Maya Train Hotels Struggle with Low Occupancy Rates

Mexico — One year after beginning operations, hotels along the Maya Train route are operating with occupancy levels far below the national tourism sector average. In a context where Mexico’s average hotel occupancy sits around 60%, the Tulum, Nuevo Uxmal, and Tulum Airport complexes have not reached even 5% of their capacity.

Since their inauguration, the seven hotels—operated by Grupo Mundo Maya—have received a total of 60,038 guests, according to an information request obtained by La Silla Rota.

Hotel Capacities and Performance

The complex with the greatest capacity is the Tulum hotel, which can accommodate up to 996 people. This is followed by the Edzná, Chichen Itzá, Nuevo Uxmal, and Palenque hotels, each with a capacity of 420 people; Calakmul with 372 people; and Tulum Airport with 324 guests. This represents a total capacity of 3,372 guests.

Five of the accommodations began operations in December 2024, while Nuevo Uxmal opened its doors in February 2025 and, subsequently, Palenque began in April.

The lowest occupancy was recorded at the Hotel Nuevo Uxmal in Yucatán, with a total of 3,243 guests since its opening in February of last year, representing an average occupancy rate of 2.8%. In its inauguration month alone, it reported 48 visitors, with its peak reaching 1,283 in September. However, by October, this number had fallen to 270.

Despite being the largest hotel in the chain, Tulum was also among those with the lowest occupancy. According to the data obtained, over 11 months it received 11,341 people, an average of 1,031 visitors per month, which represents 3.3% of its capacity. This complex, located south of the Riviera Maya within the Jaguar Park, is situated in a strategic point due to the surrounding archaeological zones. However, compared to the other hotels, its occupancy is lower.

Another complex with low traffic was Tulum Airport, which registered 3,532 guests, an average of 3.2%. The hotel located near the Felipe Carrillo Puerto Airport had an average of 321 guests per month. They are followed by the Edzná hotel in Quintana Roo, with 6,268 guests, and the Chichen Itzá hotel in Campeche, with 8,196 guests. In contrast, the Calakmul hotel in Quintana Roo received 11,016 visitors in that same period, an average of 1,001 guests per month. The best performance was by the Palenque hotel in Chiapas, which was the last to start operations in April of last year, with 16,442 guests over seven months, representing an average of 2,349 monthly visitors.

Furthermore, its capacity is half of what Tulum, the largest complex, offers. On its website, it promotes that the complex is “in an exclusive area, 1.5 km from the Palenque archaeological zone, considered one of the most important sites of Mayan culture.”

Official Admissions and Services

On December 4, Óscar David Lozano Águila, general director of the Maya Train, admitted that the months of July and August registered the highest influx of visitors, with 9,397 and 10,568 respectively.

The four-star hotels offer services such as spa, temazcal, swimming pool, gym, included television, WiFi, air conditioning, parking, room service, bicycle rental, bar, restaurant, play area, and souvenir shops, according to information from their website.

Millions Spent on Promotion

The tourist complex is operated by the Airport, Railway, Auxiliary Services and Related Group, Olmeca-Maya-Mexica (GAFSACOMM), under the responsibility of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), which also includes the operation of the Maya Train, 12 airports, parks, museums, and hydrocarbon stations.

During 2025, the Sedena spent 73.9 million pesos designing an advertising strategy and promoting its services in various media, according to contracts awarded in that period.

“Due to the scarce room reservations during the 2024 winter holidays at the Maya Train Tulum Hotel, it was identified that the established objectives and projected economic income since the hotel’s opening were not met, as some processes have not yet been consolidated,” acknowledged the state-owned company.

During the 2025 summer vacation season, the government launched 10 Mundo Maya tourist packages, with costs starting from 17,031 pesos for 4 nights and 24,831 pesos for 6 nights. This included round-trip flights, land transportation on the Maya Train, among other activities of the services offered by Grupo Mundo Maya.