Now Emerald Cancun

angiegI5394LL wrote a review June 2023
Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Do not stay here

To make a long story short we were traveling with a group of several families to Punta Cana for spring break and after our flights were cancelled and no options for us to reschedule we ended up booking the NOW Emerald in Cancun one day in advance. We had 4 families traveling together but due to the last minute booking options we were not able to book flights together, so we all took separate flights. When 3 of the families arrived on Sunday they found the resort to be dirty and unmaintained. The 3 families requested a transfer to a sister hotel but were told due to there not being a manager available Sunday evening they would need to wait until Monday am. Upon arrival Monday am the manager approved the transfer for 3 families with no penalty. We were scheduled to arrive on Monday and were transferred to the new hotel with the other 3 families. The 3 families were allowed to transfer with no penalty due to dissatisfaction but we were charged a 2 day penalty because we did not check in. Did the resort honestly expect that we should check in and make the same request when the rest of our group already moved hotels? A 1 day penalty seems fair based on the fact that they moved 3 families with no issue or penalty.

Date of Stay: April 2023

Culture781168 wrote a review June 2023

Needs a lot of work

Spent a week at the Now Emerald Cancun in the beginning of June. We usually stay in the Riviera Maya area, but tried something new to hopefully get away from the sargassum. And in that regard, the resort was fine - little seaweed and a nice beach. But the resort itself was dated, services were inconsistent, and food was sub-par.

Room: we were in a Preferred Club Premium with Plunge Pool room. We were on an upper floor with a nice view. Some people we spoke to said that the couple of thunderstorms we had in the evenings flooded their floor, so I would definitely not have liked to be on a lower level. The room was OK, although the only furniture other than the bed was an easy chair. It would have been nice to have either a second chair or a small sofa so that both my wife and I could have a place to sit other than one having to be on the bed. The privacy lock on the door didn't work, and when I put in a maintenance request to fix it, even though the app said the work was complete, it still didn't work. There is no safety chain or anything, so I was a bit leery of not having some sort of additional lock. There was a Nepresso style coffee maker in the room, which we thought would be great since we're both big coffee drinkers. But the machine barely worked, sometimes making a full double shot of espresso but other times only dribbling out a few drops of coffee and making a mess of leaked water on the tray under the machine. And housekeeping only brought coffee pods once during our week long stay - we had to ask for them most of the time. Housekeeping also was inconsistent about replacing towels, so we had to ask for more on a couple of occasions, and one day they didn't make up the bed.

Pools - there is only a swim-up bar at the main pool. It has a waterfall that cascades over the entire length of the bar, so if that's operating, you can't really walk away from the bar with a drink easily. The swim-up bar is also separated from the surrounding pool such that you need to either hop up over the pool wall or get out and re-enter the bar pool area if you want to go there, which I found annoying. The adults only pool is 8 or 9 feet deep for about half of the pool area, which might be ok if you want to swim some laps for exercise, but which was mostly a waste since no one really used that part of the pool. Bar service at the pools was mostly good, although better at the main pool than the adults only.

Food - probably the biggest area of concern at the Now Emerald. The buffet was typical of Cancun all inclusives, although somewhat small and with less selection than I had expected. The Italian restaurant was a complete fail, bringing us the wrong food, then not bringing the appetizers we ordered, then finally bring the correct entrees after a long wait. And it struck me that, for an Italian place, they really had no Italian entrees on the menu. We had once nice meal at the French restaurant, but it was only open one night out of the 7 we were there. We waited for it another night when they opened nearly an hour late only to find that they were not serving a la carte that night and had a very small buffet of Mexican food instead. The Asian place was similar - one nice meal, but on our second visit, they forgot items in the order and didn't even refill water glasses or offer a second round of drinks. My wife's salad included a broken piece of plastic, the ceiling leaked onto her back, and the pad Thai she ordered had the same sauce that was on my sweet and sour chicken. The Mexican restaurant had probably the best meal of our trip, made all that much better by our fantastic waitress. The coffee bar was very nice.

