Several days ago, I covered an absolutely wild story, whereby hotel reviewer Ryan Walker had booked a stay at the newly opened $6K per night Amanvari property in Mexico, only to have his reservation canceled the night before arrival, and have security at the hotel’s gate gaslight him, and then call the cops.
Based on the details we know, this is perhaps the most egregious service failure I’ve seen at any luxury hotel, and I can’t even begin to fathom the lack of common sense it takes to think that this was the way to handle the situation and achieve the best outcome for the hotel. I wouldn’t trust the people who were behind this decision to keep a plant alive, let alone to run a luxury hotel.
A couple of days ago I published a follow-up post with some observations from what happened. I’d like to update that post, given how the situation has transpired since — or in this case, perhaps to partly reflect the lack of updates, which I find to be equally interesting. But before you read this, I recommend reading the previous post for context.
In this post:
Obviously the hotel was scared of review, had change of heart
First, let’s be clear about what was going on here. The hotel claimed they were limiting arrivals due to having just opened. That’s not actually the truth, because even after they canceled Ryan’s reservation, they continued to sell stays for that night.
Obviously management at the hotel just didn’t feel like they were ready to be reviewed, despite having been in contact with Ryan about doing what they can to facilitate filming.
But here’s the crazy part. If that’s how hotel management felt, that’s fine, and even understandable. However, you don’t handle the situation by gaslighting the person and refusing to communicate with them:
- They should’ve offered to comp his stay, explaining that they don’t think they’re quite ready for “primetime” yet, and he can come back at some point in the future and film
- They could’ve offered to put him up at the adjacent Four Seasons in recognition of the last minute cancelation, and offered to invite him back to Amanvari in the future on a complimentary basis, so that he can experience the finished product
When you cancel a stay on a guest last minute, especially when they spend $6K per night, that’s the only professional way to handle things.
Did Ryan know his reservation was canceled before arriving?
The hotel emailed Ryan the night before to tell him that his reservation was canceled. While arriving at the hotel and talking to security, Ryan claimed he didn’t see that email, because he receives a lot of emails, and also pointed out how he had been in contact with the hotel even more recently than the cancelation.
So did he drive up to the gate knowing that his reservation was canceled, and he decided to still show up to see what kind of a response he’d get? I don’t know. Honestly, not to question Ryan, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he did. This is the first time I’ve seen him publish a video where he’s filming enroute to the hotel, so that suggests that maybe he knew there might be some drama.
But the bigger point is… who cares? Whether he knew about it or not doesn’t change the hotel’s abhorrent handling of this situation. Gaslighting a customer and claiming he may have canceled his reservation, management refusing to speak to him, and security even calling the cops on him? That is completely inexcusable no matter what, and that’s the core of the problem here. He was treated like a criminal for — as far as we know — absolutely no reason.
Aman’s refusal to acknowledge this is just wild
What’s amazing is that Aman has been radio silent in the days since this has happened. I’ve reached out to the company’s press email, and haven’t heard back. If you ask me, silence is simply the worst way this could be handled.
As I see it, at a minimum, Aman should acknowledge this incident, and say that it’s being investigated. Then the company should go in one of two directions:
- Either release a statement with a different side of the story, if there’s something that Ryan hasn’t disclosed, or isn’t being honest about
- Acknowledge that what was shown in the video is completely unacceptable, doesn’t reflect Aman’s values, and promise to take action to correct this
Instead, the company has just been silent. Amanvari general manager Diego Lozano Vara has removed his LinkedIn. Some people suggest he has already been sacked, but that’s just a rumor (if he was involved in this situation, I absolutely think it should be a career ender at the hotel, quite frankly).
Aman has started limiting comments on its social media platforms. Look, I can’t say I’m shocked by Aman’s poor handling of this, given the direction the company has been heading in recent years, but this is just really bad.
Also, the Google Reviews situation is hilarious. Not surprisingly, we saw people flood Amanvari with negative reviews, given what happened. But then you have people trying to impact the star rating in the other direction. Below is perhaps my favorite, about how “security is exceptionally professional, ensuring that only guests and authorized visitors have access to the property.” Are you serious?!?!
So, who is this person? Well, OMAAT reader jb84usa put together the below, which suggests that this Matilda person is actually related to the GM, and they’ve had a bunch of family leaving reviews as well. My gosh, imagine how off base you have to be to say “hey, leave a good review, and make sure you mention how good security is, calling the cops on paying guests!”
In the meantime, most of these reviews — both positive and negative — have been deleted, which is fair enough, since they don’t reflect firsthand experiences. Bizarrely, though, two have been left up, and they’re from before the hotel even opened?!
Ryan is finally going to do a YouTube Live
Ryan was going to do a YouTube Live a couple of days ago, talking more about what happened. However, that ended up being rescheduled, and instead he just made a short two minute video, explaining he would reschedule it.
He claimed he received some “anonymous tips” and spoke to the US Consulate in Mexico, and he had reportedly been advised that it’s “not wise to do this livestream” while still in Mexico.
However, that has now been rescheduled for this afternoon, Saturday, August 8, 2026, at 4PM ET, in case you’d like to tune in. I’m curious what he has to say.
Ryan is definitely the party people are rooting for here, and I hope he’s really transparent about what his actual communication with the hotel was before the incident, and shares any other details that may come out. Like I said, we only have one side of the story here, but when Aman refuses to speak, that’s the only source we have for drawing any conclusions.
There are so many bad takes on this Amanvari situation
I’m not even going to give these people the time of day by mentioning their names, but it’s amazing how many (particularly) travel advisors have really bad takes on this, and are trying to at least partly defend the hotel. Folks, get off your knees (and there’s nothing wrong with being on your knees, except when you’re being a simp for a faceless corporation).
Were the facts not as presented? Then Aman needs to come out and clearly state that. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s not a violation of privacy, given the accusations being made, and what’s presented in the video.
In particular, I love the number of travel advisors who are obsessed with seeming connected, who are saying things like “I spoke to Aman, and while they can’t say anything, what happened isn’t as claimed.” Give me a break. If that’s the case, it’s time for Aman to talk.
Travel advisors should be working for their clients, and not be doing PR for corporations with egregious disregard for their customers. Here’s what I’d say to those travel advisors — if you want to show how powerful and connected you are, compel Aman to speak, and share their side of the story. This whole “oh, there’s more to this, but I can’t talk about it” BS is… BS.
That’s only the tip of the iceberg in terms of bad defenses that I’m seeing in support of the hotel.
“The hotel has the right to deny service to anyone.” Right, of course they technically do, but if you’re paying $6K per night for a hotel, you should expect that your “service refusal” won’t come the night before you arrive, and that you won’t be gaslit and have the cops called on you.
“Influencers are just looking for drama, good on Aman for looking out for other guests.” Say what you will, but Ryan does a fair job with his reviews. And what sets him apart is that he actually pays for his stays. Hotels can set their own rules about filming, but he was a paying guest, and deserves to be treated with respect.
If someone who is paying for a stay and has influence is being treated this way, how do you think someone is going to be treated if they don’t have as much influence? This isn’t the winning argument that the “anti-influencer” crowd thinks it is. This isn’t some dude trading a 60-second Instagram reel for a free avocado toast.
Want to talk about looking out for the experience of other guests? I mean, look at the uber-luxury hotel guest profile nowadays, and the number of rent-by-the-trip girlfriends we see at properties, who are doing endless photo shoots. Should other guests have to put up with that, or should those travelers also be “denied service?”
“Aman should just ignore this, it’ll just go away, no one really cares.” I mean, I guess if you want to argue that marketing and reputation don’t matter at all, maybe that’s true. Hotels put a ton of effort into marketing when they open, and I’d encourage you to look up anything regarding Amanvari.
If you really don’t think it impacts consumer decision making when the first thing that comes up about Amanvari is about how they call the cops on a guest, then, well, I guess nothing really matters. And that’s not going anywhere, because I guarantee you those stories will rank higher than the hotel puff pieces for a very long time. Heck, take a look at anything online about Aman at the moment. Look at social media posts about Aman appointing a new COO, and 90% of responses are about the Ryan Walker situation.
Bottom line
Hotel reviewer Ryan Walker had his reservation at the newly opened $6K per night Amanvari resort in Mexico canceled the night before arrival. When he showed up at the hotel, they claimed they didn’t have a reservation for him, suggested he may have canceled it himself, refused to let him speak to a manager, and called the cops on him.
This is so beyond that it’s hard to even imagine this is real. Yet in the days since this has unfolded, Aman has just been silent. I don’t think the brand understands how much damage it’s doing by ignoring this, since this isn’t just going away.
Rather hilariously, Virtuoso Week, the biggest meeting of luxury travel advisors, is happening in Las Vegas right now. Amanvari will certainly be the most talked about property, but not for the reason they hope…
What’s your take on Aman’s silence following this incident?
GM's Linked in profile is back...maybe he's still there...
https://www.linkedin.com/in/diegolozanovara/
Aman has finally commented publicly.
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/aman-amanvari-ryan-walker-youtube-3cc8284b?mod=wknd_pos1
Hey , they told him "adios , manana" . Then he was dramatic about it . End of story . Bye .
Let’s tell Ben to move on….
No.
Just don't look. Scroll past.
I suspect this won’t cause severe damage to Aman over the long term. But, off the top of my head I suspect this will cost Aman several hundred thousand dollars in lost bookings, manpower hours devoted to PR damage control, damaged brand equity, paying for external consultants, and internal managerial disruption assuming the GM is fired. Far more than a mid or poor review from Ryan Walker would have done.
The thing is, they...
I suspect this won’t cause severe damage to Aman over the long term. But, off the top of my head I suspect this will cost Aman several hundred thousand dollars in lost bookings, manpower hours devoted to PR damage control, damaged brand equity, paying for external consultants, and internal managerial disruption assuming the GM is fired. Far more than a mid or poor review from Ryan Walker would have done.
The thing is, they could have probably walked Ryan without the brand damage had they just handled it in a decent manner - apologize in person, take care of Ryan with alternative accommodation and just make sure everything was taken care.
