RIU set to doubling down, not slow down 

WESTERN BUREAU:

Niurka Garcia Linton, the director of sales for RIU Resorts Jamaica, says the Spanish hospitality giant, which is marking its 25th anniversary in Jamaica next month, will be doubling down instead of slowing down as it seeks to enlarge its local footprint.

“We’ve been here for 25 years, but the message is: We are here to stay; we are planted here. We are part of the destination,” said Garcia Linton, while addressing a recent press conference to launch the RIU celebrations.

Over the past five years, RIU has pumped US$287 million into new developments and property, and has signalled that it will be closing the RIU Palace Jamaica at the end of August for a full-scale multi-million-dollar transformation. The property is set to reopen in December.

“These numbers simply show that our commitment is 100 per cent. We want Jamaica and the wider tourism market to know our commitment is very serious,” noted Garcia Linton.

She further emphasised that the company no longer refers to its projects as ‘renovations’ but as ‘rebuilds’.

“Every time we take on a hotel, it’s not just about making changes. We gut it completely, and when it’s handed back, it’s essentially a brand-new property,” she said. “Renovation implies minor adjustments. What we deliver is a new hotel.”

RIU entered Jamaica in 2001 after founder Luis Riu fell in love with Negril, in Westmoreland, where he started a single property which has grown into one of the island’s largest Spanish hotel operations, spanning Negril; Montego Bay in St James; Falmouth, Trelawny; and Ocho Rios in St Ann.

The chain now operates more than 4,200 rooms and 8,000 beds, employing nearly 4,000 workers, 99 per cent of which are Jamaicans. 

Its flagship properties include the 901-room RIU Ocho Rios, the adults-only RIU Montego Bay, RIU Reggae, and the newly opened RIU Palace Aquarelle, which opened in May 2024. 

The company will celebrate under the hashtag #25 Years RIU in Jamaica. The celebrations will feature digital campaigns, expanded corporate social responsibility programmes, and community outreach initiatives.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com