Income taxes - Narrative (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020 USD ($) entity	Sep. 30, 2019 USD ($)
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Statutory income tax rate			25.00%
Additional tax expense related to valuation allowances recognized for Jamaica, Mexico and U.S. entities, CARES Act	$ 20,200		$ 20,200
Income tax provision (benefit)	5,299	$ 1,530	(8,237)	$ (10,025)
Increase in income tax provision / decrease in income tax benefit	3,800		1,800
Increase in tax expense associated with foreign exchange rate fluctuations	1,400		2,300
Increased tax benefit due to lower pre-tax book income from tax paying entities	12,500		22,600
Increase in discrete tax benefit due to lower future tax liabilities of certain Dominican Republic entities	4,000		8,500
Tax benefit associated with sale of Jewel Dunn's River Beach Resort & Spa and Jewel Runaway Bay Beach Resort & Waterpark	$ 1,700		7,500
Non-recurring tax benefit from the valuation allowance release during prior period			$ 14,300
Playa Romana Mar B.V. and Playa Dominican Resorts B.V. | Dominican Republic
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Number of entities granted tax exemption | entity			2
Tax exemption period granted			15 years
Correction of Immaterial Prior Year Error | Adjustment
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Income tax provision (benefit)			$ 3,200