Ryan’s original video is now >700,000 views with significant social media and mainstream media coverage (including CNN, Robb Report and NY Post). The controversy tops google searches of the property.
Popping in to add perspective from the Virtuoso event in Las Vegas. The Ryan Walker / Amanvari incident has become an instant digital contagion event across agency channels that has already shown signs of adverse impact on advisor confidence. Numbers and demographics tell us why:
- Aman exec Jonathan Wilson has stated that the average Aman guest is low 40s. HNWs in this age cohort fill Aman’s baseline daily room inventory. They are digital natives,...
Popping in to add perspective from the Virtuoso event in Las Vegas. The Ryan Walker / Amanvari incident has become an instant digital contagion event across agency channels that has already shown signs of adverse impact on advisor confidence. Numbers and demographics tell us why:
- Aman exec Jonathan Wilson has stated that the average Aman guest is low 40s. HNWs in this age cohort fill Aman’s baseline daily room inventory. They are digital natives, highly online, with net worths largely built on rapid-scale entrepreneurship. Their engagement level with high reputation social based reviews (including those on YouTube) is high.
- Younger demos are even more attuned to the influence of high reputation YouTube reviewers specifically. That platform ranks above other socials for ability to influence economic decisions, and this is reflected in the research on emerging HNWs.
- TAs managing bookings for this cohort share equal reputational exposure when customer service errors become customer service catastrophes and are also highly online.
While some specific facts for this situation may still need to be verified, Amanvari's handling of this situation has created a perception of volatility that has been exacerbated by a lack of public comment from Aman, which has already resulted in risk-averse TAs proactively redirecting clients to more perceptually stable luxury hotel groups.
A follow-up to my earlier post, and just to be clear: this isn’t a dig at Ryan. I’d watched his videos before this saga. I don’t particularly love the format — the repeated eggs Benedict test and standardised “service” assessment — because one guest’s experience isn’t necessarily representative. But I still watched them because they’re good hotels, interesting properties and good visuals.
Where I often disagreed was in what he took away from them. He...
A follow-up to my earlier post, and just to be clear: this isn’t a dig at Ryan. I’d watched his videos before this saga. I don’t particularly love the format — the repeated eggs Benedict test and standardised “service” assessment — because one guest’s experience isn’t necessarily representative. But I still watched them because they’re good hotels, interesting properties and good visuals.
Where I often disagreed was in what he took away from them. He said the bathrooms at The Peninsula Hong Kong smelt; I’ve stayed there and have never experienced anything other than immaculate bathrooms, especially considering its age. I also seem to remember him being unimpressed by Spring Moon, whereas it’s one of my favourite HK restaurants for old-school elegance.
The Upper House is another example. He spent a lot of time on health treatments and ancillary services, but that’s not really the point of The Upper House. The point is the rooms and the location: above Pacific Place, minutes from Central and Soho, with Wan Chai and Causeway Bay right there. The Peninsula is completely different — an old-school sanctuary with the energy of Tsim Sha Tsui immediately outside.
These hotels aren’t trying to win the same competition.
Which brings me to Aman.
Ryan’s version is that Aman was initially happy for him to come, make as much content as he wanted, and only changed its mind after the first night of opening apparently didn’t go well.
I think there’s a much more plausible explanation.
Amanvari was opening in a very controlled early phase. It’s entirely conceivable that Aman initially thought, “Fine, he’s making a video, let him come.” Then they realised that Ryan wasn’t simply making a travel vlog — he reviews hotels professionally and applies broadly the same criteria to every property.
That’s a very different proposition.
I don’t think Aman is frightened of Ryan saying the eggs Benedict isn’t good enough. I don’t think they’re particularly interested in passing his generic hotel scorecard at all.
Because what is Amanvari actually selling?
It’s a world-class piece of architecture and design. Huge spaces. Extraordinary setting. Privacy. Scale. Very high-end materials and detailing. And a deliberately low-touch interpretation of service where the experience is meant to feel seamless and unobtrusive rather than constantly demonstrating how much service you’re receiving.
That’s a very different proposition from “let’s see how this hotel scores on breakfast, bathroom, service interactions, spa treatments and everything else I normally assess.”
And that’s why I think the timing matters.
If Aman realised that the person arriving on night two wasn’t simply going to make some beautiful footage of the property, but was going to professionally review the property against his own standardised criteria, I can absolutely understand why they would decide they didn’t want that during the soft opening.
It isn’t necessarily because they thought he’d give them a bad review.
It’s because they didn’t want Amanvari to be judged on the wrong things.
You can find hotels with better beds. Four Seasons may do the sleep experience better. You can find better restaurants, better spas and spectacular design for less money.
That’s not the point.
Aman is selling the combination of the property, discretion, scarcity, atmosphere, brand and — importantly — clientele.
Look at Annabel’s, Loulou’s, Oswald’s, 5 Hertford Street and Maison Estelle. Annabel’s has spectacularly extravagant décor, but you can get plenty of that visual theatre at Sexy Fish or The Ivy, from the same wider ownership group. Nobody is particularly excited to tell people they were allowed into The Ivy.
Being invited to Annabel’s is different.
The food isn’t necessarily London’s best either. You can find better food at Michelin-starred restaurants. The point is the social cachet and who is in the room.
Americans understand the same distinction with genuinely selective institutions such as the Knickerbocker Club in New York and the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles. The point isn’t that they’re objectively the best rooms or restaurants. Access itself has value.
And I think Aman works similarly.
Ryan isn’t Besvisor. He’s a vlogger whose business model is to turn hotel stays into content, monetised through sponsorships, views and his audience. That’s fundamentally different from someone spending tens of thousands on a holiday as an ordinary luxury purchase.
An actual Aman customer might never publicly say, “I love that Aman turned him away.” They might even think the gate situation was handled badly.
But privately, many would probably understand the signal:
“I’m not just someone who can afford this. I’m the sort of person this place is for.”
That’s the psychology of exclusivity. It isn’t only about keeping outsiders out. It makes the people inside feel that being inside means something.
So I don’t think this is really a story about Aman being afraid of a bad review.
I think it’s about Aman realising that Ryan wasn’t simply coming to make a nice video of a beautiful new property. He was coming to review Amanvari as a hotel, using a generic framework that makes sense for his channel but doesn’t necessarily make sense for what Aman is actually selling.
And perhaps that’s precisely why they decided they didn’t want him reviewing it during the soft opening.
K4 ... Summarize , in a nutshell , please .
* **Ryan misses the point of Aman.** His generic hotel-review criteria — eggs Benedict, “service”, etc. — are not what Aman is about.
* I’ve watched Ryan for a while. **His videography is good; his review methodology is what I find ridiculous.**
* And I don't even agree with many of Ryan's actual pros and cons. Calling The Upper House's range of treatments a pro feels like giving credit for a band-aid to...
* **Ryan misses the point of Aman.** His generic hotel-review criteria — eggs Benedict, “service”, etc. — are not what Aman is about.
* I’ve watched Ryan for a while. **His videography is good; his review methodology is what I find ridiculous.**
* And I don't even agree with many of Ryan's actual pros and cons. Calling The Upper House's range of treatments a pro feels like giving credit for a band-aid to a property that has no spa. And his criticism of the Peninsula Hong Kong's bathrooms being smelly? Rubbish — I've never experienced anything but immaculate bathrooms there.
* I think his explanation of the cancellation is implausible. **Aman didn’t suddenly change its mind because the first night was bad; they likely realised what kind of review he actually does and didn’t want Aman judged on those criteria.**
* Aman is trying to create the **hotel equivalent of a private members’ club** — exclusivity and clientele are part of the product.
* **Nobody is defending Aman calling the police** — that was clearly excessive. But that doesn't mean the underlying decision to refuse the stay was necessarily wrong.
* And just like those clubs, **customers may never publicly admit it, but many will privately love the fact that Aman is willing to say no.**
Watch Besvisor's videos and he spends his time actually examining the property — the architecture, rooms, design, location and what makes the hotel special. He isn't judging a $2,000+ room on whether someone successfully sourced some obscure chocolate camera or whether the eggs Benedict met his benchmark. That's a much closer match to what Aman actually wants its properties judged on.
Ben saying “everyone is with Ryan” also misses the point. Most people supporting him clearly aren't regular Aman customers and probably haven't watched enough of his reviews to understand what he's actually doing.
Ryan isn't particularly negative — his scores are often high. The issue is the methodology: he can make one-off service interactions or something as trivial as eggs Benedict disproportionately important to his assessment of a property.
I once had the...
Ben saying “everyone is with Ryan” also misses the point. Most people supporting him clearly aren't regular Aman customers and probably haven't watched enough of his reviews to understand what he's actually doing.
Ryan isn't particularly negative — his scores are often high. The issue is the methodology: he can make one-off service interactions or something as trivial as eggs Benedict disproportionately important to his assessment of a property.
I once had the best eggs I've ever eaten at the Hyatt Regency Shinjuku. It was a perfectly sensible budget choice for that trip. It obviously doesn't mean it was the best hotel I've ever stayed in.
That's why I find the methodology dumb when applied to ultra-luxury hotels. The egg isn't the hotel.
AI slop
@Sapphire Reservations
So you think there's no reason for Aman to do this?
We've found the Tim Dunn of Aman!
Pro-tip: A "War and Peace"-length longread is better placed on your Substack.
K4
They're (at least at this resort) money laundering for cartels and don't want to draw attention to themselves.
@Sapphire Reservations
That doesn’t remove the fact that they may not think Ryan’s criteria of eggs is applicable on day two.
A couple of rebuttals to K4’s points:
1) This wasn’t a soft opening. This was a hard opening. They were charging full price. If they’re opening and charging, then they’re ready to be reviewed.
2) Ryan has reviewed other Aman’s before and even ranks Aman Tokyo very highly - 5th of all his reviews. According to Ryan, he has several more Aman reviews coming too.
3) Whether Aman likes the way he...
