Mexico Army-Run Tulum Hotel Nearly Empty Despite $300 Million Investment

Tulum, Quintana Roo — A 352-room hotel built by the Mexican army as part of the Tren Maya project is operating with almost no guests, raising questions about the military’s management of tourism businesses in the Yucatan Peninsula.

A couple from Queretaro who stayed at the Hotel Tulum said they were the only guests during their visit. Jose Luis Mendoza and Lucia Aguirre, celebrating 35 years of marriage, paid just over 2,600 pesos (about $130) per night — a rate they considered attractive for a newly built hotel.

“When we arrived and were assigned our room, we realized only employees were there. At night, they had to turn on a whole row of lights just for us,” the couple said.

The hotel sits within the Parque del Jaguar, a complex administered by the armed forces. Guests must pass through two National Guard security checkpoints to enter.

The 13.5-hectare property features 352 Master Room-type rooms and offers access to the Tren Maya station, the Tulum Archaeological Zone, the Museum of the Costa Oriental, and other park attractions, according to the hotel’s official website.

Hotel Tulum is one of six lodging centers built to complement the Tren Maya tourism project. The Defense Department (Sedena) estimated the investment at nearly 5.9 billion pesos (about $300 million).

The project was developed by the military consortium Grupo Aeroportuario, Ferroviario y de Servicios Auxiliares Olmeca-Maya-Mexica (GAFSACOMM). Some construction-related information remains classified, and unofficial reports indicate the official model of the project cost over 1 million pesos.