{"id":23792,"date":"2022-01-21T11:39:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T10:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.riu.com\/blog\/?p=23792"},"modified":"2023-05-26T16:47:10","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T14:47:10","slug":"results-2021-projects-renovations-openings-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.riu.com\/blog\/en\/results-2021-projects-renovations-openings-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Luis Riu: \u201c2021, the year in which we started to turn a profit again, is coming to a close and 2022 is full to the brim of exciting projects\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I wrote in February 2021 the post on the RIU Hotels evaluation of 2020<\/u><\/a>\u00a0and told you about the plans we had for this year that we have just closed, I never thought that in the article of a year later I would still have to talk so much about the pandemic. There\u2019s no denying that the situation is much better than in 2020<\/strong>, but we can\u2019t avoid the fact that the COVID-19 crisis is far from over. Nonetheless, you know what we are like, we are a company of action led by highly driven people.<\/p>\n

\"Luis<\/a>

Luis Riu, CEO of RIU Hotels, presents the chain’s results of 2021 and the forecasts for 2022.<\/p><\/div>\n

2021, a good year for RIU Hotels despite the difficulties<\/h4>\n

With this positive outlook, we can talk about many important projects that were completed in 2021<\/strong>\u00a0and our eagerness to take on the great challenges awaiting in 2022<\/strong>. Last year was full of ups and downs, but we also managed to get back to a positive operating result<\/strong>\u00a0after a 2020 that\u2019s best forgotten.<\/p>\n

RIU ends 2021 regaining activity in all countries<\/h3>\n

To kick off our review of 2021, I\u2019d like to mention the reopening of our hotel RIU Sri Lanka<\/u><\/a>\u00a0last December. As an exotic long-haul destination that doesn\u2019t have sufficient local demand, this country was strongly hit by the crisis. With this reopening, we were finally back up and running in every country where we have hotels<\/strong>\u00a0after being forced to close all our establishments in March 2020.<\/p>\n

This was easier said than done. It took us one year and nine months to get there. What\u2019s more, we are still learning from the pandemic. Just when we thought that closures were a thing of the past, as a result of the most recent wave and the subsequent restrictions, we had to close our hotels in Morocco once again. Nonetheless, we are ready to restart operations as soon as allowed.<\/p>\n

Opening of the chain’s largest Riu Palace hotel in Cape Verde<\/h3>\n

During the hardest months of the crisis, we continued with construction work at the Riu Palace Santa Maria<\/u><\/a>, the largest Riu Palace hotel in our portfolio<\/u><\/a>, providing employment to 1,000 people for a period of 18 months. The hotel opened its doors in March, defying bad business forecasts. We have managed to continue operations thanks to the magnificent team in charge of the hotel and the customers who continued to travel from countries like Poland or Luxembourg in those first few months.<\/p>\n

All of our six hotels in Cape Verde are open<\/strong>. This destination suffered a great deal during the crisis. One of the key aspects of our service is safety in the event of COVID-19<\/u><\/a>\u00a0and any other incident, and this must be offered both inside and outside the hotel. Therefore, improved health infrastructures were needed to regain operators\u2019 trust and recover the number of passengers. We mustn\u2019t forget that this requirement is here to stay, not just in Cape Verde but in all other destinations throughout the world.<\/p>\n

\"Hotel<\/a>

Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria in Cape Verde, on Ponta Beach, open since March 2021.<\/p><\/div>\n

RIU relaunches newly refurbished hotels in the Canary Islands and the Caribbean<\/h3>\n

Riu Palace Maspalomas<\/h3>\n

The Riu Palace Maspalomas<\/u><\/a>\u00a0was fully refurbished this summer<\/u><\/a>. We presented the renovation in the first week of July and it was a very proud moment for us as this hotel deserves the best, and I think that we gave it just that with this project. When it opened in 1989 it was the first Riu Palace hotel<\/strong>\u00a0and represented a big step for the company. At that time, we had to overcome our partner TUI\u2019s<\/u><\/a>\u00a0lack of trust.<\/p>\n

