RIU Hotels Reviews

Because there were no rooms available to switch to, I had to personally clean the room myself using Clorox wipes and Lysol spray just to feel comfortable enough to stay there. The worst part of this experience happened on Saturday, May 16. My husband showered around 9 a.m., and by the time I attempted to shower around 11 a.m., there was no water at all. My husband located a maintenance worker in the hallway who informed him this “happens often” and told us the water would return within an hour. Instead, the entire resort was left without water for nearly 12 hours.

Being in another country and forced to remain in unsanitary and unsafe conditions without running water was beyond unacceptable. Guests were resorting to using pools, trash cans, and other areas as restrooms because toilets could not flush. What made the situation even worse was the lack of communication, concern, or apology from the staff during this entire ordeal.

To spend thousands of dollars on what should have been a memorable anniversary vacation only to experience these conditions is heartbreaking and unacceptable. Additionally, the food experience was extremely underwhelming. At the La Altagracia buffet, there were flies mixed in with the food, and the food quality and variety across the restaurants were mediocre at best.

We tried our best to make the most of our 6 days and 5 nights because we had traveled so far for this celebration, but overall this was one of the worst resort experiences I have ever had. I would not recommend this resort based on my experience, and I sincerely hope management takes accountability and addresses these serious cleanliness, maintenance, sanitation, and customer service issues so future guests do not endure the same disappointment

When we asked to go to the room with management so that they could show us the broken television, they said they had already removed and replaced it. So now Because we are pressed for time and we have to leave soon, we are forced to pay for a NEW TV, (CDN. $1,000.00 +) . I did ask for a receipt for this charge and when I stepped away from the desk I realized that the invoice was for a different room, so I had the personal information of those guests that had already checked out; a total breach of privacy - not acceptable from such a "renowned" company.

Next day, back at home I search the internet for a fix on the problem he accused us of and I found it to most likely a signal feed issue, but with an easy solution to correct the problem: put simply, only a few steps: disconnect power and signal feed, while unplugged press and hold power button on tv for 30 - 60 seconds, wait 60 seconds or up to 30 minutes, then reconnect (thus creating a system reset of the tv).

The fact that the manager and his assistant were not performing their jobs properly and having a qualified technician do a thorough troubleshoot/and a reset on that tv; was a poor management decision. This episode was unnecessarily disappointing and costly for me as a guest. That tv should have been reset and no charges to us at all. (Wonder where that tv is now?) As it stands I should be reimbursed in full, I did nothing wrong. This incident has shown a lack of good management, poor problem solving, and obtuse decision making. Should you consider staying at this resort BEWARE, or simply book elsewhere. Please share our story with others to avoid this situation happening to someone else; or quite possibly it already has.

Unplug the TV from the wall outlet while it is turned on. Unplug any connected devices (Firestick, Roku, Cable Box, etc.). Wait at least for 60 seconds (or even up to 30 minutes for a full power drain). While it is unplugged, press and hold the physical power button on the tv for 30–60 seconds. Plug everything back in and then turn it on.

Pros:

The housekeeping staff were wonderful and always did a great job refreshing towels and re stocking the mini fridge with plenty of water.

Hotel staff basically lied about the cause of the alarms claiming it was due to people smoking, or the kitchen issues or even saying it was a gas leak! The problem was never fixed.

Everyone expecting a tip every single time you order a drink or sit to eat.

The hotel was kept exceptionally clean and well taken care of, the restaurants had good food, and the pools were amazing! We did wish there was a weekly schedule for the restaurants, as all of them were closed on certain days and we didn’t know until we would go to dinner. Overall, we are so happy with our stay, and we cannot wait to go back!

We went there on a Friday night around 7:15, they open at 6:00 pm. There was one other couple before us. There were vacant tables. The couple before us were told they had to wait. The woman asked if they gave pagers, they said no. She looked at me and said 30 minutes. When we got to the front, the person working there, said they're not taking anymore customers that night. They close at 9. Strange, we went to the cafeteria to eat.

When we were leaving, we sat outside the Krystal restaurant and saw people going in and getting seated. They did not have a pager. I went back in the restaurant and said to the same person who said they were not taking anymore customers, how is that they can get a seat at 8:30 pm? He said they had a pager. When I told him, they didn't, I was right behind the couple that entered. He had a stack of pagers over to the side. He had no excuse. I said I came here at 7:15 and you said you were not accepting anymore customers. He had nothing to say, asked how many? I said I already ate, shame on you, you're not letting ** people in. He had no response.

We sat outside for a bit, watched as he turned two other ** couples away, while there were available tables inside. Who do you complain to? Not the Customer representative, they will deny and say I must be mistaken. I noticed after I took it at face value. Look at the demographics and see who is serving and cleaning, look at who are the people dealing with customers directly. It would give you an idea.

What made things worse was the management’s complete lack of follow-up. No one from hotel management or Riu’s corporate office ever spoke to me about it during the rest of my stay. I later filed a formal complaint (**) to Riu headquarters in Mallorca, but their reply was vague — basically saying there’s nothing they can do. Throughout the rest of the trip, my family and I felt anxious and uncomfortable, worried that staff might retaliate or tamper with our food or drinks after I complained. That’s not the kind of fear you should ever feel on vacation.

This incident shows how Riu Palace Macao and Riu corporate management do not take guest safety or accountability seriously. For the price and reputation of this resort, the way they handled this was deeply disappointing. If you care about safety, professionalism, and accountability, I strongly suggest choosing another resort. — Cristian V. Room 3057 – Stay: Sept 22–29, 2025 ✅ Where to post it: