RIU Hotels & Resorts
reviews and complaints

I've been staying at the Riu Santa Fe since 2013 at least once a year and seem to have only managed to acquire 300 odd points? I read that the tour company is meant to add the points to your system. Is that correct? I've usually used Cheap Caribbean and Vacations to Go. I just returned 2 days ago from a 5 day stay. My client #[protected]. I'm hoping you keep records of your clients stays at each hotel as I have not kept my receipts for the past 8 years thinking that each visit I made was being recorded either by the Tour Company or by Riu itself.

I received the worst treatment by Manolo (front desk) and other staff. The service was poor, received wrong information regarding COVID test and did not get the accommodations I paid for. I would like a refund for the inconvenience and poor treatment. It ruined my vacation and I would never recommend this place, it lacks good customer services.

Contact information: Beda Gamboa
Email: [protected]@gmail.com
Phone number: [protected]

Check-in: Thursday, November 25, 2021 - Check-out: Sunday, November 28, 2021
Riu Palace Las Americas - All Inclusive
Reserved For: Beda Gamboa - 2 Adults
Room Type: Junior Suite
Requests: Additional Remarks: 2 QUEEN BEDS
Requests are not guaranteed.
Blvd. Kukulcan Lote 4
Cancun, QR 77500

To whom this may concern,

From the 11th till the 25th of november 2021 I was a guest at Rui Hotel Ochi Rios room number 3137 along with my sibling Andre Williams. During my time I was told we needed to complete a return home pcr test. I booked the test and went into the test room on the 24th where and I paid 30GBP for my test and my brother paid 40USD. The woman who done our test was called Shakiria. We both completed the test and was handed the receipt along with my paper form to say I have done a negative test. (IMAGE 1, 2)

When leaving the test room I had left my JBL wireless bluetooth speaker on the chair. I returned not long after to find my speaker had been stolen. I asked if it had been seen, to then be told by the person that done my test (shakera) that she seen it but didn't put it to one side. The speaker cost £55 and I purchased it just before my holiday. (IMAGE 3)

My flight to go back to the uk was the 25th November 2021. I got a coach transfer from the hotel to Sangster Airport. We arrived at the airport around 14:00. Before checking in I was asked for my return home negative test pcr test. I produced it to then be questioned about my D.O. B which was put on the test form as 06.11
1990 instead of 26.11.1990. My sibling andre williams's test information was input correctly. TUI then phoned up RUI to re-confirm that we had done the test due to my DOB being wrong. TUI were then told my Rui that there that there's no information to say we have done the test at the hotel. We was then told by TUI airline we can't check in as they have been told by the hotel that we aren't on the test system reason.
We then had the stress and inconvenience of contacting family and freinds in england to transfer me money because we had no money left from the holiday. By this time it was around 16:00 and our flight was scheduled to leave for 16:45. I had to then pay 72.24GBP for 2 more PCR tests.
(IMAGE 4, 5, 6 7)

This has caused me to feel dejected, disappointed and let down by what I considered a credable tourist resort. I should never have had to be put through that situation. I expect and adequate resolution within 14 days. If not I will be taking this matter further.

Yours sincerly,
Shaun Williams

Email: [protected]@hotmail.co.uk
Contact number: [protected]

My name is Daphne Charlow I went to Aruba from Nov 12 to 16 and stay at the Rui Antillas to celebrate my 50th Birthday it was the worst time to go there I had to change my room due to construction there was loud banging, dust and dirt everywhere I have asthma and I was constantly having shortest of breath due to the dust I'm very disappointed because it ruin my 50th Birthday this is unacceptable I should be compensate please email at [protected]@aol.com or I could be reach at [protected] Thank you