We had ample experience in 3-star hotels in Majorca. We had opened the Riu Palmeras<\/u><\/a>, and that was already a big leap in terms of quality with its 4-star service, but TUI didn\u2019t think that we were sufficiently specialised to welcome Palace <\/em>customers. That just gave us even more reason to show everyone, ourselves included, that we could do anything. We put the best people from each of the chain\u2019s departments at the helm to get this architectural jewel off the ground, and it has been a real benchmark in terms of elegance and good service in the south of Gran Canaria<\/strong>\u00a0since it opened.<\/p>\n

\"Lobby<\/a>

Lobby of the Hotel Riu Palace Maspalomas, renovated in 2021, with lamps evoking the dunes of Gran Canaria.<\/p><\/div>\n

Riu Paraiso Lanzarote<\/h4>\n

The Riu Paraiso Lanzarote<\/u><\/a>\u00a0was our other big refurbishment project in 2021. We presented it in December and I think it turned out really well. I\u2019m very pleased with the results because it wasn\u2019t an easy project. We had to join two hotels<\/strong>\u00a0and needed a project that unified the style, improved the fluidity of services and took full advantage of the synergies created by shared dining and leisure spaces. We managed to reach these goals and the hotel\u2019s customers<\/strong>, who are particularly loyal to this establishment, have given us great feedback<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This project has an interesting story behind it. In my last visit before the project started, I thought that the best course of action would be to demolish the hotel and build a new one, just like we did with the Riu Playa Park<\/u><\/a>. We started to study the viability of the project but it would have taken too long, so, when the pandemic struck, we looked at selling the hotel<\/u><\/a>. However, taking into account the considerations of our teams and the local authorities, soon after we decided to take on this great refurbishment to boost the hotel\u2019s quality<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Swimming<\/a>

Swimming pools at the Riu Paraiso in Lanzarote, refurbished in 2021.<\/p><\/div>\n

Riu Palace Antillas<\/i><\/em><\/h4>\n

In 2021 we also refurbished all the rooms and bathrooms at the Riu Palace Antillas<\/u><\/a>. This hotel in Aruba has an ideal location on Palm Beach<\/strong>, right next to the Riu Palace Aruba<\/u><\/a>. We<\/strong>\u00a0bought it in 2014<\/strong>\u00a0and carried out work to renovate the communal areas and swimming pools and join it to its sister hotel. At the time, we decided that the rooms were in a good state and that we didn\u2019t need to invest in the entire building. However, as the years went on this refurbishment became necessary<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It was a long and complex project as the building has 16 floors and work was carried out in stages<\/strong>, so I\u2019d like to congratulate the project and operations team. I think the result is fantastic and our guests are going to love it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\"A<\/a>

A bathroom at the Hotel Riu Palace Antillas, which was renovated in 2021.<\/p><\/div><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

RIU’s second hotel in New York, a pending project for 2022<\/h3>\n

Lastly, I would have liked to close 2021 by presenting our second hotel in New York<\/strong>, but in the end it wasn\u2019t possible. The construction work is complete and the opening is imminent<\/u><\/a>, but we know from experience that the process of obtaining permits is very complicated and this is currently ongoing. This is a new milestone for the company. Buying a plot of land just a stone\u2019s throw from Times Square<\/strong>\u00a0and building a new skyscraper<\/strong>, all directly financed by the company, should make us feel proud of what the Spanish hotel sector is doing around the world.<\/p>\n

With the first hotel, we had to learn many lessons<\/u><\/a>\u00a0before we started, during construction work and also when the hotel was up and running. In fact, I thought that this investment of time and money would pay off in this second project, but reality was one step ahead of us once again. This hotel has cost a lot of in terms of both angst and money, and not even just a bit more than the first one because, even though we were able to benefit from our previous experience, COVID-19 and material shortage came along to complicate things again. But if you asked me if I\u2019d make another hotel in New York, I\u2019d say \u201cyes\u201d without a moment\u2019s hesitation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\u00a0A<\/a>

A render of the exterior of the upcoming second RIU hotel in New York, located next to Times Square, which will open in 2022.<\/p><\/div>\n

A year of contrasts: record numbers in the Canary Islands and closures in Asia and Africa<\/h3>\n

Last year was full of ups and downs and there were many contrasts between our various destinations:<\/p>\n