A prominent hotel reviewer says he was denied entry to Baja’s newest ultra-luxury retreat – then followed by an armed patrol.
Even by five-star standards, opening week at Amanvari has been eventful. The brand-new Aman property on Baja’s East Cape – roughly two hours from San José del Cabo, with nightly rates north of $6,000 – found itself at the center of an unlikely standoff this week after YouTube reviewer Ryan Walker, who commands over 150,000 subscribers, says his confirmed, paid reservation was cancelled without warning right as he arrived at the gate.
The footage, which has racked up almost 750,000 views, shows Walker’s driver being denied entry despite a reservation made weeks earlier. Onsite staff pointed him toward his inbox rather than offering an explanation in person.
There, Walker found an email sent the night before his arrival, explaining that the property was “still in the earliest phase of settling into full operation” and that management had made the “difficult decision” to reduce arrivals while the kinks got worked out. His stay, and the room he says he’d paid $4,662.86 for at rack rate, was cancelled.
What followed, according to Walker, escalated quickly. A staff member on camera says she needs to call the police; Walker says they did. Shortly after, he and his driver were reportedly trailed by an unmarked truck carrying several armed officers, who said nothing but signaled for the windows to stay down as the car continued on its way.
Walker says he never received a phone call about the cancellation, despite checking his logs, and hasn’t heard from Aman directly since. Aman has not responded to press inquiries, nor has the PR firm managing the resort’s launch.
For a brand built on considered luxury, the optics of week one have proven anything but discreet – and a pointed reminder that even the smoothest-looking openings can hit real turbulence behind the gates.