My husband and I stayed at the RIU Antilles, Aruba from 11/6/2021 until 11/12/2021. When we arrived at the hotel we noticed it was under major renovations. We were okay with this as long as services and our accommodations were ok.
When we arrived in our hotel room, 1714, it was newly remodeled but was on the same side as all the ongoing construction. The room directly across from us was being worked on as was every room down from us. The carpeting in the hallway in front of our room was filthy and coming up from all the workers going back and forth. When we got inside our room and got settled in and put our valuables in the safe we discovered that it would not lock. We called to have them reset it or fix it and were told someone would be right up. After waiting over an hour and making a second call, nobody showed. So we left to go enjoy what we came to Aruba for. We called several more times over the course of our stay to get the safe fixed but it wasn't until we spoke with the manager, Alejandro until someone brought us a new safe on 11/9/2021. This was better than what we had but it wasn't secured to anything so anyone could have walked out with the safe and all our belongings. This was not a comforting feeling to know our valuables could walk out of our room. The soap dispenser in the shower was broken off and empty and none of the liquor bottles had anything in them. We had to call to get these things rectified.
The air-conditioning in the room cut off one night and in the morning I was only able to take a cold shower.The hot water came on about a half hour later after a phone call to the front desk. The next day we were getting ready to meet friends for a 5:30 outing and went to get a shower and there was no water at all in our room. We had to go to our friends room in 1734 to take showers. Needless to say, we missed our 5:30 outing which did not make us very happy. we spoke to your manager Alejandro several times about our concerns and he was apologetic.
We think you will have a beautiful hotel when all the remodeling is complete but we know we will have reservations about staying there or recommending this hotel to anyone unless changes are made. We were not real happy with the way staff handled our legitimate complaints when we called.
We do want to say your staff at the pool who conducted the activities and your bar and wait staff were exceptional. They are the only reasons we would go back.

It was a bad time to go to Riu Antilles Aruba. The construction was loud, dusty and the hallways are gross. A/C barely worked so the room was humid and damp ... floors, sheets and tabletops had moisture that made it look like it was just mopped. The pillowcases had a bad smell to them. The last complaint is the shower didn't always have hot water. I've been here before but this time was awful. Pic of my ocean view suite below. 🤯
We also paid for the full vacation package for a friend that never made the trip.
Christopher Campbell

I have probably sent 35 or more emails and have gotten absolutely no response other than have Expedia contact us and when we have Expedia contact them Expedia is not getting any response either and we are only getting blown off. I will never ever travel to any real resort ever again. And I will let everybody that I know not to travel to any riu resort ever. The absolute worst customer service that I have ever experienced what a shame

The purpose of this letter is to raise a complaint in regards to my stay at your accommodation in
Montego bay Jamaica.
I travel to the Beautiful Island Of Jamaica From England Regularly To Spend Time With My Family. Although I have access to stay with family when I visit, for a period of time, I like to treat myself by booking into a hotel, in order to focus on my well-being.
During my last visit which begun on the 28thJuly 2021, Within my room there was a leak that had appeared from the aircon. The leak that I had to experience by staying in the room, caused me a chest infection for the remaining of my stay in Jamaica. As you will be able to imagine, this had caused me anxiety, as the purpose of my visit was to have a great time with my loved ones.

I alerted the reception staff on three occasions, and had to re-complain for the fourth time, and then had to carefully transition around my room, avoiding puddles of water, in which the maintenance team then came to observe the issue on 01/08/2021, despite me expecting them on 31/07/2021 as this was when I was told. On 02/08/2021, the maintenance team fixed the leakage issue, after realising the previous day, the terrible condition of this situation.

I am absolutely disgusted and feel let down by Hotel RIU, which is usually my go to accommodation provider, due to me feeling at home. For a RIU class member and a regular attendee, I would like to request a refund and some sort of compensation for this poor experience, or I will have to contact my legal representation to take this further. I look forward to hearing from you.

Hi I stayed at the Gresham in Dublin on the 27th of this month and was awoken at .7.55 am by builders using a jackhammer.
I rang reception regarding this and was told there was nothing that could be done as it was in the building next door. This was not the answer I wanted.The noise went on for another 45 minutes I rang again and spoke to your duty manager he said he was aware of many complaints but all he could do was speak to the builders which at this stage was not very helpful as our sleep was effected and we had to getup.
We were very unhappy with our stay and with the resolution offered by your staff
Room 373
Awaiting your response

Kevin Barry
[protected]@yahoo.co.uk

As a Riu member [protected] under the present name Rosemary Parro and previous name Rosemary Amicone I have been coming to Aruba for 35 years and have stayed at your hotel approximately 20 times (some before being a member) and was disappointed in my room and service. It began with the first night the room next to me was smoking pot. Secondly the A/C unit was so loud it sounded like a loud motor issue, next the second night I was asleep and woke to your employee opening my door (only to find out he was in the wrong room) and lastly found mold in both areas of my shower. I have taken pictures and video of the A/C unit noise for proof and lastly the last evening we were seated at 8 pm early at the steak house and when the dinner arrived it was 9:55 I gave the dinner back as it was to late to eat. I have always promoted your hotel to family and friends and was disappointed with my stay for these reasons. I plan to return to Aruba but not sure of your hotel. I traveled with many people on this trip. I truly hope you read this email and would be very happy to provide you with the photos and video with sound of the A/C. Respectfully Rosemary Parro

