City Express Plus By Marriott Cancun Apto Riviera

My flight was cancelled, so I was put up here. It’s close to CUN airport, which is handy if that’s what you need. The service was good and the food decent. The rooms have a modern look and a comfortable bed, but the walls are so thin I could hear everything next door. Their headboard was right up against mine, and I was coughing all night, so I probably kept that poor person awake. I could even hear their alarm easily in the morning. I couldn't adjust the temperature, and it was set really cold. I had to turn it off for hours until the room got too warm, then turn it back off a few hours later when I was freezing under the covers. I had a similar issue at my resort, so this could be a more general problem with hotels in Mexico. But 17°C is only 63°F, colder than I like a room.

The king bed was comfortable, and we enjoyed the fresh fruit and bread at breakfast. The hotel is handy for the airport and close enough to walk to the outlet mall. Service was okay, though the receptionist didn’t speak much English. We could hear people talking outside and footsteps from the room above. There was a coffee maker, but no coffee in the room.

The staff were pleasant, breakfast had a good mix of hot and cold options, and there are restaurants nearby at the shopping center. The hotel also has a free airport shuttle, so the location works if you need to stay near the airport. The rooms, though, were filthy. Both of ours were dirty, and the first smelled strongly of mold as soon as we opened the door. We had to ask to be moved. The windows don’t open, and there were mold spots on the ceilings and walls in all the rooms. We had to request towels, the floors seemed to have only been cleaned on the surface, and the wastebaskets had grime inside. One room had a shoe print on the sheet, and both had stained sheets. They smelled as if they’d been washed, but they didn’t feel crisp or clean to Marriott standards. At least we didn’t find bedbugs or anything like that. Apart from needing somewhere by the airport, I wouldn’t recommend this place.

I arrived with a confirmed reservation, but reception told me there was no room available. When I asked how I’d been able to book one, the staff ignored me. They even asked mockingly whether I’d want to share with someone, as though I were unreasonable for expecting the room I’d reserved. Nobody apologized, and they seemed keen to get rid of me. They also wouldn’t help me get a taxi to the airport, or even give me a taxi company’s name. I had to make my own way back and ended up sleeping in the terminal. It was the worst interaction I’ve had with hotel staff. If you can’t speak respectfully to guests, you shouldn’t be working at the front desk. I reported the hotel to Marriott customer service. This was completely unacceptable.