Riu Latino

I recently stayed at the Riu Latino in Cancun, and unfortunately, the experience fell far below expectations, especially disappointing since this was my first trip to Cancun. From the beginning, the customer service was consistently rude and dismissive. Many staff members seemed overworked and overwhelmed, and even simple requests were met with frustration or indifference, which created an unwelcoming atmosphere throughout the stay. The food was another major disappointment. Several dishes were undercooked, lacked flavor, and felt carelessly prepared. Even the specialty restaurants didn’t offer much improvement, making meals something I didn’t look forward to. A serious issue occurred when someone in my group was wrongly accused of fighting another guest. The situation was handled poorly and without professionalism. Even after video proof clearly showed my friend was innocent, the staff did not offer an apology or make any effort to correct the mistake respectfully. The incident added unnecessary stress to an already disappointing trip. The one positive was housekeeping. They were consistently prompt, thorough, and clearly took pride in their work. Our rooms were always clean and well-maintained, and their professionalism stood out. What makes this experience even more frustrating is that I’ve stayed at Riu Negril and had a completely different experience: warm staff, great food, and excellent service. Because of that, I expected the same level of quality in Cancun, but this property didn’t come close. Overall, the poor customer service, low-quality food, and mishandled incident overshadowed the few positives. As a first-time visitor, this stay left a bad impression of Cancun and Mexico. I hope the hotel addresses these issues, but based on this experience, I would not return.

I booked Hotel Riu Latino for my best friend’s wedding, but I never even got the chance to enjoy my stay. Shortly after arriving, before I had even seen my room, I was physically assaulted by another guest in a public area of the resort. I suffered a black eye and a cut to my forehead, and my boyfriend stepped in only to protect me. Despite being the victim of an unprovoked assault, we were both removed from the hotel while the aggressor was initially allowed to remain. What made the situation even worse was that members of our wedding party continued to be harassed by the aggressor’s group after the assault, yet management did not act until hours later. During the rest of the trip, other members of our group also witnessed additional violent incidents involving guests, and several had their own disappointing experiences with the hotel’s handling of safety and customer service. What should have been a joyful celebration turned into a stressful and upsetting experience for many of us. Before we left, the hotel director, Miguel, told us that we would receive a refund. Because the reservation was made through a third party, the refund required the hotel’s authorization. The booking company contacted the hotel, and my boyfriend also sent two follow-up emails, but management never responded. Despite their promise, we have still not received any refund. The lack of accountability, inconsistent handling of violent incidents, poor communication, and complete disregard for guest safety were extremely disappointing. We chose RIU because of its reputation, but our experience was the exact opposite of what we expected. I sincerely hope RIU Corporate investigates this case and makes meaningful changes so no other guests have to go through what we did.

Bottom line: It was ok for a budget friendly girls trip. I would not stay here again, but was able to have a good time with my group. This is not the place to go if you’re looking for a super refined high quality resort experience. THE GOOD -We LOVED the Pink Party and had a GREAT time. This was one of the main highlights of the trip. But they need to do a better job with a more efficient return though. -Hotel is clean and well kept -Swim up pool had nice view and was fun and relaxing -Our buffet server BRIAN was amazing the first day. Great service. Other servers were rushed or seemed overwhelmed. RAMON at front desk was also awesome! -Photographer SERGIO was so good!! If you want photos, he is your guy. He was on beach and pool taking pics for guests. Very friendly and so helpful with poses! Excellent photographer. THE VERY BAD -We got in and had dinner at the buffet. I got sick after dinner the first night there from the food. This has never happened to me ever at a hotel or resort. The next morning at breakfast (I was very hesitant to eat there again but what choice do I have), I noticed mold on the bread at breakfast the next morning (see photo). GROSS. Chips for guacamole were also stale every day. I question the freshness of the food and had to be very careful and inspect everything the rest of the trip. Be careful in the buffet restaurant. -One of the worst hotel beds I’ve slept in. Hard, lumpy bed, thin sheets, could feel the coils in mattress BAD -Limited drinks available at the buffet restaurant. Only very specific drinks, no margaritas available at the main restaurant in Mexico?? -Witnessed several domestic violence incidents -Buffet is only decent option for lunch and they rush you out if you get there close to closing time. Pool area food very limited -No coffee shop or ice cream shop Other -The Asian restaurant was my favorite for dinner. -The beach area was not wow. Chairs and umbrellas are cheap plastic. -This is a straw- free hotel, so bring your own compostable and/or a cup with straws! -We had an oceanfront view but the view of our room was mainly the big slide. After one night, they allowed us to switch rooms All said, we did have a good time, mainly bc I was with an awesome group of girls, but I wouldn’t return. Two stars because of the food made me sick and the mold on the bread.

This hotel shouldn't be in any way classed as a 5*. The some of the staff were very rude. Food was repetitive and activities, the pool bars were why under staff, because of this there where long quese of people waiting ages to just get a drink. There was 1 niight were there was young so called “18yr old” were drunk shouting slamming doors woke a lot of people up in the early hours” so I went to reception to report this, which was a waste of time (as nothing was done), so when I got back to my room”yet again there behaviour carried on), so I took it on board myself to go and speak to them.They just thought it was funny, thankfully 1 of there female friends, were coming to there room and told them to stop and go in there room. During the day there was people walking barefoot into the restaurant, staff didn't say or do a thing about this(eg just to ask them to put some shoes on) as its unhealthy. Then every morning around 7am the cleaners would just walk into your room(even though the “Do not disturb”sign on the door, so didn't acknowledge what you had asked. Then there was another night were drunk outside arguing with 1 another, around 0.15AM for a while and still no sight of any staff approaching them. So The 24hr bar wasn't help with any of this because peopleere during into the early hours!. I couldn't wait to get out of this hotel and had spent most of the week in my room.? 5&1/2 days mange to fully sleep,(others days kept awake 24hrs plus. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone, not worth thousands of pounds and no way should it be classed as 5•.

In June, I went on a bachelorette trip to this resort, a resort that I looked up in advance to make sure that it was a gay friendly resort. IT IS NOT. I wore a blouse that did not fit the clear dress code and I was told I was not allowed in the restaurant, due to armpit hair being visible. FINE, but then the customer care worker misgendered me and made it a point two times in the night to go up to coworkers say something about me, point, and laugh. This made me uneasy all weekend. I emailed the customer service and they lacked empathy for the situation and instead focused on the dress code. And all of this was during pride month month, I couldn't recommend this place less, if you are GAY, you won't be safe here.