Preferred Club - There are two lounges for the Preferred Club. One is mostly the bar room, with light snacks available and 4 or 5 cocktail tables with club chairs around them. It wasn't a terribly comfortable place for a lounge, although the bar service was good and some premium brand liquors were available there. The other lounge is where the concierge sits, and while there are a couple of couches there, this lounge is basically only used for checking Preferred Club guests in and talking with the excursion/vacation club salespeople. The Preferred Club beach bar was also very good, as were the wait staff and beach concierge in the Preferred Club section of the beach.

Date of Stay: June 2023

109ryannb wrote a review June 2023

Horrible: Do Not Waste Money

This place is a SCAM!! As soon as you check in the VIP service was ask you to attend a 90-minute presentation. It is a ploy to get you to buy the new Hyatt and AMR vacation package. The hotel is not updated and is not about to be torn down as the last reviews have stated. The hotel was only renamed in 2019 but still has 1970s rooms and amenities. The lobby is the only update. Do not waste your money. The pictures are fake. My family and I spent 5 there and it was horrible. The linens, rooms, beds, and bathroom is filled with black mold. The food is not cooked properly. The staff is rude.

Date of Stay: June 2023

amorr12021 wrote a review June 2023
Ayrshire, Scotland

Refund due and not received

The hotel is not like the reviews. Food is great, pools are excellent and staff are brilliant. Well most of them.
We booked a room upgrade with plunge pool, but decided against it as no one was using them. We were assured a full refund and one week later we have not received this. Now that is not on. Would love a response from the hotel management on this!

Date of Stay: June 2023

ericatE6411ZK wrote a review June 2023

ROACH MOTEL

Do Not book this place. It was absolutely disgusting. The 6th floor was clearly roach infested and none of the staff was surprised by this. They simply suggest a room change as if you stay somewhere after that. The Roaches were in the hallways and rooms . Worst All Inclusive ever. Do not waste your money because they won’t refund you for any inconvenience you experience. The food was bland with no variety of choices. The hostess were very rude as if we was bothering them because we came into the restaurant. Never in my life did I think I would experience this situation.

Date of Stay: June 2023

276akirah wrote a review July 2023

The staff here was great and helped my family have a great time. Many staff members went the extra mile helping out!

The best part of this trip was the staff. My family was always waking up early so we could catch the fun activities, like beach volleyball. There were many super fun staff members including Roberto, Jose, and others led volleyball multiple times making it extra fun! Not only was the entertainment staff super nice, but others who worked at bars, restaurants, and the cafe. Hector from the Coco Cafe was super personable, funny, and helpful! He was super cheerful and seemed genuinely happy to be helping us out. The bartenders by the adult pool were great, Damaris and Enrique made the best drinks and were jumping at the opportunity to get my family anything! There were many others who made my family’s vacation awesome.

Date of Stay: June 2023

Tour216244 wrote a review July 2023
Detroit, Michigan

First Cancún trip

Elvis is AMAZING! Pool side waiter. Alcon is GREAT! Pool side concierge. The restaurants are great. Spice was remarkable and Cin Cin was delicious.
Only one item (we did not complain about) was the room a/c. Nothing else was wrong!

Date of Stay: July 2023

55venusc wrote a review July 2023

Amazing

The staff was amazing, the people in charge of the activities were very welcoming asking us to join them. Roberto and his team, were very nice with the teens into playing volleyball and soccer! The best staff ever.

Date of Stay: July 2023

kellyoleary1 wrote a review July 2023
Cozumel, Yucatan Peninsula

Love the staff! Amazing pool side service

Absolutely loved the staff at Now Emerald! Albin was amazing. His service and friendly conversation was exceptional. He was always working hard to help people receive top notch poolside service. Elvis was a great pool side bartender. The entertainment team was fun and kept the pool entertaining. Thanks to Albin for making our experience great!

Date of Stay: July 2023

Freedom607203 wrote a review July 2023
Alafaya, Florida

Now Emerald kids club

The Explorer’s kids club at Now Emerald is one of the best hotel kids clubs I've ever seen. The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive, especially Ms. Jimena, and they go out of their way to make sure that kids have a blast. There are activities for all ages, from arts and crafts to water sports, and the kids are never bored.

Date of Stay: July 2023

mnqwenob wrote a review July 2023

Best Value for money all inclusive resort in Cancun

What a vibe, Now Emerald was amazing, from the second I checked in to check out. The stuff was really engaging and profesional at all times. The resort has enough activities to keep one busy at the hotel for their entire stay. We played pool volley almost everyday with the hotel staff, they made it so much fun especially for a first time player like me. A special shout out to @RobertoBalaam who made our trip so much fun. The pool bar was great and the barman was just amazing, sorry I forgot your name.