Good afternoon,
My husband and I have booked our honeymoon at Riu Antillas from 08/24/2021 - 08/24/2021. We are extensive travelers and what we experienced at the Riu was completely unacceptable. When we first entered the hotel, I voiced to the front desk that I was upset because I attempted to contact the hotel to confirm if there was an issue with the plumbing. We had friends who stayed at the hotel a week prior and experienced an issue with running water in their room. When calling the hotel a week prior, the front desk woman kept transferring our calls to different locations throughout the hotel and then placed us on hold for over 20 mins. This call cost us over $60 to not even answer our question. When I addresses the front desk, instead of expressing some concern or apologizing on behalf of the hotel, she just informed us "well we were probably busy". Not the response we were looking for.

The real concern was our hotel room. How is a hotel that is completely under construction not notifying travel agents that no matter what floor you are on, you will be encountering construction dust, noise, and workers. The original room was in horrible condition. The tub was clogged, a broken TV and the door handles were broken. Absolutely unacceptable. The front desk switched our room to one of the "new rooms" however, how are you offering rooms that guests have to step over wires, wooden floorboards, and cross an ACTIVE construction site.

We lost two days of our honeymoon addressing the room situation, changing rooms, and finally changing to the Riu Palace. The last thing we wanted to do was spend our honeymoon with children swimming in the pool next to us. We then met some couples who have transferred over to the Palace as well and were being showered with champagne to their rooms and rose petals on their beds. Riu provided a very inconsistent and upsetting experience.

Out of the dozens of Caribbean hotels, we have stayed at this was by far the worst experience.

I can happily provide pictures of the active construction site we would have had to cross to get to the room we were offered upon request.

Thank you!
Mariya Evsevich
Edmund Rivers.

Riu Antillas is disappointing. There is constant construction between the hours of 7am-7pm. The hotel does not provide a relaxing environment. Banging drilling loud workers. The hallways a mess, water stains, dust, musty smelling rooms. Room was dirty on arrival. Mold stains. This degree of construction was not mentioned prior to booking. Upsetting

Disorganization would actually be a compliment for this resort! From the time we checked in .

1. They messed up room after I paid $1000.00 a night for the Villa they put me in another room. I told them I was not moving until they changed my room, They made me wait 3 hours! I didnt get into my room until 1:30 AM.

2. Upon arrival I told them that my group would be in late to please have us dinner, they said ok. Upon check in we was told the kitchen was closed and they would bring up cheese sandwiches and fruit. My customers have been paying on this vacation for 2 years, was told all inclusive. No room service, No wine nothing! But cold sandwiches and hot water!.

3. The next day a manager told me that he had organized my group a dinner for the confusion . I told him I rented a yacht for the group and didnt know what time we would return. I asked if we could get it rescheduled they said NO. It was never complimentary . This was the group dinner I paid for that was scheduled for Sept 3rd they moved it to August 31st WITHOUT MY AUTHORIZATION!

NO MANAGER WILL SPEAK TO ME, THEY WILL NOT COME OUT OF THEIR OFFICE.

I made reservations for dinner on the beach for 9/3/2021 at 8:00 pm (RIU Reggae). Upon arrival for the dinner, I was told that the person at the front desk never put my arrangements in. The whole point of this trip was to surprise my husband for our anniversary which was totally ruined as there was no dinner provided for us. The manager did not seem to care as he offered no remedy for the fact that they failed to notify me via phone or note that the dinner plans I made were not processed even though they had my room number. I could have saved my $3000.00 dollars and just celebrated in the United States. At least I would have been compensated for the hotel's mistake.

Hotel refusing to offer a courtesy extended stay after my daughter tested positive for covid. We are still here at the hotel paying for services while in quarantine
I will be using all social media outlets at my disposal and contacting news outlets in houston upon arrival back home to tell of this treatment and service and how riu hotels wouldnt do their very best to accommodate thist guest

