A luxury hotel reviewer expected to spend the night at one of Mexico’s newest resorts. Instead, Ryan Walker said he was turned away and that the police were called on him at the entrance after he had made a two-hour drive there.
Walker had booked a stay at Amanvari, an 18-room property on the East Cape of Baja California Sur. The resort officially began welcoming guests on Aug. 1, according to its website.
His visit was scheduled during the resort’s opening week, with the room reportedly costing approximately $6,000 per night. Walker said he had also received permission to film his experience as long as he respected other guests’ privacy.
The hotel sent a cancellation email late the night before his arrival, but Walker said he did not see it before leaving. In fact, he had also received several emails that day that indicated the hotel was open and his reservation was still on. When he reached the property, security refused to let him enter or speak with a manager.
Security Recognized Walker Before Denying Him Entry
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A YouTube video published by Walker on Aug. 4 shows his vehicle stopped at Amanvari’s security gate. A guard appears to recognize him by name before saying the resort does not have his reservation.
Walker showed staff an email confirming his expected arrival. A supervisor then told him that another message had been sent and that the reservation was no longer confirmed.
The reviewer repeatedly asked whether a manager could come to the gate and explain the situation. Staff declined, and then said they needed to contact the police.
Walker left the entrance without entering the resort. His videographer later wrote a comment on the YouTube video saying that a Mexican military police vehicle stopped them while they were leaving the area, although that encounter does not appear in the video.
Resort Said It Was Reducing Arrivals After Opening
Walker found the cancellation notice while traveling back toward San José del Cabo. The message said Amanvari was reducing arrivals while the newly opened property completed additional operational work.
However, Walker looked online and saw that the resort’s booking system was still offering rooms at the regular rate for the same night. He questioned why his reservation had been selected for cancellation and why no one had called to confirm that he received the message. When he tried to call the hotel after they left, they hung up on him and would not speak to him, even after he called on a different phone.
Walker explained in the video why independent reviewers are so important to hotel guests: “Here’s why that was so serious. Here’s why this is such a big deal. Independent reviewers protect the customer. Independent reviewers like myself help make sure that this is a balanced narrative. If you silence independent reviews and cancel the reservations before you actually check in, what happens is the narrative is fully controlled by the corporation.”
Amanvari’s official website describes 18 casitas with private heated pools, terraces and views of the desert, estuary or Sea of Cortés. The resort is part of the 1,500-acre Costa Palmas development.
In the video description, Walker said he had not received a response from Amanvari or Aman’s corporate office at the time of publication. Aman had not publicly explained the incident as of Aug. 6.