A couple of rebuttals to K4’s points:
1) This wasn’t a soft opening. This was a hard opening. They were charging full price. If they’re opening and charging, then they’re ready to be reviewed.
2) Ryan has reviewed other Aman’s before and even ranks Aman Tokyo very highly - 5th of all his reviews. According to Ryan, he has several more Aman reviews coming too.
3) Whether Aman likes the way he reviews properties or not misses the point. We live in a world where companies like Aman would love to control the narrative, only allowing reviews from friendly TA’s, influencers or others who they like. Independent critics, be they of restaurants, films, hotels or literature have a long and important history in providing un-biased insights to consumers from a range of perspectives. The fact that Aman’s perspective was we’d rather call the cops on a reviewer we may not like says a lot about their corporate culture and raises a major issue of the conflicts of interest in a world where corporate and social media culture have become intertwined.
As Ben says repeatedly, nothing justifies Ryan’s treatment. I’ve been walked from hotels before for reservation snafus and it was always very well managed. This says a lot about Aman and not in a good way.
@JBB
I think we’re arguing from different premises rather than different facts.
1. **I do not agree that a hard opening automatically means “fair game” for every YouTuber.** Charging full price means guests are entitled to the service they paid for. It does not mean a hotel has surrendered all control over who it allows to create commercial content on its property. Aman is a private company. It has every right to decide whether it...
@JBB
I think we’re arguing from different premises rather than different facts.
1. **I do not agree that a hard opening automatically means “fair game” for every YouTuber.** Charging full price means guests are entitled to the service they paid for. It does not mean a hotel has surrendered all control over who it allows to create commercial content on its property. Aman is a private company. It has every right to decide whether it wants to be reviewed by Condé Nast, Forbes, established travel journalists, invited media, or by a YouTube creator whose business model is to broadcast his experience to millions of viewers. You may think that is arrogant, foolish or commercially self-defeating, but that is not the same thing as saying they have no right to make the choice.
2. **Ryan having reviewed other Amans doesn’t actually rebut my point.** I know he has; I’ve watched many of them. I’m not claiming he dislikes Aman. In fact, Aman Tokyo scoring so highly arguably strengthens my point. My criticism is not that he is biased against Aman, but that he applies the same standardized framework to very different kinds of properties. Aman often succeeds despite that framework, not because the framework is particularly well suited to evaluating what makes an Aman special.
The eggs Benedict has become the patron saint of this argument, which is precisely why I think Ryan’s methodology is so odd for a resort. This is Cabo, not Midtown Manhattan. A resort opening is not a Broadway premiere where every cue has been rehearsed for months; it is a newly assembled organism whose kitchen brigade has barely learned each other’s names. A breakfast dish can be cooked badly, sent back, and corrected in three minutes. Guests are not sprinting to a 9 a.m. board meeting; they are wandering between the spa and the pool with the urgent schedule of a well-fed sea lion. What determines whether a resort becomes exceptional is not whether one poached egg was overcooked on day two, but whether the operation develops consistency once the staff have acquired that mysterious thing every great restaurant and hotel eventually acquires: rhythm.
Even the most expensive hotel in the world cannot buy instant chemistry. A kitchen is not a single gifted chef; it is a small civilisation of chefs, porters, waiters, runners and managers learning the choreography of a service they have only just begun performing. Cabo is also not New York, where replacement talent can appear by lunchtime. Luxury hospitality outside a global metropolis is constrained by geography as much as money.
3. **I also disagree that Aman has no right to choose who reviews it.** Every luxury brand chooses who gets access. Fashion houses, watchmakers, car manufacturers and restaurants all manage media access. Why should Aman be different? You may think their decision was commercially foolish, but that is a different argument from saying they have no right to make it.
None of this is a defence of calling the police. That was absurd, and I’ve said so from the beginning. My point is narrower: people are treating this as a referendum on whether criticism should exist, when the more interesting question is whether a newly opened luxury resort should have its reputation fixed in millions of minds by a review framework that can elevate a transient breakfast error into a defining flaw.
And for those complaining that this is “too long”: the article everyone is discussing is considerably longer than this comment. Evidently length is only a crime when someone disagrees with you.
Get your AI agent to create a AI agent generated slopfest Aman glazing blog and regurgitate there
Nobody’s reading all that.
I’m happy for you tho.
Or sorry that happened.
Stayed at various Amans , in the past. Amanpuri, Amankila, Amandari and Amankora. Was a big Aman fan; but unfortunately, i now feel that they have grown too 'corporate' big, are too greedily expensive and full of those dreaded social-media influencers. Aman is beginning to lose it's 'way...' and losing it's original Adrian Zecha inspired ideals.
For 6,000 Jamaican dollars , I'd have rather gone to Jamaica . For 6,000 Mexico pesos , I'd have rather gone to Puerto Vallarta . For 6,000 USD , I's have rather gone to Hawaii .
It is interesting that you push off the idea that he knew it or not as being not important. I think this very important because then it shows that it was staged or purposely done. While the response was not appropriate from the hotel, they were set up by him. Some of your readers even commented about parts of the video where it seems like it was purposely done. While I don't think that the...
It is interesting that you push off the idea that he knew it or not as being not important. I think this very important because then it shows that it was staged or purposely done. While the response was not appropriate from the hotel, they were set up by him. Some of your readers even commented about parts of the video where it seems like it was purposely done. While I don't think that the hotel's action was proper, I equally don't think the travel blogger was right or fair to go anyway, so I think they are both in the wrong. When my reservations have been overbooked or whatever it was handled properly but that is a different matter.
Which hotels have cancelled reservations for overbooking? Were you booking on some scammy third party website? Plural as in happened more than once? I have stayed hundreds upon hundreds of nights at luxury and standard hotels and never once has a hotel accepted my reservation then cancelled due to overbooking. I could never imagine it after pre-paying $6K at a luxury spot; I'd rather they charge me enough so they don't need to count on...
Which hotels have cancelled reservations for overbooking? Were you booking on some scammy third party website? Plural as in happened more than once? I have stayed hundreds upon hundreds of nights at luxury and standard hotels and never once has a hotel accepted my reservation then cancelled due to overbooking. I could never imagine it after pre-paying $6K at a luxury spot; I'd rather they charge me enough so they don't need to count on cancellations for me to have a room. If that did happen to me I would never stay at that brand of hotel again. Name the hotels who did this now please so I can avoid them.
I am well traveled for work and pleasure and have stayed in various branded and non branded hotels. It has happened to me at least three times in various parts of the world. Once in the US and twice in Asia. No third parties involved.
About the only point in favor of booking hotels through third party channels is that those reservations are generally the least likely to get walked.
So many words for something that so few people care about.
Greetings all
Ive never heard of this guy Ryan if it hadn't been for Bens post
I wasn't certain if I would ever step foot in Mexico however this was the final deal killer.You couldn't pay me to go.At 6k a night you'd have to be suicidal to drive 2 hours in the middle of nowhere to then enter into the gateway of the entrance from He##
First when they drove up...
Greetings all
Ive never heard of this guy Ryan if it hadn't been for Bens post
I wasn't certain if I would ever step foot in Mexico however this was the final deal killer.You couldn't pay me to go.At 6k a night you'd have to be suicidal to drive 2 hours in the middle of nowhere to then enter into the gateway of the entrance from He##
First when they drove up to the place it looked like a run down farm.I felt unsafe as well.
Just returned from the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and while staying on the penthouse floor one of the team members shared that the Aman Hotel and residences are being built between them and the Hilton BH.Simply put not even free of charge would I stay with that brand.Someone from the home office of Aman should have reached out and apologized on behalf of the hotel and the brand.Can just imagine having a problem being a guest there.Seriously frightening. The staff outside look like ex prisoners protecting the drug lords inside.
Ryan seemed to ramble on in the video but you can see he was rattled, hurt embarrassed, insulted trying to save professional face post experience so I have empathy for him.
You should definitely visit Mexico! have been to more than half a dozen states and really enjoyed my time there. CDMX is a world-class urban destination, and the country boasts amazing archaeology, culture and gastronomy. Most of it is perfectly safe for tourists/visitors- although there's a small number of dodgy 'pockets' which should be avoided.
Having said all that, I don't think I would ever go to that country for a beach holiday- most...
You should definitely visit Mexico! have been to more than half a dozen states and really enjoyed my time there. CDMX is a world-class urban destination, and the country boasts amazing archaeology, culture and gastronomy. Most of it is perfectly safe for tourists/visitors- although there's a small number of dodgy 'pockets' which should be avoided.
Having said all that, I don't think I would ever go to that country for a beach holiday- most resorts are naff and overpriced, and that's not just a general impression of mine (although I did go to one of them and wasn't impressed) but rather the opinion of numerous Mexican friends and acquaintances, virtually all of whom are able to afford to stay in the nice places.
Wow, shocking. So this resort is permanently off my list for my Presidents Trophy award celebration for top employees. Not a chance after reading this.
What a terrible property. It has to do with ownership and leadership from the top. Terrible and disgusting behavior. And I hope this property folds and turns into a timeshare.
https://whalehunting.projectbrazen.com/the-aman-infiltration-how-a-global-money-laundering-kingpin-tainted-a-3-billion-hotel-brand/
Sounds really dodgy
"I mean, look at the uber-luxury hotel guest profile nowadays, and the number of rent-by-the-trip girlfriends we see at properties, who are doing endless photo shoots. Should other guests have to put up with that, or should those travelers also be “denied service?”
Wow! Are there no rent boys seen at any of these properties? And can you explain a bit more about what you have to put up with and how many times it's affected you?
It sounds like Aman doesn't want discerning guests. At that price range, they should be far, far more skilled at media relations.
When you look at all the comments here the reality is what good at this point will a response do? If Aman apologizes people will say it’s not enough. If they explain their perspective people will say they are gaslighting. And the story continues. Maybe you are all getting a lesson in the new approach towards social media drama and pearl clutching. That is, no response. Just quietly fix a problem if there is one...