It was however not all 100%, the bedrooms are a bit dated. I believe this is however going to be addressed. Our outside jaccuzzi was full of ants. The staff did clean it out everyday however. The were a lot of food options, the food however from the three restuarants I tried (Not the French) was more average.

Now the big question, would I stay there again, and the answer is simple, YES without hesitation.

Date of Stay: July 2023

mariaJP5403QT wrote a review July 2023

Now Emerald Cancun Spring Break 2023

Overall the resort was very nice. The hotel is a little outdated but I didn’t have any major issues. I wasn’t sure if they were preparing for renovations like other Now resorts.
The restaurants were also very good. I especially loved the Asian restaurant. The sunset views are spectacular! The restaurant is on the upper level with no fans or ventilation so it does get hot. But it did not prevent me from dining there several times!
I loved the Mexican restaurant also! Excellent menu, great service and atmosphere! The French restaurant was very good as well!
The entertainment was also very good! There was a fire show and Mexican Night featuring traditional songs and dances.
I met wonderful people from all over the world and my fitness classes were popular and everyone seemed very easy going and accommodating.

Date of Stay: March 2023

taleenlach wrote a review July 2023
Boston, Massachusetts

Loved it!

We got an amazing deal for four nights at the Now Emerald Cancún All Inclusive resort. Given the price and other negative reviews, I was very skeptical, but it exceeded my expectations in almost every way. the staff was extremely attentive, the food was pretty good for being an all inclusive resort, and the pools and the beach was fantastic. It looks like they are undergoing renovations for one year starting in August 2023, they are going to be renovating the entire hotel, which some modernization is needed. Overall very satisfied!!

Date of Stay: July 2023

agathaw_12 wrote a review July 2023
Peoria, Illinois

Servis was truly amazing!

We recently stayed at Now Emerald and had a great time! Got a free upgrade to an ocean view ( room #520 -awesome view) which was really appreciated. The food was delicious, the beach was great, and the service was top-notch. Special thanks to Johnathan from Preferred Club bar, Adrianna with the guest services and Miguel @ the lobby. They were wonderful and needed recognition. Russel gave great service every day too...We would definitely visit this place again.

Date of Stay: July 2023

karinemB5375FT wrote a review July 2023

Paradise week

This resort location is right in the heart of Cancun, with multiple pools and one of the most beautiful beaches. My room was great on 9th floor - special shout-out to Entertainment team Victor- Gibran- Roberto - Gabriel, the whole crew were Amazing, they always make sure guests are having a good time. Thank you so much for your hospitality 💗

Date of Stay: July 2023

959caitlynnp wrote a review July 2023
Trenton, Michigan

Amazing entertainment team!

We went down to stay for 10 days at the end of June for my mom's retirement celebration, this was our second time staying and everything was even better than our first stay. We received a better room upgrade option and the view was incredible from the ocean front swim up rooms. This resort has some of the best food I've had when staying at an all inclusive. Breakfast and dinner buffet have a lot of options and everything has a lot of flavor. There is a great outdoor lunch area with nachos, hotdogs and hamburgers, fast service and great food.

The resort is temporarily closing for renovations at the end of the year and there are some areas of the resort and pool area that are in major need of renovation, however, nothing major that affects your stay at the property. We were there in November 2022 and still decided to come back before the renovations were scheduled. Spice and Paramour were definitely our favorite restaurants. If you prefer no wait, get to the restaurant of choice around 5:45 pm so you are first seated. Front desk, housekeeping and maintenance were all attentive and were very quick to resolve small issues.

Love the location! 15 minutes drive to and from airport, conveniently located between tons of restaurants and shopping. La Isla mall was a 15 minute cab ride away and was $15 each way. My favorite part of this property are the infinity pools and the ocean front views. You can see the beautiful water every direction and if you don't feel like going down to the ocean, you can see the entire view from the pool. All of the employees were absolutely wonderful and put so much effort into making sure we had a great vacation. Alvin and Erving helped us every morning get our chairs by the pool and had great information about activities to do near the resort. Lastly, the entertainment staff at the pool were absolutely amazing, they consistently had multiple different activities to do while hanging out at the pool during the day. Some of our favorites were the water aerobics, beach volleyball and musical chairs. Gama and Ande were the best!! Both were so friendly and really kept you engaged in the pool activities. You can tell both have a passion for their job and go out of their way to make your vacation perfect. We are already looking forward to coming back once renovations are complete.

