Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya

Hard Rock Riviera Maya: Dirty rooms + deceptive/“scam” spa charges (Oct 15–18, USANA group)

We stayed at Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya from Oct 15 to Oct 18 with a large USANA group. Overall, this experience was extremely disappointing and, in the spa case, seriously unfair.

Cleanliness Our room was dirty. For a hotel with this reputation, this is unacceptable.

Food quality Most food felt overrated and below expectations. The only places that were okay were Umo, Frida, Toro, and Wai (Wai’s fried rice was okay). Everything else did not justify the hype.

Spa fraud / unfair charges (major problem) The spa is overpriced, but the real issue was how the billing was handled.

We booked a pedicure for $35. At registration, the staff member explicitly acknowledged our room credit and we were allowed to sign a paper stating the pedicure price as $35.

When we arrived for the service, they claimed the pedicure was suddenly $100. After discussion, they said it would be handled via room credit, and they still had us proceed based on the agreement that the pedicure would be $35 out of the $100 total.

We said clearly: if it would be $100 (or if it was shortened to 25 minutes for $100), then we did not want it. They claimed it was the same day and that we could not cancel. We did not “change our mind”—we refused because the hotel was not honoring the price we were shown and made to sign for.

At checkout, we were then charged additional amounts—$100 + $30 for each of us (me and my sister), totaling $230 extra. We were not expecting this.

I asked the checkout staff to sign the paper. He refused and said it was only a “hold,” but my credit card was charged immediately.

They also claimed that if we did not pay, they would not issue the exit paperwork and would cut the bands so we could not leave the resort. This is a dangerous and unacceptable tactic.

When we reported it at the reception desk, the staff member said: “this is not our first time.”

Conclusion I’m not writing this to attack the hotel unfairly. But the combination of dirty rooms, overrated food, and deceptive spa charges makes this a hotel you should avoid. If you still choose to go, take screenshots, insist on written proof, and verify every charge before anything is finalized. I should have took pictures on how the sink in the room the water doesn't flow down and also the cloth that we wipe on each of the spot in the room. I forgot to take the picture because are too frustrating cleaning. BTW< the building Drip water when raining - including inside the MARKET at the RED building.

The entertainment team (especially Roberto, Otto, Gabriel, Giggi, and more) did a phenomenal job. They were all so friendly and seemed to really care that we were having a good time. They made us feel like we made new friends, and made the activities so much fun. The team made this vacation so much better and so much better than ever expected. we already miss their company!