When you look at all the comments here the reality is what good at this point will a response do? If Aman apologizes people will say it’s not enough. If they explain their perspective people will say they are gaslighting. And the story continues. Maybe you are all getting a lesson in the new approach towards social media drama and pearl clutching. That is, no response. Just quietly fix a problem if there is one and the image issue will go away. In fact, Aman may have laid out the template for the new crises management against influencers. It’s a good one. Even here in comments you can see this starting to die a fast death.
Silence can be effective crisis management when a controversy is self-limiting and a response would only give it oxygen. This isn’t that situation. Aman has not commented on specific claims about a last-minute cancellation, its staff’s conduct and police involvement, so Ryan’s account becomes the record by default. When silence is an ineffective strategy, every day in which a credible alternative perspective is not offered compounds that problem for the brand.
The possibility that people...
Silence can be effective crisis management when a controversy is self-limiting and a response would only give it oxygen. This isn’t that situation. Aman has not commented on specific claims about a last-minute cancellation, its staff’s conduct and police involvement, so Ryan’s account becomes the record by default. When silence is an ineffective strategy, every day in which a credible alternative perspective is not offered compounds that problem for the brand.
The possibility that people may criticize any response isn’t an argument for silence, and declining comments aren’t evidence that the reputational problem is disappearing. Every news cycle fades. Amanvari opened August 1, and this story broke just as thousands of luxury travel professionals were gathering in Las Vegas for Virtuoso Travel Week. That gives the story a route from social media directly into the advisor network that sells hotels like this. For a $6,000-a-night property, what prospective guests and their advisors remember and find six months from now matters far more than how quickly today’s comment thread dies down.
Just watched his latest video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBmWadsSaTo). It looks like neither the property nor corporate has reached out to him to apologize/explain, which is absolutely mind-boggling. Despite this incident, he said he'd still consider staying at an Aman! :-o
Also, it was interesting to hear him talk about TAs. While he didn't name any of them, he was clearly addressing the shills pointed out in the comments.
Yet another influencer, manufacturing drama, to obtain clicks. He probably knew the hotel cancelled his stay, as ben also seems to agree with, he went anyway. Started filming early in aniticpation of what was to come. Yes, he was polite and not a total blowhard like Cahill et al, but in the end he accomplished his goal. He's getting exposure across multiple different blogs and people who've never heard of him are now seeing him.
Mission accomplished.
Ben’s take misses the mark on how ultra-luxury operations work and who Aman’s actual client base is.
1. Soft-Openings and Unvetted Reviews
This wasn't about guest privacy—it was simply that the property was in a soft-opening phase and wasn't ready to be reviewed. Newly opened ultra-luxury resorts limit inventory precisely to iron out operational kinks. Allowing an independent content creator to broadcast an early-stage review to hundreds of thousands of people when the...
Ben’s take misses the mark on how ultra-luxury operations work and who Aman’s actual client base is.
1. Soft-Openings and Unvetted Reviews
This wasn't about guest privacy—it was simply that the property was in a soft-opening phase and wasn't ready to be reviewed. Newly opened ultra-luxury resorts limit inventory precisely to iron out operational kinks. Allowing an independent content creator to broadcast an early-stage review to hundreds of thousands of people when the product isn't 100% polished is an unacceptable commercial risk. Conceptually, denying a self-professed YouTuber during a soft launch is completely reasonable, and it's entirely different from turning away traditional media like Condé Nast Traveler, which operates on coordinated, professional editorial timelines.
2. The “Everyone is Rooting for Ryan” Fallacy
Ben’s assertion that "everyone is with Ryan" assumes YouTube commenters represent Aman’s actual clientele. The people cheering Ryan online are aspirational viewers consuming lifestyle content, not the demographic spending $4,000–$6,000+ a night. Aman’s real customers don't book properties based on YouTube walkthroughs; they book through established brand trust and word of mouth. Actual high-net-worth guests couldn't care less about an online reviewer's canceled booking, and losing the goodwill of YouTube spectators who were never going to spend $30,000 on a stay costs Aman virtually nothing.
3. The Staged Drama and Ryan's Motives
While calling the police at the gate was absolute overkill by hotel security, Ryan got exactly what he wanted. There is no way a professional reviewer missed a high-stakes cancellation email right before arrival—he almost certainly saw it, rolled the cameras en route, and showed up at the gate anyway to manufacture content. There are two takes on this: critics will say it doesn't matter whether he knew because calling the police was inexcusable, but looking at Ryan's motives, the drama was entirely staged. Conflict, confrontation, and a "cancelled by Aman" narrative drive far more views and revenue than a standard 40-minute room walkthrough ever would.
Ultimately, the main point is simple: if Amanvari delivers as a genuinely great property, the big spenders aren't going to care what Ryan thinks anyway.
Can't speak for all of Aman's "actual client base", but I can speak for me. I take at minimum 23-42 international trips a year, every stay is at a 5 star hotel (and none that I can think of have any points based system that I know of), and my TA has booked be at Amans enough times that they've seen fit to give me at various points Amanjunkie. I was also at a family...
Can't speak for all of Aman's "actual client base", but I can speak for me. I take at minimum 23-42 international trips a year, every stay is at a 5 star hotel (and none that I can think of have any points based system that I know of), and my TA has booked be at Amans enough times that they've seen fit to give me at various points Amanjunkie. I was also at a family wedding where everyone there travels as much if not more than me, with the same hotel / airline profile (some fly private).
Facts are, we've reduced our Aman visits already during the Doronin era. There are still OG Amans where we might stay if enough of the old guard staff are still there, but we have been increasingly casting a skeptical eye toward a changing hotel group that seems to be quietly changing its operations and customer profile from what it was previously under Adrian.
You've mentioned that "Actual high-net-worth guests couldn't care less about an online reviewer's canceled booking" and that is true to a degree. But that doesn't mean that this does not matter. If a hotel group is already teetering on the edge of losing its credibility and there is a major splashy incident online like this, well, that can be enough for us to ask out TAs to pick something different going forward. I have options, and all of the locations on the travel circuit provide plentiful alternatives to Aman.
Your comment misses the mark about who stays at Amans and hotels like it. A substantial portion of their client base is UHNWs, but a substantial portion is upper middle class people taking a big trip. I get curious about these things and had a conversation about it with the GM at Aman Venice the last time I was there. He confirmed it, couched of course in diplomatic hospitality language.
Addendum: K4 misses the mark, and AMLD hints at something K4 missed entirely - people with great resources and no one to impress want to stay at a hotel they like and not really think about the hotel. It should be background, not foreground. And vibes matter.
As long as a hotel doesn't screw up too much, they don't care. But a major screwup changes the calculus, and they'd rather spend their time at a...
Addendum: K4 misses the mark, and AMLD hints at something K4 missed entirely - people with great resources and no one to impress want to stay at a hotel they like and not really think about the hotel. It should be background, not foreground. And vibes matter.
As long as a hotel doesn't screw up too much, they don't care. But a major screwup changes the calculus, and they'd rather spend their time at a place where they don't need to factor in a nasty vibe hit like the one Amanvari just inflicted upon itself.
Really milking this one, eh?! Three articles (or really one article with reruns) about the situation when one would have done. Not sur what your obsession is about his guy but I, for one, would be happy to never hear about him again
You're under no obligation to read anything posted here. If the headline doesn't interest you, just keep scrolling.
Agree!
Was this Drama Practice ?
I think anyone who’s travelled a fair bit will have experienced being walked from a premium or luxury hotel at one point because of over-booking or some reservation snafu that is at the fault of the hotel. It’s happened to me twice. Generally, it should go like this:
1) Hotel e-mails and calls (multiple times), leaves messages, does everything in its power to get ahold of you as soon as they know they will...
I think anyone who’s travelled a fair bit will have experienced being walked from a premium or luxury hotel at one point because of over-booking or some reservation snafu that is at the fault of the hotel. It’s happened to me twice. Generally, it should go like this:
1) Hotel e-mails and calls (multiple times), leaves messages, does everything in its power to get ahold of you as soon as they know they will not be able to accommodate you. They don’t just rely on a single e-mail.
2) If they are unable to reach you and you show up, the manager is ready for your arrival and speaks with you in-person, apologizes profusely. They arrange for alternative accommodations of equal standard at their expense. They manage the transfer to the new hotel and also offer further compensation. The tone is “we screwed up badly and are willing to do a lot to make this right”.
The first time this happened to me (at a Renaissance in Vienna), the manager spoke to me in person, they put me for the first two nights at a sister property and then welcomed me back and put me in their presidential bi-level suite with another apology note, wine, sacher-torte and meals covered. Also asked if there’s absolutely anything else they could do.
The second time this happened to me at a small, intimate luxury resort in Japan where I was staying for 2 nights. They moved me to a comparable hotel, put me in the new hotel’s top suite, including full kaiseki meal covered. All at their expense. I got my first night at the new hotel free.
Something is WAY off if the Aman didn’t attempt calling multiple times, didn’t welcome him into the property, have the manage speak to him in person, arrange for full alternative accommodations, and refused to even speak to him via phone.
I do agree... If I were the GM, I would at least have the Front Office Manager to give face and explain at the gate, especially if they knew when the guest (or ex-guest, in this case) was arriving.
According to Ryan Walker’s latest update video, Aman did refund his stay and said they would pay for any non-refundable expenses incurred in getting to/from the property. But they did not seem to offer any personal apology beyond what was in their cancellation e-mail, arrange alternative accommodation, help with logistics in transferring to a new property or the airport or offer anything else to make amends for wasting his time. The Renaissance in Vienna did...
According to Ryan Walker’s latest update video, Aman did refund his stay and said they would pay for any non-refundable expenses incurred in getting to/from the property. But they did not seem to offer any personal apology beyond what was in their cancellation e-mail, arrange alternative accommodation, help with logistics in transferring to a new property or the airport or offer anything else to make amends for wasting his time. The Renaissance in Vienna did way more for me and that was not a $6,000/night hotel!
Don't F around and get detained in Mexico.
