Changes at family company announced in the wake of a retirement

Spain’s RIU Hotels & Resorts is undergoing what the company describes as a “generational handover,” with the Mallorca-based company adding it will continue to proudly be a family affair.

Last summer saw the retirement of Carmen Riu, who served as co-CEO of the company with her brother Luis Riu, who is now the sole CEO. Carmen and Luis represented the third generation of the Riu family to own and run the business

But the hotel company — which has built a following in this country with its resorts in the Caribbean and Latin America, and works closely with Sunwing — says the ascent of Luis and Roberto Riu Rodriguez is part of a “step forward that the youngest members of the Riu family are taking” and the company is upbeat about their roles.

“Luis Riu Rodriguez and Roberto Riu Rodriguez are both undertaking responsibilities that have a final impact on the RIU product and service, and thus in the guest’s experience,” Riu says. “Expansion, design, construction and equipment of all new or refurbished hotels are their main responsibility. Their influence is already visible in the latest projects, such as the Riu Palace Kukulkan in Cancun, Riu Palace Pacifico in Nayarit, the Riu Karamboa hotel in Cape Verde or the new Riu Aquarelle in Jamaica, all of which present a more modern and bold style specially in the interior design. In this list, we have to highlight the Riu Palace Bavaro, the property that RIU has just presented in Punta Cana, which is the most complete hotel in RIU’s portfolio to date, with a series of new concepts and services, such as the food court and new facilities in the exclusive family and Elite Club areas.”

The two are also responsible for Riu’s strategic decarbonization project, which uses renewable energy, specifically through solar panels. Since the start of this initiative, they have analyzed and supervised the design and installation of 24 photovoltaic projects in 23 hotels, which has meant avoiding the release of 7,375 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

RIU Hotels & Resorts, founded in 1953, has always been a family owned and run company, and it states that it has a sound philosophy that has led to growth.

“The character and values of the Riu family, which are hard work, honesty and humbleness, continue to preside the way RIU does business, despite the fact of being an international company with presence in 21 countries and more than 35.000 employees,” the company says. “Of course, the Riu family relies on a great team of professionals to reach its goals, but the family is and will continue to be in the top positions of governance and management.” 

The brothers have played an important role at the chain for several years, leading expansion projects and analyzing investment opportunities, as well as working in the RIU Group’s Technical Advice Office, which is responsible for the chain’s major refurbishment projects and designing, constructing and fitting out all of the company’s new hotels.

“Having initially carried out this task alongside their father, they’re now flying solo and each of the brothers oversees certain regions and projects,” the company says.

“RIU’s business model is based on supervising each project down to the very last detail so the chain can control the services and products that it offers to its guests,” the hotel chain adds. “This means that a family member leads the whole process, from deciding on the location of an establishment to overseeing the design, construction, facilities and operation of a hotel. That’s why the work of both brothers plays a key role in ensuring the continuity of this business model now that the RIU Group has undertaken the generational handover.”

Luis Riu Rodríguez is Luis Riu Güell’s eldest son. He studied economics at the University of Kent in the UK and also holds a master’s degree in economics from the UCSB in California and another master’s degree in marketing from the EAE in Barcelona. Before joining RIU, he worked in investment banking in London. At RIU, he has experience in both beach and city destinations, such as Miami and New York, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and the Canary Islands, where he also worked on the refurbishment of the Riu Buenavista. Luis also leads the RIU Party project, the chain’s innovative entertainment concept launched in Mexico in 2018 that he is now taking to many other destinations in Spain and abroad.

Roberto Riu Rodríguez is Luis Riu Güell’s youngest son. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration at IQS in Barcelona with a six-month exchange in Montreal, and he also holds a master’s degree in negotiation from the IESEG School of Management in Paris. He moved to the Netherlands for a year to work for TUI Netherlands. He has undertaken internships in various hotel and head office departments. He completed his training in operations in Jamaica and Miami and learnt about construction projects with the refurbishment of the Riu Palace Jandia.