TORONTO — Sunwing Vacations and RIU Hotels & Resorts go way back, and their partnership is as strong as ever.
The two travel powerhouses celebrated their partnership with a special presentation yesterday.
Trade media and industry partners were invited to join the RIU portion of Sunwing Vacations’ annual employee leadership event, Amplify, held at The Arlington Estate in Vaughan, ON.
Following the presentation, participants had the opportunity to enjoy the essence of RIU’s Elite Club experience.
Sunwing Vacations and RIU Hotels & Resorts celebrate their partnership
Armin Kaestner
“AN EASY SELL”
Armin Kaestner, RIU’s Vice President of Sales, Contracting & Business Development, delivered an informative keynote presentation, along with eye-catching visuals that included Before and After images highlighting sweeping renovations to RIU properties.
The look for RIU’s rooms and suites going forward is sleek and classy, with sophisticated dining venues and beautiful lobbies and public spaces. The modern look for the much-loved brand drew gasps and applause from the audience.
What’s the RIU difference? Service, says Kaestner, and the best value for money.
“We have a very strong corporate structure to manage costs. And we go for high occupancies. We are proud to say that, on average, our hotels worldwide have 90% occupancy on average year-round. These two things combined allow us to be very effective,” says Kaestner.
GROWING GLOBAL FOOTPRINT
RIU’s global footprint has grown to the point that Sunwing sells more than 5,000 rooms a day during the winter season across the chain.
Best known to Canadian travel advisors for its Mexico and also Caribbean properties in Aruba, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, the D.R., Jamaica and Panama, RIU also has resorts in the Maldives, Sri Lanka and UAE, and Cape Verde, Mauritius, Morocco, Senegal and Tanzania, plus hotels as part of its RIU Plaza urban line in several cities in Europe and the U.S. Even Toronto is slated to get a RIU Plaza hotel.
The simplicity and consistency of RIU’s offering makes the properties “an easy sell,” says Kaestner. “We only have two brands. And within both brands we have adults only, and family. We are very streamlined with the two brands. You know exactly what to sell. And the client knows exactly what they’re going to get.”
Fun perks like the RIU Party experience have created a whole new level of evening entertainment for resort guests. “They’re free and people have a blast,” says Kaestner.
“We also have a strong commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. It’s important and it’s going to get even more important with the new generations,” he adds.
Recent renovations for the company include Riu Palace Bavaro in Punta Cana. According to RIU, the refurbishment of the D.R. favourite “establishes the new style and design that RIU has chosen for all of its refurbishments and new-build hotels: discreet décor in subtle and elegant tones combined with greater and better use of natural light.”
Like most companies, RIU did a bit of a pivot coming out of the pandemic. The new-look décor is part of RIU’s strategy to put more focus on markets like the U.S. and Canadian. That also included more and bigger beds for all the family groups and friend groups vacationing together in the wake of the pandemic. “The smallest beds in our rooms after renovations are now queen size beds. We don’t have twin beds anymore,” said Kaestner to applause.
“It’s amazing how we are changing and upgrading our product. We are very excited about it,” he added.
BEST OF THE BEST
Earlier this month Sunwing Vacations announced the launch of its 2024-2025 Best of the Best List, featuring more than 250 top-rated resorts across 50-plus categories combining travel expert recommendations, star ratings and customer feedback.
This month, in honour of Sunwing Vacations’ month-long partnership known as ‘RIU September’, four special lists are being unveiled throughout September highlighting RIU’s most sought-after sun destination properties.
The full list can be viewed at www.sunwing.ca/en/best-vacations and will be updated weekly from now until late October