I don't know anything about this vlogger other than what I've read here, and what's been published here is entirely what was related by the vlogger.
It goes without saying that a hotel at this level should never cancel any guest's reservation by email (unless they can't be reached by phone), and certainly not the night before, and certainly not if it's someone they've already spoken with. So, IF that's what happened it's certainly a...
I don't know anything about this vlogger other than what I've read here, and what's been published here is entirely what was related by the vlogger.
It goes without saying that a hotel at this level should never cancel any guest's reservation by email (unless they can't be reached by phone), and certainly not the night before, and certainly not if it's someone they've already spoken with. So, IF that's what happened it's certainly a major service failure in the part of the hotel. A "first world problem"? This rises far below even that level. But it is within the area covered by the blog, so you should certainly cover it.
But, Ben, I think you're being a bit cavalier about whether or not the vlogger had advanced notice and semi-staged this incident for drama. Not that that would retroactively absolve the hotel but: if he's not being completely accurate about that fact then what ELSE in his account is inaccurate? If there was an email that he pretends to have missed was there also, maybe, a phone call? Or did his prior contact with the hotel end not with "great, we'll see you then" but "great, let me run this by the GM and I hope we'll be seeing you then"?
As I said, I have no knowledge of the guy or this incident outside of your posts so I'm just supposing. The vlogger could be entirely innocent, substantially guilty, or something in between. But if he wasn't truthful about the cancellation, I wouldn't put money on "entirely innocent".
What on earth is happening to Aman and service, the trend has been seen for some time but this is just so poorly handled that you could not make it up.
Perhaps he ought to have chose a different hotel ? For drama students ? Ya think ?
This hotel is obviously a (fill in the blank) front for whatever reason. They are not serious about doing business. Room looks like worth 500 bucks at most given the location. They priced at this so people don't come
You mentioned that it is unusual for Ryan to film enroute to a hotel (which is being used as potential evidence he knew drama could be coming).... just thought I'd jump into your comment sections as, ironically, I am watching Ryan's livestream from a month ago right now. He actually mentions that he's starting to film behind-the-scenes content because so many people were interested in the "travel" aspect of his trips to these hotels. 2hrs...
You mentioned that it is unusual for Ryan to film enroute to a hotel (which is being used as potential evidence he knew drama could be coming).... just thought I'd jump into your comment sections as, ironically, I am watching Ryan's livestream from a month ago right now. He actually mentions that he's starting to film behind-the-scenes content because so many people were interested in the "travel" aspect of his trips to these hotels. 2hrs through sketchy terrain does seem like some good b-roll to me, so it might help explain why the camera was rolling.
Especially since the Baja Californian desert landscape is so beautiful, I would be recording b-roll all the way.
It also seems entirely plausible that he's recording his arrival at the hotel, but that it isn't generally interesting enough i make the final edit of the video.
That gm clearly shouldnt be running a hotel that charges 6k a night lol
As a person who has lived in a few luxury hotels, this is unacceptable. It’s not about money, rather it’s about respect. The way the staff/ security treated Ryan Walker wasn’t right and it was down right deplorable in my opinion
Checking on the profiles of people posting reviews is super weird
Erm, no it’s not. The majority of travel reviews online on many sites seem to be either paid for / somehow affiliated or totally fake. If you’re so gullible you believe whatever you read online is always the unvarnished truth, that’s your problem.
Not really, in this case. Not if there's some serious suspicion that lots of those profiles posting 'reviews' are just friends and family of the manager, after a situation got seriously out of hand for what seems no particular reason. If I have suspicions about anything that's going on that affects me, I also engage in some more background checking to find the actual facts. Doing actual research in trying to find some form of...
Not really, in this case. Not if there's some serious suspicion that lots of those profiles posting 'reviews' are just friends and family of the manager, after a situation got seriously out of hand for what seems no particular reason. If I have suspicions about anything that's going on that affects me, I also engage in some more background checking to find the actual facts. Doing actual research in trying to find some form of truth or explanation for what's going on is only weird to MAGAs and religious zealots. They just accept that they're told, no questions asked.
We had several problems at the Hyatt all inclusive Cancun. We tried communications with management but were rejected. We dug deeper and found out who owns the hotel and where did the GM come from. So when you figure all this out, its best to break from them and deal with Hyatt consumer affairs, especially for Cancun and perhaps other parts of Mexico.
They will call the police, which is not a good idea to entertain in Mexico.
So who did own the hotel and where did he come from?
We didn't quite have the police called on us, but at a Hyatt affiliated Mexico all-inclusive a couple of years ago, our Uber/Taxi driver for our ride to the airport was physically not allowed to leave the premises until I completed further checkout paperwork, such that our family was effectively "detained" by their security. The process was delayed since they were retabulating the bill due to errors on their side, and I had already spent...
We didn't quite have the police called on us, but at a Hyatt affiliated Mexico all-inclusive a couple of years ago, our Uber/Taxi driver for our ride to the airport was physically not allowed to leave the premises until I completed further checkout paperwork, such that our family was effectively "detained" by their security. The process was delayed since they were retabulating the bill due to errors on their side, and I had already spent 10-15 minutes talking to them about it -- and we needed to catch a flight! I totally understand they need to make sure I'm not skipping out on the check, but they already had my credit card info etc and I had pre-authorized everything. Surreal experience.
Posts like this are why this blog is one of my two first things I do when I wake up to get a combination of enjoyment and an increasingly levelheaded look at some situation that isn't discussed on quite a few sites that try to cover travel. Well done.
Wow, that’s really high-praise. I mean, like, ‘first-thing,’ usually turn off alarm, use the toilet, brush teeth, coffee, breakfast, maybe check the weather, NYTimes, etc. But, I suppose if OMAAT is that much of priority for you, kudos. Oh, wait, were you being sarcastic? Gotta throw in a “/s” friends!
I also had a horrible experience at an Aman property and the way it was handled, or should I say, avoided, by their management is reason enough for me to NEVER stay at an Aman property every again!
Would you care to elaborate? Or should we try guessing?
Wow he has cancelled the livestream. He put up a 2-minute explanation regarding the cancellation. The plot thickens. Aman is going to have to publicly address this.
Seriously, the comments here are priceless. I’m laughing so hard at how y’all are turning this into one of the great tragedies of the 21st century. To the point you are analyzing removal of google reviews, investigating positive ones, and determining the demise of the GM as if this is some kind of Hotel Hunger Games. Please continue to make complete ass$s of yourself as you pearl clutch with shock that an “influencer” had a bad day.
But you're right here too with the rest - pot meet kettle LOL
its more about shitty hotel treating guests in a shitty way. the fact that its some youtuber means something might actually happen whereas if it was not someone that was able to publicise it, the hotel would just get away with it
This is a travel site and hotels fall under that stratosphere. We're not taking about world events, housing conditions of the elderly or mall treatment of children in schools. A smarter more in tuned person would ask themselves why are people so angry. One answer quite possibly is not Aman specifically but most chain hotels are treating customers however they want and to recoup the cost one has to hike Mt Everest. That's why people...
This is a travel site and hotels fall under that stratosphere. We're not taking about world events, housing conditions of the elderly or mall treatment of children in schools. A smarter more in tuned person would ask themselves why are people so angry. One answer quite possibly is not Aman specifically but most chain hotels are treating customers however they want and to recoup the cost one has to hike Mt Everest. That's why people are reacting in the extreme. And to silence people's anger by suppressing reviews, that's one of people's major vocal platform but instantly that can be turned off in our current society. That's why people are angry. And no they are not making an a$$ of themselves. One should look in the mirror for that.
The more I read about this incident, the more scandalous I find the whole story.
I genuinely wonder if Aman is unable to react properly due to the property essentially being controlled by the cartels. The fact alone that they charge 6k (!!) in an opening week while at the same time saying that they are not fully ready is astonishing.
Let's wait a little longer to see if there's more to this story...
The more I read about this incident, the more scandalous I find the whole story.
I genuinely wonder if Aman is unable to react properly due to the property essentially being controlled by the cartels. The fact alone that they charge 6k (!!) in an opening week while at the same time saying that they are not fully ready is astonishing.
Let's wait a little longer to see if there's more to this story and how they eventually react. However, I really hope that travel advisors do draw their conclusions from this whole debacle.
First, from the information available, Amanvari is in the wrong and no quibbling about the precise hour that Ryan learned of his last minute cancelation (or which entrance he used) changes that.
Second, I've read quite a lot of comments alluding to cartel involvement in controlling aspects of the hotel - is there any factual basis for these claims that can be referenced and independently verified?
Asking the above with all due respect.
From his live, it looks like he has to postpone his commentary as local officials are advising him to leave the country before making any statements as his life may be in jeopardy. If it's gone this far, this is a complete embarrassment, and no one should support Aman.
Oh please, lol. This is starting to verge on the hilarious. You are all bat shit crazy with drama. Next will be that tanks are rolling up to his villa as the cartel works a protection deal.
well it is mexico, so it wouldnt be a surprise considering how they seem to execute streamers mid-stream
Oh please, lol. This is starting to verge on the hilarious. You are all bat shit crazy with drama. Next will be that tanks are rolling up to his villa as the cartel works a protection deal.
To be fair, someone was literally shot dead during a livestream earlier this week in Mexico. Depending on who's got money in that property there might be a non-zero chance that this guy is poking something other than an international hotel chain.
But look at the number of posts you made on this. You seem very very vested in this topic.
Sounds the sort of hotel management response one expect in Germany, rather than Mexico.
I'll make an exception and defend Europe for once ;)
This would never happen in Germany. They may occasionally come across as cold and unfriendly, but they are also fair and by the books. In a property of that cost, you would never be denied even a conversation with a manager. Plus, consumer rights are a lot more stringent, and hotels are not under the control of cartels.
This would never happen in Germany because corruption is low and it’s a high trust society. This entire event feels like something that only happens in non-developed countries with low levels of trust and legal issues (which arguably increasingly includes the US given all the posts here defending the situation).
Concur strongly with Tom.
