RIU Hotels & Resorts review: No prior notification regarding hotel riu vallarta being under construction/remodeling

A. I had made prior reservation for a party of 2 at Hotel Riu Vallarta from 3/27/2024-3/2/2024. The reservation was for a Jr. Suite with king bed and ocean view.

B. Upon our arrival to Hotel Riu Vallarta, quite to our disappointment, we found out the hotel was under construction/remodeling. The whole lobby was being jackhammered! The level of noise and the amount of circulating dust and cement particles was staggering.

I immediately sought the assistant of hotel's front desk manager (Ernesto) to find us another Riu hotel and to arrange for our transfer to that hotel. After more than an hour, he informed us that he can arrange for a regular room with king bed at Riu Palace Pacifico, which only has a partial ocean view.

He also explained that the hotel would additionally cost us more than $650!

He also mentioned that he will arrange for our transfer to that hotel. Considering that we did not have any other choice, we accepted the offer. Quite surprisingly upon arrival to the new hotel, we ended up paying the taxi transportation fee out of our pocket!

C. Upon arrival to the Riu Palace Pacifico, quite astonishingly, we were informed that they are working with the Riu Reservation department to find us a room and that they cannot guarantee that we will have a room.

After another hour or so of waiting, we were informed that the only room that they can provide us was double bed room.

After multiple interactions and long conversations with the front desk manager (Aricela), we were informed that "Riu has NEVER guarantees a specific type of bed or view and guests must accept whatever is made available to them".

I explained to her that, since early 2020s, I have stayed at various Riu hotels on more than 30 occasions and based on my experience that is absolutely a false information. I informed her that is why a Jr. Suite and/or Ocean View has a higher nightly fee.

Regardless, after waiting another hour or so, she mentioned that all we can do is to stay the night at in the room with double beds and then potentially move to another room with a king bed the following day.

Reluctantly, considering that we did not have any other choice, we accepted her suggestion.

After coming back from eating a very late lunch, the front desk informed us that, somehow "miraculously", they have been able to identify a partial ocean view room with a king size bed.

We did not get to our room way past 4:30-5 PM.

Needless to say this was a very harsh and stressful beginning to our vacation.

Furthermore, I have to emphasize that Aricela's overall approach to "problem solving and management" was extremely heavy-handed and quite unacceptable. She was trying very hard to make us feel like we were the parties at fault and that the whole fiasco was caused by us!

Few topics that needs to be highlighted:

1. WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED OR INFORMED IN ADVANCE (either by the reservation desk and/or the hotel web-site) THAT THE HOTEL WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION/REMODELING.

2. This whole fiasco cost us approximately an additional $650 in hotel fees.

3. A review of relevant social media reflects comments by other Hotel Riu Vallarta guest their difficult experiencing related to the hotel being under construction/remodeling.

4. These guests have also acknowledged that they were also not informed or notified about the hotel construction in advance.

5. As a customer service courtesy, these guests were offered either a 10% discount from their current bill or a 15% discount on a future stay at a Riu Hotel.

6. WE WERE NEVER OFFERED EITHER OF THESE CHOICES!