RIU Hotels' expansion at international level in the near future is to centre on Mexico and Jamaica, with the opening of 5-star establishments in the two countries.

This October, the 360-room Riu Playacar will open its doors to guests in Playa del Carmen, in the Mexican Caribbean, becoming the group's fourth hotel located in this area, and bringing its overall availability to some 4,000 beds.
 

The Riu Playacar and its gardens, located on the sea-front close to the group's flagship in the area, the Riu Palace México, will operate on an all inclusive basis. RIU's hotels in Mexico attract a large number of guests from Argentina, the United States and Canada, as well as from central Europe and Spain.  Average occupancy in this area since its first hotel, the Riu Yucatán, opened in 1997, has exceeded 90%.

The Riu Playacar

Meanwhile, on the Caribbean island of Jamaica, in Negril's paradise beach of Bloody Bay, the Riu Tropical Bay will become, in May 2001, the group's first establishment in the country.

The top-class, all inclusive hotel is aimed mainly at the North American market, especially the United States and Canada, where the RIU name is becoming well known and gaining prestige.

On this continent, RIU Hotels currently operates 7 hotels in the Dominican Republic, 3 in Mexico, 2 in Cuba and 2 in Florida.  The group began its international expansion in 1990 with the construction of the Riu Taíno, its first hotel in the Dominican Republic and which has recently been renovated.

Plans for the future include a further establishment in the Dominican Republic and the construction of an hotel on Miami Beach.

All its hotels on the continent are owned by RIU, with the exception of the two Cuban establishments, which are managed by the group.  It builds its own establishments in order to guarantee high standards of quality and comfort.

RIU Hotels, in terms of turnover Spain's second biggest, currently operates 88 establishments, some 30 of which - that is just under a third - in nine countries outside Spain.  It provides employment to 10,500 people, working together under the corporate objective of 'service from the heart'.