RIU Hotels

RIU Hotels & Resorts is a Spanish family-owned hotel chain specialising in all-inclusive resorts and urban hotels. It was founded in 1953 by the Riu family in Mallorca and is headquartered in Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.

The company operates primarily in sun-and-beach destinations and, since the 1990s, has maintained a strategic alliance with the German tour operator TUI Group through an operating joint venture called Riusa II.[1]

History

RIU was founded in 1953 when Juan Riu Masmitjà and María Bertran Espigulé, together with their son Luis Riu Bertrán, acquired the Hotel San Francisco in Mallorca, which became the chain's first property.[2] During the 1960s and 1970s, the company expanded across the Balearic Islands, and in 1977 formalised a commercial partnership agreement with the German tour operator TUI (Touristik Union International).

In 1985, RIU opened its first hotel on Gran Canaria—the Riu Palmeras—marking the beginning of its expansion beyond the Balearics.

Leadership and corporate structure

RIU Hotels & Resorts is managed by the Riu family, currently in its third generation with members of the fourth generation holding executive positions.[30] Luis Riu Güell and his sister Carmen Riu Güell assumed joint leadership in 1998, following the death of their father Luis Riu Bertrán.[31] In May 2024, after 26 years of joint management, Carmen Riu Güell stepped down from executive roles; Luis Riu Güell became sole CEO, while Carmen remained linked to the group as chair of the board of directors.[32][33]

In February 2025, the company announced that five members of the fourth generation of the Riu family had joined the board of directors and assumed specific executive responsibilities. Joan Trian Riu, son of Carmen Riu Güell, took on institutional representation and executive oversight of Operations in the Americas and the Balearic Islands, and also represents RIU on the supervisory board of TUI Group. Lola Trian Riu assumed responsibility for the family's philanthropic funds. Luis Riu Rodríguez, son of Luis Riu Güell, became executive director of Atlantic Operations covering the Canary Islands, Andalusia, Portugal, Cape Verde, Morocco and Senegal, along with oversight of technical services and the RIU Party entertainment project. Naomi Riu Rodríguez was appointed chief financial officer and executive director of Indian Ocean Operations, covering Zanzibar, Dubai, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Mauritius and Thailand, as well as supervision of Riu Plaza urban hotels in several European cities. Roberto Riu Rodríguez took charge of commercial and marketing activities, sharing responsibility for design and construction with Luis Riu Rodríguez.[34][35]

Corporate structure

The group operates through several property-holding and hotel management entities. In 2021, the Riu family acquired TUI's 49% stake in Riu Hotels S.A., bringing the family to 100% ownership of that asset-holding company, while the operating joint venture Riusa II—which manages the hotels commercially—remains a shared structure between both groups.[36] In 2025, the family announced a merger of Riu Hotels S.A. and Hotel San Francisco S.A. to simplify the ownership structure. The resulting entity would hold 51 hotels in 15 countries, totalling more than 26,000 rooms and recording revenue in excess of €1.8 billion in 2024.[37]

Corporate social responsibility and philanthropy

RIU Hotels & Resorts carries out social, educational and environmental programmes across the destinations where it operates.

Child protection

Since 2012, RIU has been a signatory to the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism (ECPAT), committing to prevention protocols, staff training and awareness measures for guests and suppliers. The commitment was signed by then-CEO Carmen Riu Güell at a ceremony in Gran Canaria.[38] In 2024, RIU was recognised as a Top Member of the Code of Conduct, a designation awarded to companies that implement systematic child protection policies.[39]

UNICEF Spain has noted the role large hotel groups such as RIU can play in integrating child protection into their business models, in the context of programmes such as Hoteles Amigos and the promotion of effective adherence to the ECPAT Code.[40]

In 2024, RIU directed more than €3.17 million to social investment across 104 projects in various countries, focused primarily on children, environmental conservation and local development.[7] Since 2014, the company reports contributions of nearly €2 million to childhood cancer research and improvement of paediatric healthcare, channelled through agreements with hospitals and specialist organisations.[7]

In 2017, following the earthquakes in Mexico, RIU signed an agreement with UNICEF to donate US$400,000 to the Pronto Regreso a Clases (Back to School Fast) programme, which set up and equipped temporary classrooms to ensure continuity of education for affected children while their schools were repaired or rebuilt.[41]

In March 2026, RIU announced a partnership with Irish charity Barnardos to support more than 1,200 at-risk children, adolescents and families in Dublin over an initial three-year period, through early childhood, family support and basic needs programmes.[42]

Sustainability

RIU's sustainability strategy is structured under the Proudly Committed framework, which sets targets for 2024–2026 covering greenhouse gas emissions reduction, waste management, energy efficiency and environmental certification of the hotel network.[29] In December 2025, RIU announced that 100% of its hotels had obtained ECOstars sustainability certification.[43] In March 2026, the company presented regenerative tourism initiatives in Mexico under the same strategy, including environmental conservation, community support and child protection measures.[44]

CSR timeline

2011: Creation of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department.[45]

CSR timeline

2011: Creation of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department.[45]
2012: Start of hotel sustainability certification process; signature of the ECPAT Code of Conduct by Carmen Riu Güell at a ceremony in Gran Canaria.[46]
2014: Launch of the "12 CSR Commitments" campaign.[47]
2016: Signature of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.[48]
2017: Publication of first CSR report; UNICEF agreement following the Mexico earthquakes.
2018: Pilot of the RIU Method in Costa Rica in collaboration with ESCP Business School.[49]

founded	1953
type	Private
key people	Luis Riu Güell (CEO)
headquarters	Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
industry	Hospitality
products	Hotels
revenue	€4.188 billion (2025)
num employees	38,955 (2025)
subsid	Riusa II (operating joint venture with TUI Group)
website	riu.com

History

Scale and financial results

Hotels and destinations

Properties by country

Employment and labour relations

Leadership and corporate structure

Corporate structure

Child protection

Sustainability

CSR timeline

CSR timeline

Recognition

Further reading

See also

References

History

Scale and financial results

Hotels and destinations

Properties by country

Employment and labour relations

Leadership and corporate structure

Corporate structure

Corporate social responsibility and philanthropy

Child protection

Social investment

Sustainability

CSR timeline

CSR timeline

Recognition

Further reading

See also

References