Date of Stay: June 2023

juanrI4576DG wrote a review July 2023

Hello

Stayed for a week, wonderful time, lots of food and drinks. There was entertainment and the servers were good especially Tito who was amazing. some servers look too busy and the food was good, could have been better. Overall it was a good experience.

Date of Stay: July 2023

908jct wrote a review August 2023

Hyatt neglected its customers

I was saddened and shocked that Hyatt not notify customers that the Now Emerald was closing its doors on August 1, specifically informing customers that the following basic client services would be compromised during my stay: building maintenance and cleaning, food/restaurants, activities and infrastructure. I selected the Now Emerald for nostalgia, and excitedly booked reservations to celebrate a seven-year commitment trip with my partner during July 27-31 in Room 233 at the Now Emerald in Cancun Mexico. I hadn’t traveled to Mexico for the past seven years and this sadly will be my last Hyatt stay experience.
Where do I start my travel log? After a long travel day, I was excited to jump in the shower and begin the vacation. I quickly realized that there was no hot water for a much-needed shower. While the repair response was immediate, I had to contact the front desk shortly thereafter because the bathroom sink’s water was also not working. Again, the maintenance team was prompt in response and professional which was great because I spent the entire weekend vacation requesting their assistance. As I was eager to explore the hotel, attempted to secure my belongings (passport, money, etc.) in the safe, and quickly realized that the safe was not functioning. It couldn’t lock. Turns out that security would need to recalibrate the safe daily. Additionally, the air conditioning was nonfunctioning and remained at 65 F. It was freezing!!!! Maintenance attempted to repair the system but did not have access to new parts as the hotel was closing. So, we opted for no air conditioning leaving us in a sauna throughout the trip. I am not sure if the condenser pan was full, but we encountered a wet floor caused by the ceiling after our first morning that continued throughout the trip. Lastly, the room’s lock was replaced after recognizing that we spent the night in an unlocked room because the cylinder was broken. Despite daily room cleaning, there were visible signs of black mold throughout the room, especially the bathroom, which confirmed a lack of cleaning and maintenance. Notable maintenance neglect signs where the sink faucet was missing a cover, bathroom tub was painted, but still revealed stains, soap scrum and film on the shower doors and corners of the bathroom. Sadly, the horror doesn’t end there, our room opened to the pet relief area despite not having a pet. As far as building internet services, the Wi-Fi was sporadic. The batteries were missing from the remote on the tv and only one outlet worked in the room. While we were offered another room, it was next to the elevator and just as unkept after a quick tour. So, we braved it in our room for the duration of the vacation. Unfortunately, the issues did not end with our room. There was liter in the hallway that was not swept, lighting on our floor was low and excessive slip and falls hazards caused by broken floor tile.

The restaurants were not any better. We were seated at tables with food crumbs and napkins used by previous guests. Dishes and glasses were worn and cracked. Much of the meals at the specialty restaurants arrived cold and inedible. We were hungry and missed dinner on most evenings. Luckily, we purchased chips and drink the complementary soft drinks in our room.

The highlight of the trip was the excursions that allowed us time away from the hotel. Unfortunately, we realized that the lobby excursion agent and the pool excursion agent offered different prices. We were informed by hotel staff that they were the same company but after speaking with other guests were told that the lobby agent was more expensive (difference of 30%).

It’s unfortunate that customer service is no longer the motivator with large corporations. It's money! Given that the hotel was closing, it would’ve made sense to central the customers to one area of the hotel to ensure cleanliness and building maintenance, but why treat customers like humans when we are cattle. What I was hoping to spend a peaceful weekend by the beach, but I’ve returned exhausted and worse than I left. Yes, I stubbornly stayed and know We should’ve left the hotel all together, but our stay was short. Alas, a return to the World of Hyatt is not in my immediate future.

Date of Stay: July 2023