Riu wiped out the pandemic and experienced what are known as good times. The Balearic hotel chain closes 2022 with 2,905 million euros in revenue, which is 30% more than in 2019 and double in 2021. These good numbers allow the group to focus on one of the main goals of this: offering a quality product. And the data shows they’re on the right track.
Riu hotels classified as 5 stars already make up more than half of its portfolio and represent 58% of the total, while in 2021 they will be 45%. A land that lost directly in the lower category, which is from 54% to 41%. 3-star hotels remain stable for the second year in a row and are almost less than 1%, as stated in the 2022 annual report. renovation project and opening of new hotels.
The 5 star betting strategy continues this year. The best example of this is that they recently completed the renovation of the Riu Caribe, an asset that was already renovated in 2013, and with this second renovation they strengthened their position in Mexican luxury. After the works, the hotel moved from one large swimming pool to four, one with an aquatic bar, one for children and two more prepared for the whole family.
“With the renovation of Riu Caribe, Riu continues to commit to the modernization and renewal of the entire hotel plant in Mexico. The next renovation is the Riu Palace Pacifico, in Rivera Nayarit, whose renovation started this August and will be completed at the beginning of December,” the hotel company explained in a statement.
Bigger hotels
In 2022, the Riu consolidated itself as the fourth hotel chain in Spain and the 33rd in the world by the number of rooms with 49,5000 and beds, with more than 99,000, thanks to a year of rapid growth. “2022 will be a rich year of openings with the inauguration of the chain’s second hotel in New York and the first in Senegal, in addition to two new resorts in Mexico, coinciding with our 25th Anniversary in the country, and the launch, in trial mode, of the Elite Club premium service at the Riu Palace Kukulcan in Cancún (Mexico)”, highlighted Carmen and Luis Riu, CEOs of the hotel company in the 2022 annual report.
Despite being one of the world’s leading chains, the group is not focused on increasing its portfolio. In fact, in 2021 it will have 100 hotels and close 2022 with 96. Riu sources say -aw in this medium that the increase in rooms despite the decrease Hotels mainly due to two reasons. On the one hand, because they stopped managing all their hotels in Bulgaria and, on the other hand, because they bet on big hotels.
The increase in rooms translated into an increase in staff, which grew by almost 50% last year. At the end of 2021, Riu will have 22,749 employees, while at the end of 2022 it will increase to 33,950. The increase in the workforce is proportional to the registered clients, in just one year the Balearic group has almost 43% more users, from 4.3 million to 6 million. Riu explained that this increase in demand occurred without the need to resort to tenders to complete the jobs. “This combination of factors helped us offset the impact of costs,” they emphasized.