@Jumpseatflyer
I had a service failure at Steinberger Leipzig which involved much less money but was similarly incomprehensibly alienating - including it being suggested that I had given my car key to a thief rather than their valet parker.
And very definitely included the manager hiding away so that I had to (hand) write the contract for abandoning a rental car dealing with only the receptionist.
Icing on the cake - a...
@Jumpseatflyer
I had a service failure at Steinberger Leipzig which involved much less money but was similarly incomprehensibly alienating - including it being suggested that I had given my car key to a thief rather than their valet parker.
And very definitely included the manager hiding away so that I had to (hand) write the contract for abandoning a rental car dealing with only the receptionist.
Icing on the cake - a month later they sent me an invoice for the fuel I had used from Berlin airport to Leipzig!
P.S. I am very much European, but I live next to Germany.
I am now reading (evening Eastern time) that the GM has been sacked.
Google Amanvara News....
Interesting.
There is one mention in a Reddit thread that hasn’t been reported or confirmed elsewhere so this is not confirmed. Unless you can share another link.
Amanvari just got Google maps to delete all the negative reviews somehow. About 48 hours ago, there were 50 something reviews with an average rating of 1.7 or so and 24 hours ago, there were 100 something with 1.5 average. Now there's only 3 with 5 average.
...and two of them (with zero commentary) are from before they even opened. So, there's one possible legitimate review, but even that's suspect, IMHO.
I wonder how many times Google is going to have to reset the counter...
Ben, I’m still convinced this ‘controversy’ is possibly a strategy in the context of the attention-economy. Like, the incident inadvertently makes the property seem that much more exclusive… (whoopsie, I mean, ‘exclusionary’…) Like, would you have done multiple posts and updates about Amanvari if it weren’t for this? Free advertising…
It’s also great exposure for Ryan, who most had never even heard of. Now, you’ve practically elevated him to your level! (I kid, I kid, you’re still #1, bud.)
I can't recall the last time a company had booming business as a result of epic poor management. I seriously doubt Aman needs that kind of publicity nor would they agree to such an asinine and risky marketing campaign.
Believe me, Bob. If I was in hospitality, I would not have wanted this to go this way. If I were in marketing, social media, etc. I'd be like, 'how can we go viral?' (then proceed to ignore reputational damage, because people have the memory of gold fish these days it seems. And before you 'umm ackchuallee' me, yes, I am aware the gold-fish-stat is a myth. They 'memba.)
Poor management is not a strategy, and there's absolutely no way that this will make the property more exclusive.
Jumpseatflyer, did you catch the joke? I said, "whoopsie, I mean, ‘exclusionary’…" Don't worry about it. This is all clearly a major screw-up by Aman. I was merely suggesting that in this era, such controversy is not necessarily a deal-breaker for a business; it can lead to free 'exposure.' Like I said, I doubt Ben would've posted on Amanvari multiple times had it not happened. Maybe he would have had a post about it's planning,...
Jumpseatflyer, did you catch the joke? I said, "whoopsie, I mean, ‘exclusionary’…" Don't worry about it. This is all clearly a major screw-up by Aman. I was merely suggesting that in this era, such controversy is not necessarily a deal-breaker for a business; it can lead to free 'exposure.' Like I said, I doubt Ben would've posted on Amanvari multiple times had it not happened. Maybe he would have had a post about it's planning, then it's opening, and finally when he himself reviews it; now, we've got how many posts, comments, etc. Lotta buzz!
I watched three minutes of the video and I guarantee you that Ryan new exactly what was going to happen. This is drama. Both sides are gaslighting each other.
Ben, I'd like to offer a somewhat nuanced take on the filming before hand. I don't know Ryan Walker, never heard of him before yesterday, but based on your assessment, I'll take it at face value that he is at the very least not a true drama producing factory looking for views, straight up TikTok influencer with 30 second reviews, or others.
It is possible that he does take video of all of his trips...
Ben, I'd like to offer a somewhat nuanced take on the filming before hand. I don't know Ryan Walker, never heard of him before yesterday, but based on your assessment, I'll take it at face value that he is at the very least not a true drama producing factory looking for views, straight up TikTok influencer with 30 second reviews, or others.
It is possible that he does take video of all of his trips like that, even the arrival at the property. It can be good to get establishing shots, to catch some things, and even to just make sure the camera equipment is in good order at a non-critical time. Therefore, he may have video taken before of all of these entrance style shots and doesn't post them in the final video because they aren't relevant. Could also explain why it felt like they were acting "weird", because they were just basically setting up and engaging in non video small talk. They weren't expecting something to happen, but might get some useful shots anyway. Like I said, I don't know the guy, and haven't even heard of the hotel. But I know that many video producers overshoot, and trim it all in editing.
It's a 2 hour drive. Was he supposed to stare out of the window the entire time? People reading too much into a vlogger that's well.. vlogging lol
Why is my review on google map deleted? Same goes to all other star review!!! Damn
Because you didn't actually stay there and, therefore, shouldn't be writing a review.
If you google "amanvari news", the top two posts are about this controversy followed by all the launch articles from sites like Elle and the LA Times. One thing's for sure, this incident has wrecked what was likely a very carefully planned and expensive media/communications strategy for the property's launch.
I can assure you as another luxury travel advisor, we all don’t share Sarah’s sentiments on this. I watch Ryan’s reviews regularly and agree with Ben that they come off as very straight forward and mostly fair. I emailed my contacts at Aman as soon as I saw this expressing my concerns and frustrations and have already had clients emailing me and my team asking if we have been watching this unfold who are very concerned about how the hotel handled the situation.
If I was booked at the property I'd also be concerned, & I'd be asking if it was safer to rebook somewhere else.
I had two clients each cancel one week stays
Good detective work jb84usa!!!
People need to report those Google reviews as fake.
Horrible from Aman.
Horrible.
Reportedly, Aman fired the GM. https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChubbyTravel/comments/1vgsm66/amanvari_gm_sacked/
There is one GM in Cabo who is now unemployed- I hope.
How was this an acceptable situation by AMAN?
TLDR this fake news drama. Have 0 Fs to give for influencers.
You give a LOT of Fs for influencers; you read the piece and bothered to leave a comment. :)
Well, at least you acknowledged the fact that the video was staged, it's impossible that he didn't read the email and went there casually filming the security check in from a phone. Who cares? Well, this situation is 100% Amanvari's fault, but I wished he had been a bit more honest about this detail. I've watched his video before reading your post, and from the beginning it looked like something was wrong about it, I...
Well, at least you acknowledged the fact that the video was staged, it's impossible that he didn't read the email and went there casually filming the security check in from a phone. Who cares? Well, this situation is 100% Amanvari's fault, but I wished he had been a bit more honest about this detail. I've watched his video before reading your post, and from the beginning it looked like something was wrong about it, I was almost going to close it thinking it was some clickbait BS even if in the end it wasn't like that at all.
It's also possible that he always films on the way up, just in case anything interesting occurs, but edits it out of his videos if there is no point to including it.
How is it impossible to not read the email? I only check my email once a day. Especially since he is busy packing, flight, and car ride with sparse internet
Even if he did see the email, IT WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE ARRIVAL. Forget $6,000 / night. I wouldn't take that from $100/night. It was an EMAIL. Email is what you do if you want to avoid explanations or you're so introverted talking to someone on the phone makes you pee your pants. Granted we raised 2 generations like that but no hotel of that caliber should think that's ok. You get a hold of...
Even if he did see the email, IT WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE ARRIVAL. Forget $6,000 / night. I wouldn't take that from $100/night. It was an EMAIL. Email is what you do if you want to avoid explanations or you're so introverted talking to someone on the phone makes you pee your pants. Granted we raised 2 generations like that but no hotel of that caliber should think that's ok. You get a hold of the actual person to let them know and apologize verbally.
These people all spent years in hospitality training. They should know better unless that's their intention.
Ryan didn't publish the email that Aman sent him; according to someone I know, they DID offer to pay all his costs he lost for cancelling the night. I think there are two sides to this story and then the truth, I don't believe this article or Ryan's version of events.
I don't believe any of the Guest posters, who look suspiciously like astroturfing (along with the ones on Reddit) for Aman. The biggest issue with "paying all your costs" in this situation, is that you're doing it with a less than 24 hour notice over e-mail, and even in the best case scenario where he sees it, he can't un-take his time off at that point. The guest is already enroute.
I have doubts that...
I don't believe any of the Guest posters, who look suspiciously like astroturfing (along with the ones on Reddit) for Aman. The biggest issue with "paying all your costs" in this situation, is that you're doing it with a less than 24 hour notice over e-mail, and even in the best case scenario where he sees it, he can't un-take his time off at that point. The guest is already enroute.
I have doubts that Amanvari can, or is willing to (given all their behaviour so far), fully compensate someone who can afford $6k a night accommodations.
"SOMEONE" you know happens to have all the inside details of someone else's email..... Yeah ok.
I can offer you a discount on your mcafee subscription. Btw. *sign*
Suggesting the GM have their career completely ended over this is a little too much for me. Their job? Sure. Their whole livelihood over this one incident? People have gotten through a lotttt worse than this, and I don't think many of us have to think too hard to name 5-10 examples off the top of our head.
I caught that, too, and I 100% agree with you.
This is a job-losing move, but shouldn't be a career-ender, and I suspect Ben wrote that in the heat of writing vs. *meaning* career ending. Though I won't put words in his mouth.
Pretty sure Ben meant his career at Aman or at Amanvari specifically.
Surely neither of you would keep the GM on at your property after this fiasco? It's a clusterfk of bad publicity that's been amplified around the world. I just don't see how his position is tenable.
If you open a hotel and his resume same across your desk you're telling me you would consider him and this incident would not give you pause? If you're hesitating at all then that's your answer. You're the only one who knows. We don't. Your comment feels a bit disingenuous since you don't have a stake.
I don't see him recovering within the luxury travel sector (well, unless the Thompson in NYC needs someone - from what I've read in a few places, he'd fit right in with them), but there are definitely quite a few mid-tier hotels with dubious reputations for honoring amenities and so on that he'd be fine at...
