RIU touches the sky in Madrid
RIU Hotels & Resorts has arrived in Madrid and it has done so in style, with the opening of its new Hotel Riu Plaza España in the capital city’s iconic Edificio España. It is the first RIU hotel in Madrid and the first of the Riu Plaza urban line in Spain. The entire architectural and design project has arisen from a deep respect for the history of the building, which originally opened in 1953.
Luis Riu, CEO of RIU Hotels, explains that “opening the Riu Plaza España brings us enormous satisfaction. For years, we searched for an opportunity to open an urban hotel in Madrid, so this chance to open one in the heart of the city, in such an iconic building, far exceeds all our expectations. The project has been complex and exciting. For two years, we have channelled top talent, all our experience and a lot of hard work into creating this new hotel that brings Edificio España back to life and that we also hope will act as a lever for the surrounding area’s regeneration.”
Riu Plaza España, located on Gran Vía, is a four-star hotel with 585 rooms. It has a gym, heated outdoor pool on floor 21, a restaurant and a lobby bar, as well as two magnificent sky bars where impressive views of the city are the main attraction. The first of them, De Madrid al Cielo, fills floor 26 and it is decorated in the Movida Madrileña style, with neon lights on the walls. The second sky bar is on the building’s top floor, where it offers 360° views of the city and a spectacular glass walkway that lets you literally walk on Madrid’s sky. Both spaces aim to become reference points for visitors, but also for locals who want to enjoy these incredible panoramic views.
The new Riu Plaza España has more than 5,000 m2 of space to hold all types of events, across its 17 meeting rooms, the events terrace on floor 21 and the dining areas. The most striking of these spaces is Sala Madrid which has capacity for up to 1,500 people. With its double-height ceiling and natural light, it is an open and unique space in the city centre.
RIU has refurbished and showcased the protected elements of this iconic building with great delicacy and respect for the historical value of each one of them. Nothing has been left to chance, from the imposing entrance flanked by marble columns and decorated with the original bas-reliefs, part of the city’s historic heritage, to the stunning views from the rooms, communal areas and sky bar walkways. The hotel exudes design, elegance and class in every corner, with both original and modern exclusive pieces.
The rooms combine white marble with glass and wood, as well as delicate touches in gold and black, and they form spaces that allow light to pass from the bedrooms to the bathrooms, which feature light furniture with iron structures and walk-in showers. The suites with a bathtub offer several spaces to help our guests create unique memories of their visits, including private jacuzzis with excellent views of the city.
All the zones of the hotel and the décor selected for them are a wink to the building’s iconic status. So, from the lobby bar to the upper terraces, all the areas for guests’ use bring the essence of the 1950s and 1960s into the present day.
With this launch, the chain now has seven hotels in the Riu Plaza urban line globally, as well as three in construction in London, Toronto and a second one in New York. The first city hotel opened its doors in Panama in 2010 and has since been joined by the Riu Plaza Guadalajara hotel in Mexico, Riu Plaza Miami Beach and Riu Plaza New York Times Square in the USA, Riu Plaza Berlin in Germany and Riu Plaza The Gresham Dublin in Ireland, in addition to the newly-opened Riu Plaza España.
For further information please visit: www.riu.com
About RIU: The international RIU chain was founded in Mallorca by the Riu family in 1953 as a small holiday firm and is still owned by the family's third generation. The company specialises in holiday resorts and over 70% of its establishments offer its acclaimed All Inclusive by RIU service. With the inauguration of its first city hotel in 2010, RIU is expanding its range of products with its own line of city hotels called Riu Plaza. RIU Hotels & Resorts now has 93 hotels in 19 countries which welcome over 4 million guests a year and provide jobs for a total of 29,985 employees. RIU is currently the world's 35th ranked chain, one of the Caribbean's most popular, the third largest in Spain in terms of revenue and the fourth largest in number of rooms.
For further information: Press Department // Tel: +34 971 74 30 30 // [email protected]
Madrid, 12 August 2019