Good day,

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Brenda A Williams my family a party of 30 people, booked your hotel on the 26th June to 5 July. This has been the worst experience I have ever had in my traveling days. To start of I arrived at the Airport in Guanacasta Costa Rica only find out that my car rental reservation was canceled. I rebooked my car rental and headed to the hotel only to find out that my hotel reservation was also canceled. I arrived at the hotel at 2pm only to be in the lobby on the phone with your customer service agent until 1030pm. The agents at the hotel tried assisting me however, they were unable to resolve the issue. I asked to speak with a manger and I was informed the manager was unavailable. A supervisor came and spoke with one of the employee informed them to have my husband pay for the room for the night and will refund the funds once the issue has been resolved. The next day at 9am my husband and I was back at the lobby from 9am- 2pm. I was assisted by a supervisor and she was able to give me the information showing me that my reservation was canceled prior to that I did not receive the email showing my reservation was canceled. During the night of the 26th I requested to cancel the other two reservation attached to my email..res# 72083144558042 and 72081913615824. I called reservation department to make changes to reservations however, instead of making changes they canceled my reservations. My husband and I did meet with the manager whom we taught was the (security guard) the first night he stood there looking at us without assisting, even though we did ask for a manager he did not assist us. My husband and I was called to the office only for him to be rude where my husband had to tell him do not speak to my wife in that tone. He did not like what was said and decided to kick my family and I out of the hotel. He refuse to refund the money promised and after a few minutes he decided to charge $300 plus for the night stayed. We left the office and went to the room to pack only then we received a phone call given 15 mins to pack our belongings to get out the hotel. That night we left and headed to the airport, my family spent the night at the airport. The worst experience ever. I have called every week for the the past 2 months to get the refund on the room and car insurance rental only to be told that it has been escalated and the manager at the hotel have not approved the refund. PLEASE HELP.

We checked into 2 JR Suites on 7/27/2021. One room was extremely cold. When we complained about the temperature the following day, we told them that we could not turn down the AC which made it very uncomfortable registering only 18 degrees so we had to turn it off. He replied that that was dangerous, someone could fall on the slippery floors and he would send someone to fix it. Nobody came that time or the 4 other times we complained. My daughter did slip on the wet floors onto her bad knee and we either slept in wet, musty clothes in an 18 degree room or had to all sleep in the same room and waste the money spent to have 2 rooms. Each time we complained, the staff member would pick up the phone as if they were going to call for maintenance but never did. On 8/2/2021, we, again, stopped at the desk to see if they would send someone to fix it. We spoke to Junior, who blatantly mocked us and laughed at us. He said, "So you're complaint that our AC works too good? Our customers like it cold." When my 20 year old daughter and her friend said that it was too cold, Junior eyeballed them up and down as I was standing there and said, "You girls just need to cuddle then." This was sexist, harassing, offensive and extremely inappropriate, He, also, never sent anyone and was laughing at us as we walked away.
All of the girls' clothing was wet and musty and that room became a waste of money for us. We were told that the rooms are set at 21 degrees but this room never got above 18-19. It was freezing and miserable. Every time we tried to express our concerns, we felt like the staff was bothered by us and really didn't care about our comfort or safety. We really felt like we were just an annoyance to them. The first time I visited Aruba, I felt welcomed and thought the locals were all very friendly. This time, I felt that the staff was disrespectful, uncaring and outwardly showed their discontent for Americans, even though the country depends on tourism. The last person that we spoke with was Santana, the manager on 8/3/2021. Although he seemed concerned, I walked away feeling like he, too, would do little to address the issues. Before speaking with Santana, I spoke with Genova, who was the only employee who I felt was legitimately concerned and did offer to clean an outfit each for the girls to wear home so they didn't have to travel 12 hours in wet, horrible smelling clothes.

This experience at RIU was terrible and I feel like I wasted a large amount on a 2nd room. I was also originally told that 3 people couldn't fit into 1 room so I had to have 2 rooms yet on our last day, the girls joined me in my room and the hotel even offered to bring up a cot. This tells me that I was deceived from the beginning telling me I had to pay fir 2 rooms when, in fact, I could have paid for 1 room and potentially avoided having my daughter and her friend freeze all night, get no sleep and having my daughter injure her knee. On top of that, the hotel is advertised as 24 hour all inclusive, which it is not. There is no room service as advertised and the only food available after 9 pm are undercooked hotdogs, nachos and old sandwiches in the sports bar. This is not equivalent to having access to room service 24/7. We were told room service would start on 8/1/2021 so we thought we'd at least have it for part of our trip, but this was a lie also.

This stay at the RIU was such a disappointment. I felt deceived from the beginning and disrespected throughout our stay. We paid a significant amount of money for the 2 rooms and would not expect to be laughed at, sexually harassed or made to feel like we were a complete annoyance to the staff at a reputable, large hotel chain. We have traveled all over the world and I have never had such poor treatment anywhere we have ever stayed. This was extremely upsetting.

