Jose Carlos Azcarraga's Posada group has almost 160 properties open, with another 52 under development.

Joe Martinez, with his wife, Delores, started the resort brand El Dorado. In addition, they run a significant inbound tour operation, Lomas, which moves 800,000 visitors around Cancun and the Riviera Maya each year.

Gibran Chapur's family's holdings comprise the Le Blanc brand and Palace Resorts, which includes the largest property in the Western Hemisphere south of the U.S., Cancun's Moon Palace.

And Juan Vela and his brother Eduardo have made their mark in Mexico hospitality with just five properties operating under the influential Grand Velas, Velas Suites and Casa Velas brands.

The four men traveled to Cancun last month for a panel I moderated at the Mark Travel Summit, and afterward they gathered for a post-panel roundtable to discuss the impact of challenges they face as they enter what should be their high season.

This group especially interested me because, as homegrown, family operations, they've successfully competed in a landscape where Spanish-owned all-inclusives have an outsized presence. For these four, challenges are personal as well as corporate.

All reported a worrisome deceleration in bookings in a year that started at full throttle.