Ryan Walker’s stay at the latest Aman hotel didn’t go as smoothly as planned.
The hotel reviewer, who documents his luxury hotel visits on a YouTube channel with over 135,000 subscribers, claims the newly opened Amanvari in Mexico canceled his reservation on short notice and then called the police on him when he tried to check in—an assertion the resort contests.
Walker, 33, detailed the ordeal in a video titled “Amanvari Called the Police on Me,” which has clocked up over 750,000 views since he posted it on YouTube on August 4. “I just had one of the most disappointing and embarrassing hotel experiences you could possibly have,” he says at the start of the 11-minute video.
Walker claims he booked a stay at the 18-key resort on Mexico’s East Cape weeks in advance and received multiple emails from the Amanvari team regarding the reservation, but was turned away at the hotel entrance. In the video, Walker is stopped at the gates by hotel security. He shows the guards what he says is an email he received from the Amanvari reservations team that morning regarding his arrival. One guard informs him, “We don’t have your reservation.” Walker then asks to speak to the resort manager, at which point another guard says, “We can’t permit access.”
An Aman spokesperson told Robb Report: “The deceptively edited video created by someone unauthorized to be on our property does not reflect the circumstances of the incident accurately. The privacy and security of our on-property guests is paramount, and maintaining a peaceful environment for our guests and staff is a top priority at all times. This commitment is why Aman’s properties are the leading destinations worldwide for privacy and exclusivity.”
Walker alleges that the guard then called the police. His videographer, Alex Brown, commented on the YouTube video that “the security guard escalated the situation almost immediately and called the police,” adding that a Mexican military police van stopped them on the way out. While video shows an employee saying they were going to call the police, Aman says it did not do so, and showed an incident report to The Wall Street Journal that did not mention authorities being involved. Aman also says that Walker bypassed the main gate and tried to go through staff entrance, and the YouTuber contends this was not intentional, but where his driver’s GPS led them.
In the video, as Walker and his team are driving away, he discovers an email he says the Amanvari team sent late the night before (when questioned by The Wall Street Journal he concedes the email had come the morning before). “Having opened only days ago, we are still in the earliest phase of settling the resort into full operation, and we have taken the difficult decision to reduce arrivals over the coming days while we complete this work,” it reads. “Regrettably, this affects your stay, and we are unable to welcome you as planned.” Aman also sent Walker a Whatsapp message about the cancelation, which Walker claims to have not seen until The Wall Street Journal asked him about it.
Walker had been in contact with the hotel in the days leading up to the trip, with Aman telling the YouTuber that filming in public places at the resort would not be permitted during his stay and he would need permission to film private spaces. He responded that he wanted to be treated as a normal guest and told The Wall Street Journal he believed he could coordinate with staff on site.
Walker points out in the video that bookings are officially open, and he paid $4,663 for his one-night stay. He argues that by silencing independent reviewers like himself, who typically pay for stays to ensure transparency, the corporation can fully control the narrative.
“I think it is imperative that properties, hotels, resorts, yachts allow for independent reviews to preserve the integrity of the hospitality industry as a whole,” he says.
In the wake of the incident, it appears comments on the Amanvari Instagram have been disabled, and the hotel’s general manager, Diego Lozano Vara, no longer has an active LinkedIn profile.
This story has been updated with statements from an Aman spokesperson.