Luxury travel is supposed to be about discretion, polish and white-glove service. When one of the brand new Amanes turned down a paying guest, and someone got the police to come out and harass him, this story got the travel world's attention quickly and for good reason.

The Sideway Booking

YouTube hotel reviewer, who is known in the reviews circle for her honest and methodical reviews. He has earned a reputation for his integrity; he stays his own, doesn't court controversy, and has an honest opinion on both favorite brands and new brands. That's a reputation that is important here, as what he captured on film cannot be called hyperbole.

He had reserved the second night at a new resort in Mexico called Amanvari. This was far from a budget room there, with the rates hovering around $6,000 per night. At a gate he gave his name and the security guard could confirm the name right then, thus proving that they knew who he was.

But then it all came undone. He was informed that no reservations were on file. If he didn't have someone to recognize his name, he asked, he received a vague reply that he may have cancelled it. Then a supervisor got in the loop and repeated the same story, stating that the booking was not confirmed even though the guest had an email confirmation that was sent that same morning.

Asking for a Manager Didn't Go Well

It's understandable that the guest requested to speak to someone in management. This was rejected. He was informed that it was a private property and that no manager would appear to take care of the matter. He pressed ahead, and a security guard told him that he should contact the police and he did.

The encounter turned violent and a Mexican military police vehicle pulled the pair over as they headed away from the resort, according to a comment that was posted by the man who shot the video. No matter what the call was about, it made for a truly terrifying encounter for two innocent folks who had done nothing wrong.

As he was driving off, he checked his e-mail to find a message from the night before, which had been easily overlooked because he had been filming elsewhere. The message said that the resort had just opened and was cutting back on arrivals to work out some problems in the initial stages of its operation and that his arrival would unfortunately have to be rescheduled.

At first glance, it seems like a legitimate explanation for a brand-new luxury home one might use to explain their struggling growth. The resort had other bookings for the same night, and for subsequent nights, too, which debunks the notion that it was a matter of capacity.

Why This Story Doesn't Add Up

This situation is difficult to explain away in a few respects:

• The guest was sent a confirmation email on the same day he arrived, which is why he later claimed that his reservation was never accepted.
• Not that he had simply cancelled and forgotten as there was no doubt that the security staff knew his name.
• Other guests were still being accepted for the same dates as those the resort was saying they were closing for.
• There were repeated calls for a manager to resolve the dispute, but no manager was made available.

In sum, you can't help but feel that the cancellation was more about the people at the gate than the limitations of operations. A brand new luxury resort with some rough edges is one thing many hotels have a hectic opening period. But let's say that's the point, and you cancel on the reviewer the night before, and don't explain it in person, that seems an odd way to deal with the story.

The Implications for Travelers

The tale is particularly valuable for those who are in the habit of bookings on the luxury end, particularly in the newly opened. Even though they appear official, confirmation e-mails are not always conclusive and it's smart to have copies of all your interactions with a hotel, should there be any future disagreements. One additional thing to consider is that arriving to a far-flung resort without a backup plan leaves travellers with few choices if they have set a few things up wrong upon arrival.

While this is certainly not a typical situation for travel advisors who deal with their clients' luxury travel, it's something to consider when making recommendations. The opening hype goes out the window when guest experience management suffers under pressure. Trust and reliability are as important as thread count and infinity pools, particularly when you're in six-figure territory for your holiday budget.

The Bottom Line

A brand-new $6,000 per night resort in Mexico allegedly cancelled a guest's reservation the night before he was due to arrive, only to refuse to recognise him at the gate, when it was clearly known. He then requested to speak with a manager, who was denied, and it was left to security to call the police to settle the situation. The resort was still accepting other reservations for those same dates, raising its credibility as it explained that these dates were taken up early.

Other reservations were still being accepted for those same dates raising the credibility of resort's explanation. But, no matter what the complete sequence plays out to be, this is a shaky introduction to the world for any luxury property and a warning to travelers about how fast even a booked trip can go awry.