 rooms! They definitely aren't filling that many rooms by selling them at $600 a pop. Their entire revenue model revolves around using cheap rooms to lure people, have them play in the casino, and overcharge them for food / beverages, and spa services, much like Las Vegas.

Even if by some chance Baha Mar did cost $500 a night, that doesn't mean a couple staying at Baha Mar would also feel comfortable with spending $125 on breakfast, $150 on lunch, $50 on snacks / coffee, $300 on dinner, and $200 a day on various drinks on top of that amount. Most people would expect to be able to get by on a budget of $400 a day for food, not over $800. The amounts start adding up rather quickly when you add on all of the mandatory service charges, tips, and vat to the already high prices.

There's a good reason why Hyatt Baha Mar was never a success even before Covid hit. Wealthy travelers for the most part are used the finer things in life and are willing to pay lots of money for a very high quality product. Middle class travelers working within a budget, often don't mind paying for a mediocre product if it is cost effective. . Unfortunately, the Hyatt Baha Mar charges a lot of money for a very mediocre product.

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