“We’re a big family": RIU & Sunwing toast partnership as hotelier unveils major upgrades

The first major snowfall of the season can inspire a surge of vacation bookings.

So, it was rather serendipitous that RIU Hotels and Resorts and Sunwing Vacations’ festive luncheon in north Toronto on Wednesday (Dec. 4) began just as fresh snowflakes formed in the freezing air outdoors.

Held at the glam Arlington Estate banquet hall in Vaughan, the annual travel industry get-together not only celebrates RIU and Sunwing’s long-standing partnership (the lunch is now in its tenth year), but also gives RIU a platform to share its strategy (and, as of late, there’s a lot going on).

“We’re a big family”

But first, the RIU-Sunwing love affair.

“We’re a big family,” Alicia Santos, RIU’s director of contracting for Canada and the U.S., told PAX.

Sunwing is RIU’s number one account. The tour operator, as it’s been stated before, will fill more than 5,000 rooms at RIUs each day during the January to March winter period.

READ MORE: RIU Love: Hotelier talks upgrades, value for money at Sunwing’s “Amplify” event

Sunwing also represents 22 per cent of RIU’s business, as Armin Kaestner, RIU's vice-president of sales, contracting and business, told PAX in an interview last September.

Yesterday, addressing an audience of 50 people – a mix of Sunwing and RIU staff, travel advisors, consortia and host agency folk and trade media, Sunwing’s Dave Wright, director of sales for Ontario & Atlantic Canada, called the RIU connection “a great relationship.”

“I think you can all attest that RIU is a strong brand,” Wright said. “Canadians love the consistency. Your clients know what they’re getting because there’s no surprises. Ever. It’s a strong, strong, strong brand.”

Operation: North America

And it’s getting stronger.

As shared in a presentation by RIU’s Paola Roldan, business development manager for Quebec and Atlantic Canada, the hotelier is on a mission to North Americanize its all-inclusive properties in Mexico and the Caribbean, through modern new builds and upgrades, as it adapts to new tastes and vacation styles.

The Spanish company, founded by the RIU family in 1953, once had a long history in serving markets in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Belgium through sun charters to destinations like Cancun and Punta Cana.

But over time, these long-haul charters became fewer and far between – a downturn that was only amplified by the COVID-19 shutdown.

Faced with a decision on where and how to grow, RIU, about two years ago, changed its course and began investing in a market that made the most sense: North America (the United States and Canada).

The plan for attracting visitors? By presenting a whole new RIU, propelled by multi-million-dollar renovations that can be best described as night-and-day transformations.

These enhancements were also inspired by the travel trade and consumer feedback.  

“We hear what the travel agent community asks, we hear our clients. We’re constantly looking at ways to improve our product,” Santos told PAX.

RIU’s “product evolution”

Kickstarting this “product evolution,” as RIU calls it, was the opening of a brand-new resort, the adults-only RIU Palace Kukulkan in Cancun, Mexico, in 2022.

Then came major renos at RIU Palace Macao and RIU Palace Pacifico, in addition to the opening of RIU Palace Aquarelle in Jamaica earlier this year (at the latter, 95 per cent of the rooms have full or partial ocean views).

The latest reveal is RIU Palace Bavaro in Punta Cana. Following the demolition of the RIU Naiboa, on an adjoining plot, this upgraded all-inclusive now spreads over the former site to include new dining and entertainment spaces for its own facilities.

Of the hotel’s 994 rooms, 255 are designed for families and groups of friends visiting the destination. Some rooms have three beds that share the same space, a design choice that responds to today’s growing family and friends market.

The new “Friends and Family” room category either has three Queen-sized beds, or one King and one Queen, and can accommodate up to four adults.

But there are other enhancements. The Queen-sized beds, for one, are now larger (before, they were 50 inches, now they’re 60). The mattresses are said to be softer and there are more details in the room décor. And, oh, RIU now has closed bathrooms.

READ MORE: RIU Palace Aquarelle, exclusive to Sunwing, opens in Jamaica

There are more options for families, too. Like two-bedroom family suites (one room comes with a King, another with two Queens or double beds).  The two rooms are connected by an interior door or through a private hallway. It sleeps up to six.

Guests can also expect new venues, at select properties, like “Candy” ice cream parlour, which can be found at RIU Palace Bavaro and RIU Guanacaste in Costa Rica.

There’s also a new à la carte speciality restaurant called “American Country,” which is designed for lovers of the purest American-style dishes, such as chicken wings, burgers, mac and cheese, nachos, and jumbo hot dogs.

This themed restaurant can be found at RIU Palace Pacifico and RIU Santa Fe hotels in Mexico, and the new RIU Palace Aquarelle in Jamaica.

RIU Guanacaste, for one, has those new Deluxe room categories and two-bedroom family suites, a new “Riuland” kids club, two additional pools and a new poolside bar – with more to come.

The company says a full hotel renovation at Guanacaste will begin April 28, 2025, with a reopening date set for Oct. 4 that same year.

Out with the old

From enhanced bedding to expanded food and beverage options to new entertainment (including a new-ish series, called “RIU Party,” which debuted in Jamaica in 2021), RIU’s attitude, these days, is to get rid of the old, and embrace the new.

That includes the removal of dated property aesthetics, like bright colours and wood elements. As seen in new images of the refreshed RIU Palace Bavaro, the brand’s mood board, now, is about all things elegant and chic, with an emphasis on embracing natural light.

The upgrades will take time – the company says it will renovate (or open) two hotels per year, over the course of ten years. The next major refresh, and reveal, is RIU Negril (which actually reopens this Saturday, December 7).

The investments seem to be paying off. As Mr. Kaestner told PAX in the fall, in North America, where RIU has 39 hotels – including city properties called RIU Plaza – the company’s share of the U.S. market, prior to starting its product evolution, sat at 30 per cent.

“Now, we’re more than 50 per cent share of the U.S. market,” Kaestner said. “It’s working.”

RIU reputation for offering good value for money also extends to premium-level vacations.

One of RIU’s newer products is the “Elite Club,” which is available at select RIU Palace hotels in Punta Cana, Montego bay, Aruba, Cancun, Los Cabos and Rivera Nayarit.

This category allows customers to enjoy a more elevated stay, including rooms in preferred locations, welcome gifts, a personalized check-in area and guaranteed late check-out.

Additionally, the Club unlocks early check-in (subject to availability), premium drinks and more room service options.

And, of course, destination weddings continue to represent a big chunk of RIU’s business.

To enhance this segment, RIU has launched a revamped website that includes a live calendar. The idea is to simplify the booking process, in a just a few steps, for the trade.

Notably, there’s a new wedding and groups venue in Punta Cana – an idyllic oceanfront location that accommodates up to 150 guests.

Yes, it’s a lot to keep track of, but fortunately RIU has trade-specific channels that make following news and announcements easy.

Agents can stay in the RIU loop by joining the brand’s Facebook page, “RIU Travel Agents Canada,” and following the Instagram account, “@riuagentscanada.”

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