Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajara

Rooms and decor

Picture a slim tower standing tall on Av. López Mateos, one of Guadalajara's main arteries, then riding the lift up to a room perched high above the city — that's the first hook of Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajara. Rooms here run contemporary and modern, with calm neutral tones set against wood and heavy curtains. What surprises a lot of guests is the size: rooms are roomier than you'd expect at this price, with space to move around, a work desk, and a sitting corner. The highlight is the big window that opens onto the view from up high, especially on the higher city-facing floors where the skyline stretches out. Beds are comfortable and the bathrooms clean and well stocked. Several reviews say waking up, opening the curtains, and finding the whole city in front of you genuinely feels good. The overall vibe is a sharp, modern city hotel — not so plush it gets stiff, but comfortable enough to settle in for several nights.

Food and amenities

If anything is the heart of this hotel, it's the 40th-floor rooftop bar that nearly every review brings up. This rooftop perch opens a wide 360-degree view over Guadalajara, the skyline running out to the distant mountains. The moment people fall for hardest is sunset, when the sky shifts color and the city lights flick on one at a time until there's a sea of light beneath your feet. Nursing a cold cocktail up there in that setting is the moment a lot of guests say stays with them. Beyond the rooftop bar, the building has a rooftop pool for a cooling dip with a city view, a fitness center for working out mid-trip, and breakfast on site so you don't have to wander far to eat. What wins people over further is the staff, who draw consistent praise for being friendly, warm, and helpful — from the front desk to the rooftop bar team — which makes a stay here feel warmer than your average city hotel.

Location and getting there

The location is the strong suit for anyone who wants a central base. The hotel sits on Av. López Mateos, one of Guadalajara's main streets, in the Chapalita district that connects out in almost every direction. A few minutes up López Mateos links you to Av. Vallarta and its popular shopping and restaurants, or you can head toward the stadium side. The spot football fans care about most is Estadio Akron, home of Chivas, about a 20-minute drive from the hotel — which makes this a tidy pick for anyone who wants to catch a match and then use the same hotel to explore the city. The surrounding area is car-first, with malls and key sights scattered within a short drive. Travelers with a rental car or a ride-hailing app will move easily, since you're straight onto a main road the moment you leave. Put simply: if you want a hotel in the middle that drives easily to both the football and the sights, this location delivers.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. First, this is a vertical city hotel where the location leans heavily on driving. The streets around it aren't an old-town strolling-and-shopping neighborhood, so if you don't drive or don't want to call taxis often, getting around may feel less convenient than at a hotel in the heart of the tourist district — plan your transport before you arrive. Second, because it's a big building with lots of rooms that also takes tour groups and conferences, some reviews mention slow lifts and slow check-in at peak times, and the rooftop bar gets fairly crowded on weekend evenings; if you want to sit and relax up at the bar, head up early. Third is the matter of on-site extras — breakfast, bar drinks, and parking — which run fairly pricey compared with spots outside the hotel, plus some rooms face a less open view than the city-facing side, so ask for a high floor on the city side when you book to get the most out of the stay.

Our take

After reading through plenty of real guest reviews, Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajara nails the pitch of "downtown tower + 360-degree rooftop bar + spacious rooms and friendly staff." If the trip in your head is having a central base to drive out to a match at Estadio Akron by day, then coming back to sip a drink over the city lights from the 40th floor at night, this answers it well on both location and atmosphere. It suits couples, business travelers, and football fans who want to keep exploring the city. But if the heart of your trip is wandering the old quarter on foot without relying on a car, the car-first location here may not be the most convenient choice. Overall we give it 8.9/10 — pick it for the view from up high and the central location that drives anywhere, and you'll get a Guadalajara trip that covers both the football and the city from a single base.