Thou protest too much. A storm in a teacup. A hotel cancelled a guest’s stay. So what? This happens all the time. Not a newsworthy story.
"A hotel cancelled a guest’s stay."
Oh, sweetie, it's so much more than that. Try reading the piece, and then comment. Cancelling the stay isn't the half of it.
Correct! The Holiday Inn in Tulsa canceled my reservation last week. I had to rebook at the Ramada Inn down the block. This is exactly the same thing
Fully agree with all points. Pretty sure he knew there was going to be an issue checking in, but doesn’t change anything about how the situation was handled.
I’m not spending $6k/night anywhere, but if i was in that market I would be avoiding this property or probably brand until they make this right. My last stay at an Aman property was likely ‘not worth the price’ anyways.
Correct! The Holiday Inn in Tulsa canceled my reservation last week. I had to rebook at the Ramada Inn down the block. This is exactly the same thing
Without question, Aman screwed up, big time. They should have advertised this as a soft opening, and/or heavily discounted the rates, and/or limited initial guests to comp'ed Aman insiders (family/friends) who can be counted on to provide constructive criticism ahead of a hard opening. And cancelling a reservation for any guest less than 24 hours ahead of arrival, let alone a high-profile blogger, is beyond stupid.
That said, Walker's videos scream LOOK AT ME. They're...
Without question, Aman screwed up, big time. They should have advertised this as a soft opening, and/or heavily discounted the rates, and/or limited initial guests to comp'ed Aman insiders (family/friends) who can be counted on to provide constructive criticism ahead of a hard opening. And cancelling a reservation for any guest less than 24 hours ahead of arrival, let alone a high-profile blogger, is beyond stupid.
That said, Walker's videos scream LOOK AT ME. They're smarmy and, eventually, quite tiresome. There is so much drama in these videos to manufacture engagement, and the fact that he had the camera running on the "two-hour" drive to Aman definitely lead me to believe he DID read the email cancelling his stay and was chomping at the bit to get a take that would generate lots of views.
While I want to be in the know on top hotel and cruise debuts as they happen, it would be far more useful for prospective guests for him to arrive a few weeks after they've opened and gotten some traction with the operation. But let's be honest: Waiting a few weeks would probably result in less drama during his stay -- and less clicks.
This is such a weird point of discourse.
If a hotel cancels my reservation within 24 hours of check-in while still selling rooms, I’m going so I can discuss it with the manager.
Honestly good on Ryan for not giving them a free pass even if the worst case scenario is true.
Google removed most of the reviews... except two 5-star reviews are from 3 weeks ago and a month ago. Didn't the hotel just open this week?
So , what is the big deal ? An "influencer" was "insulted" . In Britain someone threw a milkshake at a politician . That was a bigger deal than this "influencer" , no ?
The next time a hotel cancels your reservation, don't honor a price you booked etc, remember this comment then walk away because you decided you won't complain that a business operates this way. Also applies to airlines, restaurants, weddings, travel agencies. $6k is no longer a small claims situation.
No, this is not about an influencer getting insulted. This is about a guest paying $6.000 a night getting a last minute cancellation and then receiving misconduct (even involving police) when showing up anyway. Because, let's face it, he paid for the reservation himself.
I've been to way cheaper and less luxury places that sometimes had to cancel or change reservations and trust me, none of them handled the situation the way Aman does....
No, this is not about an influencer getting insulted. This is about a guest paying $6.000 a night getting a last minute cancellation and then receiving misconduct (even involving police) when showing up anyway. Because, let's face it, he paid for the reservation himself.
I've been to way cheaper and less luxury places that sometimes had to cancel or change reservations and trust me, none of them handled the situation the way Aman does. None of them involved the police when I showed up anyway, none of them kept complete radio silence afterwards, none of them started posting tons of fake reviews and none of them sacked the GM directly after.
I didn't see where it mentioned that he was refunded, was he???
@ GetToThePoints -- That's not entirely clear, based on what I've seen. I'd assume they'd refund him!
If he wasn't he could easily sue them. I expect they didn't charge him in the first place.
Not an Aman supporter but I suspect they are playing the long game here, hoping most forget about it in the next few months. The reality is they don't really care about the one-nighters, the bloggers or the YouTubers. I enjoyed a review a few months back done by Simon Wilson, and even though he is also a successful YouTuber, I doubt Aman really cares about his demographic.
They're more concerned about the guests...
Not an Aman supporter but I suspect they are playing the long game here, hoping most forget about it in the next few months. The reality is they don't really care about the one-nighters, the bloggers or the YouTubers. I enjoyed a review a few months back done by Simon Wilson, and even though he is also a successful YouTuber, I doubt Aman really cares about his demographic.
They're more concerned about the guests who want privacy and are spending at least a few nights to get away from the drama within their 1% group or go on a supposed life detox because they couldn't get the limited Bugatti they wanted.
It definitely looks bad for their brand, and they'll take a hit in the short term, but would they address in publicly? Doubt it. I suspect the manager may be changed silently when the dust settles though. In the mean time, Google has scrubbed bad reviews and Tripadvisor has paused reviews all together. We all know they will just sweep this under the rug.
@ atsbrad -- Personally, I think the Aman demographic has shifted massively over the years. Under its original owner, Aman was very much about catering to people looking for privacy, peace, and seclusion. In its current state, I think Aman is much more for the "show off" crowd, given how hyped the brand has become.
Agreed Ben. I think a lot of brands are getting sucked into the hype. Maybe with the combo of everyone wanting to boast on Instagram, and people generally spending more on luxury. Let's see if they decide to make some changes.
The issue with that is Aman is in the league where a large proportion of guests aren't booking directly with the property, they are using travel advisors (potentially through an assistant) who know these ultra-luxe hotels enough that the person can just say "I want to go to Mexico and have a relaxing, private stay on these dates' and the advisor knows enough about them that they can either just book the resort or offer...
The issue with that is Aman is in the league where a large proportion of guests aren't booking directly with the property, they are using travel advisors (potentially through an assistant) who know these ultra-luxe hotels enough that the person can just say "I want to go to Mexico and have a relaxing, private stay on these dates' and the advisor knows enough about them that they can either just book the resort or offer a couple options with pros and cons.
Most travel advisors for the very- and ultra-wealthy, outside of that one on the fat travel subreddit who was blatantly defending Aman despite admitting she didn't watch the video, are going to be very risk averse about anything that could cause a bad experience where their client stops using them in the future. Aman refusing to even discuss this or put out some empty 'we are investigating' statement despite it seeming like the resort is the one mostly-to-all at fault here will likely make a lot of those advisors much more apprehensive about suggesting/booking the brand if they feel there could be zero service recovery if something happens.
Exactly. This hotel is not worth the risk.
Aegon Mykonos played the long game.
They are now long gone.
Hi Ben, do you perhaps have some knowledge on how these uber luxury hotel openings usually work? You would think that Aman corporate would send a team a couple of weeks before opening to make sure everything is perfect, staff trained, etc., so everything is aligned with the brand as well.
@ Reyyan -- You would think that it works that way, but all too often, that's not the case. In my experience, hotel openings are generally a back-and-forth between the owners (who want the hotel to open ASAP, because they want to start getting an ROI on their investment) and those managing the property (who should be realistic about the state of things, and recognize things won't be good for some time).
All too often,...
@ Reyyan -- You would think that it works that way, but all too often, that's not the case. In my experience, hotel openings are generally a back-and-forth between the owners (who want the hotel to open ASAP, because they want to start getting an ROI on their investment) and those managing the property (who should be realistic about the state of things, and recognize things won't be good for some time).
All too often, hotels are opened in a rush, without enough focus on quality, service, etc. And they don't pretend it's a soft opening, with discounted rates, but instead, they charge the highest price right away. That's why it generally is best to avoid new properties.
For example, even on my recent Four Seasons Yachts trip, I was disappointed by the major, obvious service gaps, which just shouldn't exist for a product that has been available for several months.
This was handled incredibly poorly by the hotel. The damage from denying Ryan’s stay is obviously far worse than any negative review could have been (just look at the Four Seasons Yacht video).
I hope I don’t get flak for this, but I’m genuinely curious why Ryan still showed up after his reservation had already been canceled. The hotel absolutely should never have canceled it, and doing so by email late at night instead of...
This was handled incredibly poorly by the hotel. The damage from denying Ryan’s stay is obviously far worse than any negative review could have been (just look at the Four Seasons Yacht video).
I hope I don’t get flak for this, but I’m genuinely curious why Ryan still showed up after his reservation had already been canceled. The hotel absolutely should never have canceled it, and doing so by email late at night instead of with a phone call was ridiculous. But if you already knew you didn’t have a room, what was the goal in going anyway? Was it to get an explanation, or was some level of confrontation inevitable?
Ryan is one of the best travel YouTubers out there. His videos are consistently fair, thoughtful, and extremely well produced. He didn’t deserve to be treated this way. It’ll be interesting to see what the long-term fallout is for the hotel.
@ benbenben -- Yeah, his claim is that he hadn't seen the email, but I'm not convinced that's the case. Otherwise, maybe he was looking for a bit of drama, but he does things in a respectful way.
So I wouldn't view it as a Josh Cahill-style drama, where he immediately claims he was SCAMMED. But maybe he did want to talk to the manager, ask why his reservation was canceled even though they were...
@ benbenben -- Yeah, his claim is that he hadn't seen the email, but I'm not convinced that's the case. Otherwise, maybe he was looking for a bit of drama, but he does things in a respectful way.
So I wouldn't view it as a Josh Cahill-style drama, where he immediately claims he was SCAMMED. But maybe he did want to talk to the manager, ask why his reservation was canceled even though they were still selling rooms, etc. I think Ryan is doing a Q&A this evening, so hopefully he can honestly disclose the order of events here...
"But the bigger point is… who cares? Whether he knew about it or not doesn’t change the hotel’s abhorrent handling of this situation."
BINGO.
