A Marriott guest is getting blasted online after complaining about the checkout time as cartel violence rages across Mexico.
What's going on with the cartels in Mexico?
On Sunday, news broke that the Mexican Army killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes—better known as El Mencho—the leader of a powerful drug cartel called Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Mexico's Defense Ministry has claimed that Oseguera Cervantes was killed after the military was attacked during an attempt to detain him. They also noted that information provided by the U.S. played a role in the operation.
Since then, violence has broken out in retaliation for Oseguera Cervantes's death. This has resulted in certain parts of Mexico implementing a "shelter in place" directive, effectively stopping travel in or out of those locations and trapping people who were visiting from elsewhere.
Tourists trapped in Puerto Vallarta
It didn't take long for social media posts to start popping up from Americans who are among those stuck, often in fancy hotels or resorts catering to travelers. One such Reddit post drew backlash after it began circulating on X (fka Twitter).
"I am platinum elite, over 1,000 lifetime Marriott nights," u/ostaylor wrote in the Marriott subreddit.
"[Puerto Vallarta] is on fire due to the cartel setting cars and buses on fire all over the city. The airport is closed and Ubers and Taxis are not running. I asked for a 4pm checkout, which I'm entitled to based on availability."
Much to the tourist's chagrin, however, Marriott allegedly declined their request and said they had to check out by 2pm.
Frustration over being trapped somewhere and uncertain of where you're staying or when things might change is one thing, but this particular Redditor seemed more focused on complaining about Marriott's hospitality despite the highly unusual circumstances.
"Worst Bonvoy property I have ever experienced," they wrote. "I don't think anyone will be checking in today so there's no reason not to at least extent us to 4pm."
"Spoiled" Americans
Despite the odd tone of the post in question, some of the other attempts to paint American tourists as "spoiled" for complaining about being stuck in Mexico really don't hold up to scrutiny.
The Daily Mail, for instance, used examples of people missing their children and families in the United States. Others appeared to simply be stating facts about the situation they're in, like how they don't know when they'll be able to leave.
A tweet slamming the article's framing of these tourists as "spoiled" noted, "We are cut off from food and medicine outside of what we have on hand. And same for Mexican people separated from their families."
Social media reactions
As for the Marriott guest, people didn't have much sympathy. For all the concerns to be had about the violence taking place in Mexico, being denied a later checkout time doesn't seem all that important. It's a lot more entertaining to imagine the absurdity of someone angrily typing out a Reddit post complaining about hospitality as everything burns around them, anyway.
"It just reminds everyone that when a crisis happens, nothing matters," @JKim_tran pointed out, "including money and definitely, not status points."
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