TravelPulse editorial director Tim Wood recently returned from a four-day trip to the new Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, the latest addition to the All-Inclusive Collection.  Here’s the first of his dispatches from the road.

I was impressed with the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya before I ever got to the resort. From their next-level online marketing to the resort staff that rescued me from my luggage nightmare, first impressions were strong.

As I was packing for my trip, I Googled the hotel to get a last check on what to expect from the four-day media trip.

Minutes later, I’m surfacing the web when I see a banner atop an ESPN.com page. It was Hard Rock Hotel Riviera.

The ad gave me the temperature at my home in Bluffton, S.C. – a southern oasis that had turned into a wintry mess at just 42 degrees and rainy (I know, Northerners, poor me). Then it showed the temperature at the resort, 84 degrees and not a cloud in the sky and told me about an $1,800 resort credit.

This was something out of “Minority Report,” the kind of utilization of personalized technology to go with the smart messaging of past campaigns like Southwest’s “Wanna Get Away?” commercials.

I’m not a fan of banner ads, mostly because most of them look like old-school print ads instead of truly utilizing the space. THIS is the right way to do it. Got me excited for the trip and less focused on the traveling.

My flights to Cancun were fairly uneventful, save for a boatload of turbulence about 45 minutes out of Cancun. The frequent flyers told me to get over myself, this is the norm flying into nirvana.

What wasn’t the norm was my luggage not coming through the carousel in Cancun. It’s so cliché but it had never happened to me, let alone on an international jaunt.

Baggage carousel without my luggage. Welcome to Mexico. :( pic.twitter.com/nGMKgnYcSz

— Tim Wood (@TimWoodPulse) March 7, 2014

A bald but cheery luggage assistant named Alejandro tried to console me and encourage me that my bag was coming for 25 minutes. As it turns out, he was just buying time for the baggage claims specialist to get back from lunch.

The Delta deskman informed me my bag didn’t make the connection in Atlanta and was coming in on a later flight and the staff would deliver the bag to my hotel later in the evening.

He then handed me a toiletry kit as a consolation gift. Nice touch, but do you have some clothes so I can change out of my ratty sweatpants and long-sleeve shirt?

No problem through customs, but I was once again pulled aside by a luggage screener – my third tussle with the bag police today, a pattern predicted by a TSA agent in Savannah eight hours earlier.

Headed to Riviera Maya. TSA agent told me I needed a new passport photo. "This has watch list written all over it." pic.twitter.com/Ech7PBonqD

— Tim Wood (@TimWoodPulse) March 7, 2014

Two hours after landing, I finally was on my way to seeing Mexican sunlight.  That is, until I was accosted by a timeshare sales guy trying to tell me all about how I could do this or get points for that.

Apparently the five minutes it took to shake this guy caused my ride to finally give up on me, as I saw the guy holding the “Wood” sign driving away.

Luckily, a rep from the hotel and the tour group putting together the centerpiece of my trip, the High Noon Adventure concert starring country rocker Jerrod Niemann, recognized my name from the drivers sheet and within minutes, got me another shuttle to the Hard Rock.

It is an hour drive from the airport to Riviera Maya, all on one local highway. It was 4:30 p.m. when we pulled up to the Hard Rock. From that point on, my night just kept getting better.

PHOTO: The oceanside view of the Hard Rock Riviera Maya adults-only-side main building. (all photos by Tim Wood)

The resort is made up of two sides, the family-oriented resort and the adults-oriented Heaven resort. After a smooth check-in, I played a little pool with Jessie, an X-ray technician from Dallas, in the rec area while waiting for the airport to bring my luggage.

After she turned the “I’ve never played before” line into three straight wins, I retreated for my room.

The beauty of the all-inclusive part of the resort became apparent quickly. My bellman showed me around the nicely adorned suite, complete with balcony and second-story private oceanview Jacuzzi.

Then he showed me the mini-bar, including the top-shelf gin, vodka and bourbon, shelved upside down with pour spouts.

“How do they measure how much I had?” I asked. I’m a newbie to the all-inclusive thing.

“They don’t. It’s all free. You finish it, we replace it. The sodas are free too, as is the room service,” he said. “You look a little light-headed. I recommend the spaghetti bolognese for that.”

The room service showed up in 13 minutes, just enough time for me to splash some water on my face and test out the hammock on my balcony.

My bag didn’t show up until 6:45 p.m., so sadly, I missed dinner with my media group. But there was plenty enough time for a dip in the private ocean cove before sunset.

And an oceanside server handing me the first of many tropical libations to make the troubles of the travel fade away fast.

I slipped into the Sun Bar for the semifinals of “The Voice” resort competition. Yes, “The Voice.” The winners would perform on stage at the High Noon concert.

No, Adam Levine was not there to judge, but “The Voice” favorites The Swon Brothers were. Both there to judge and to perform with Niemann on Monday.

PHOTO: The Swon Brothers were the expert judges for the resort's version of "The Voice.

I tested my go-to karaoke song, “One Week” by Barenaked Ladies, on a couple of unofficial judges.

The consensus: You’re better off spectating.

I would have to wait another day to make my mark on a Swon Brother.