I saw the (stupid) comments on the first piece suggesting that he did know, but irrespective of that (stupid) suspicion, Aman's behavior stands on its own as unprofessional and embarrassing.
And the GM still needs to be replaced immediately.
While Amani’s actions are unforgivable, if he went seeking drama, that is relevant. There is nothing stupid about pointing out truth.
Are you suggesting he expected this kind of treatment and having cartel police called on him?
Im with you. Who cares? I certainly dont, and wish I had the minute wasted reading this post back.
But then you spent a minute (a "wasted" one, to be sure) commenting on it. :)
Google already removed the negative reviews (as usual, but also why Google reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt). TAs affiliated with the brand, like sarahwlee on r/FATTravel, are defending Aman and locking threads once she got mass downvoted. Ended up hiring bots to upvote herself. All of Aman's actions so far is amateur hour.
I guess it does make sense given it's a brand owned by a Russian, opening in Mexico.
@ David -- It amazes me that people participate in FATTravel, given the way that Sarah runs that place...
Can you explain more? How is it "run"? Not familiar with it. Just a marketing channel via reddit?
@ Albert @ benbenben -- Sorry, I wasn't meaning to open a can of worms here (but realize I probably did). FATTravel is of course a great subreddit with lots of knowledgable posters, and Sarah has (smartly) built her business based on that. She does incredible volume, so good for her... absolutely no judgment there!
As I see it, there are two issues with the concept.
First, just look at her rules. She's the only...
@ Albert @ benbenben -- Sorry, I wasn't meaning to open a can of worms here (but realize I probably did). FATTravel is of course a great subreddit with lots of knowledgable posters, and Sarah has (smartly) built her business based on that. She does incredible volume, so good for her... absolutely no judgment there!
As I see it, there are two issues with the concept.
First, just look at her rules. She's the only travel advisor who is allowed to be mentioned on the subreddit. Fair enough, I suppose, but she takes it a step further, as she has basically turned it into a police state -- "if a user reports a travel advisor for sending an unsolicited DM to pitch their services, the reporting user is given a guaranteed hotel room upgrade."
How is she able to "guarantee" a room upgrade for clients at any hotel? Well, that gets at the other issue here. Let me just say that she has quite the reputation in the industry for how she interacts with hotels. Of course she does so much volume that she can't be ignored, but I can assure you that many hoteliers wish it weren't so.
Anyway, I don't want to get too much deeper into it, but there's a lot there beneath the surface.
Thanks Ben! I’ve got a bunch of follow up questions, but I suppose a public forum isn’t the place.
(PS love the new “community / points” for omaat. It’s turned me into a commenter haha)
@ benbenben -- Thanks for finally commenting! And who knows, maybe a bigger post about this whole topic could be interesting, heh, as there's quite a lot at play here.
I once posted from &Beyond Baltour camp asking what 2x price gets you at Singita (an honestly open-ended, curious question). She *ridiculed* me, saying if you have to ask, you wouldn't know. The post went semi-viral with hundres of votes and comments. She made absurd statements saying that wealthy people don't ask what they are getting when chartering a jet (of course they do), and then later deleted most of her comments. I ended up...
I once posted from &Beyond Baltour camp asking what 2x price gets you at Singita (an honestly open-ended, curious question). She *ridiculed* me, saying if you have to ask, you wouldn't know. The post went semi-viral with hundres of votes and comments. She made absurd statements saying that wealthy people don't ask what they are getting when chartering a jet (of course they do), and then later deleted most of her comments. I ended up moving all my discussion and reviews to chubby travel, including Singita Milele and Antarctica White Desert. While chubby is moderated by a TA in Sara's group, I have found the moderation incredibly reasonable and have no issues with her.
So, yeah, drama. The most irksome part to me is people who go there not understanding it's a TA's own personal playground. If the subreddit was called, "Sara Weele Travel discussion" then fine, but I worry for the unsuspecting folks who think it's a natural place to discuss luxury travel.
@ Dave -- Oh my, that was you! Yeah, I saw that, and YIKES.
I read this to try to understand what FAt travel is and how this makes somebody a travel advisor or whatever, and honestly... I was lost. And not sure how it relates to reddit (a service i will admit I have never used and probably never will). I just know that I use a couple of high end travel advisors who book me and get me benefits and inisights when I need them. No idea who this Sara person is, or how she gets her volume... sounds dreadful.
Could you speak also towards her as a TA? Do you think she’s biased / not doing what’s best for her clients? I’m genuinely interested as someone who has followed the sub but never posted. I know she’s polarizing, but I’m curious more so as to her quality as a TA. Thanks!
Update: I went and checked out the post. She deleted all her comments and locked the post. Which is exactly what she did with my post after the entire community agreed she was unreasonable. Glad I'm not over there anymore.
I have not heard about FATTtravel on Reddit, but I use Sarah's company for a luxury travel bookings, still a few to come. It is by far most convenient place to book without any actual contact needed. Just search the hotels by yourself and book. Easy as can be although the AI travelwits use is a crap.
I am not Aman customer and will not, until the 100% ownership would be non-Soviet/Russian.
To...
I have not heard about FATTtravel on Reddit, but I use Sarah's company for a luxury travel bookings, still a few to come. It is by far most convenient place to book without any actual contact needed. Just search the hotels by yourself and book. Easy as can be although the AI travelwits use is a crap.
I am not Aman customer and will not, until the 100% ownership would be non-Soviet/Russian.
To understand the silence from Aman, one needs to understand the root level of Soviet/Russian behaviour. Hiding behind the Swedish passport does not change nothing.
Either total silence or total denial.
The words of the national anthem changed but the Soviet anthem melody remained.
They still keep Lenin in Moscow center and are proud of that person. Well, for the next inhabitant only three first letters need to be changed.
@Vlad I'd recommend you use classictravel or similar engines, or just Amex FHR/Chase Edit at this point.
The travel agent who runs the FATtravel subreddit was hilariously defending Aman, to the point that it felt like someone I would never use as an agent given how much she was blindly defending the hotel.
Apparently she has contacts there and the response she heard was that the blogger showed up at the wrong entrance which is the cause of the entire issue and the blogger shouldn't have done that, as if that should...
The travel agent who runs the FATtravel subreddit was hilariously defending Aman, to the point that it felt like someone I would never use as an agent given how much she was blindly defending the hotel.
Apparently she has contacts there and the response she heard was that the blogger showed up at the wrong entrance which is the cause of the entire issue and the blogger shouldn't have done that, as if that should be enough for a guest to get gaslit and have the police called on them.
I had a large spat with her on that subreddit (my post had thousands of upvotes, hundreds of comments) and decided to move all my reviews and discussion to 'chubby travel' which is much more lightly moderated. SO on chubby, I post reviews of Antarctica White Desert and Singita Milele. That mod absolutely boils my blood and is not reasonable. She later deleted most of her comments that she made in my response to me.
Wow you look at prices at all? Not very FAT of you!
(the chubby travel mod is also a TA, formerly with sarah as well, and IMO is suspect too. too much of a clear a financial opportunity)
They have done one thing. They're removed the option to leave comments on their Instagram posts about this hotel. Let's pretend nothing happened seems to be the play they are going for.
I honestly think that the amount of "brand damage" is way overestimated here. The brutal truth is noone in the wider world is going to care about some blogger.
Aman has enough customers that this is just noise.
I agree. At the same time, the short-term brand damage and limited financial hit from the fallout is still likely to be greater than had they just let this guy do his review.
@ Alan -- I'd say this is the Streisand effect at work. No one may have cared about this, but now the story is being picked up by major publications, and this is getting way more publicity than any negative review would've ever received.
i'd argue the complete opposite in fact. its one thing if this situation happened at some courtyard marriott. but Aman's customers go to Aman for top notch service. They have near-unlimited wealth, and can stay anywhere. Why would they continue to choose to spend tons of money if this is the kind of service that can be expected?
TA's also won't want to risk client relationships by sending people here unless this is addressed promptly
Especially in the luxury sector (Hotels, Fashion, Beauty products etc.) the brand is everything. If Ben posts about a nice hotel opening in Mexico it WILL drive sales (I myself booked properties he recommended as they sounded great!), I don't know this Ryan guy, but alone from Ben doing two negative posts about the property it will have noticable consequences, and I assume Ryan has more followers + there will be other travel sites reporting...
Especially in the luxury sector (Hotels, Fashion, Beauty products etc.) the brand is everything. If Ben posts about a nice hotel opening in Mexico it WILL drive sales (I myself booked properties he recommended as they sounded great!), I don't know this Ryan guy, but alone from Ben doing two negative posts about the property it will have noticable consequences, and I assume Ryan has more followers + there will be other travel sites reporting about this.
Nobody says the property will go bankrupt, but $6000 rooms need to be filled to bring revenue, and reducing reservations by even a small percentage will be felt. Look at how much these properties are throwing at influencers to get the opposit effect.
@Alan - The bigger issue is going to be travel advisors, especially those who have repeat wealthy customers. They are going to be VERY risk-averse when it comes to sending a guest to a hotel that costs thousands of dollars per night and has seemingly zero service recovery.
Exactly, BeeDazzle - luxury travel advisers would surely be guarding their own reputations by not sending clients to such a property.
Amanvari seems to have reset its reviews and erased every single review. This is just awful.
That or maybe Google noticed the influx of negative reviews and removed it themselves. Regardless, still an awful situation.
While I'm not trying to defend the hotel in any way, for a review page to be seen as legitimate, removing all of those negative reviews by people who have never stayed at the property is the right move by Google. Everyone piling on with bad reviews is a funny exercise, but they have no first hand knowledge of the property. This is still an immensely bad look by Aman, and really reflects poorly on them as a brand.
Google can't prove you didn't stay there (at least not publicly without unveiling their surveillance of you).
Fight their AI from flagging you. Post it as a guest of a friend who paid or you did actually "paid" or that you did book.... Refundable and you canceled it but their AI don't need to know that. Google's AI from my perspective is still very weak with lots of exploitable moving parts.