My name is Richard Andreana 2220 Sheffield drive Easton pa, if you look up my name you will see I have stayed at the riu Aruba many times plus the riu paradise island, Punta Cana and also st Martin I have had great times in the past but this time I'm not satisfied with the room I am disabled with a back injury and need rest but couldn't get much rest because my room faced the construction site of the atilis My room is 5039. I called to change but no others were available.I feel for the amount of money spent I deserved better. I'm also disappointed that there was no room service nor a full bar in the room anymore things that I was not told about when I booked this trip. I was celebrating my wife's 60 th birthday and we were disappointed . I hope you can look into this matter. Sincerely Mr Richard Andreana Pennsylvania, us.

Dear Rui Hotels,  

I am writing in regards about our vacation experience at the Rui Antillas Hotel in Aruba that we booked with Triple A. I have already put in a complaint with Triple A as well.  I would like to begin by saying that we found the service workers (restaurant help, bartenders, custodial help) to be very friendly, courteous, and helpful. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed, angry, and shocked at the condition of the hotel that we had to spend a week in. Please note that we were aware that the hotel was under construction, but we had NO idea that they were gutting the building and that it was in such bad shape. When we first arrived, the transport brought us to the wrong hotel to begin with.   When we eventually  got to the Rui Antillas, we were greeted by several customers waiting in line that were irate(people were raising their voices and swearing at the front desk staff) about the condition of their rooms and the heavy construction that was going on in the hotel.   The customers were asking over and over again for a manager and there were no managers that came out.   We managed to receive our room key.  We went up to the 15th floor, the hallway to our room was covered in dust from the construction, the rugs were filthy and it smelled badly.  They put us in a new room but the construction was right next door to rooms that were  being gutted out.  There was loud banging and drilling.   On top of it, the construction workers were swearing and using the F word.  The television did not work and the phone was not working properly.  We went down to the lobby to complain and they said there was nothing they could do.  We insisted on seeing a manager and we were told that they were not there.  We complained again and they told us we would have to wait to speak to a manager.  In the meantime, other guests in the lobby were complaining that the electricity went out in their room and some guests were complaining they lost water in their room.   When a manager finally came to us, we asked to move to the Rui Palace next door and we were told they were sold out because many people had already transferred their from the Rui Antillas.  We discussed the hours of the construction and we were told they start at 9:00 and end at 6:00 and that they would not work on Sunday.   We woke up to drilling at 7:30 a.m on Sunday.   The manager told us we would be able to move us to a different floor away from the construction.  We agreed to view the room the next day. The room we were given was further away but very outdated.   It had a musty, mildew smell to it.   The noise from the construction was still there just muffled a little bit.  The minute you stepped out into the hallway, it was loud and obnoxious.   We were really disappointed since this was our 25th wedding anniversary.   Throughout the week, the fire alarms would randomly go off and on with no communication from the hotel if it was a real alarm or if they were just testing.   When we walked in the hallways, it was dingy and dreary.   When we went down to the buffet, there were several ceilings that were dripping condensation and the workers were wiping them down daily.   Part of the ceiling in the main floor going to the buffet started to collapse on the last day we were there, again with no communication from the hotel.  We took a few excursions and rented a car so we could get out of the hotel as much as possible. Throughout the week, we heard from several guests(in the water, at restaurants and in the lobby)  how they had to change rooms and were very upset about the the conditions of Rui Antillas.  We felt unsafe, disappointed and discouraged at this hotel after spending thousands of dollars to go there.    
Thanking in advance for your help and guidance in this situation. I will look forward to hearing from you.
Melissa Mello
[protected]@comcast.net

During my stay in Aruba at the RIU Antillas from July 22, 2021 thru July 26, 2021, my stay/room was very uncomfortable, hot, and dangerous with cracks in the foundation of my balcony in room 809 (which make me scared to go out to touch or lean-over the rail to enjoy the view)!? Due to the fact that when I signed-up for my vacation with RIU, nothing was mention the construction that was going on and the air-conditioning was not working properly!? At times, I was not able to sleep, hot all-over the hotel, had headaches of the loud noises, and dust! This was very frustrating and inconveniences! I spent lots of money for good services etc... to travel all the way to Aruba from the United States and was disappointed!? Even some constructions workers said to RIU management that working with vacationers around etc... Wasn't a good idea, but was told my management to go ahead anyway!? Also when I got ready to leave on July 26, 2021 to the airport on (De Palm Tours) pick-up time 11:30 am, my bag was not loaded and left behind when I got to the airport with was also very much unsatisfactory and inconvenience! My info for contact: Mr. Malachi Tolar

email: [protected]@bellsouth.net
ph. [protected]