Palma de Majorca, 17 September 2019

RIU Hotels receives two prestigious Crystal Apple Awards from Apple Vacations

  • In this edition, 23 RIU hotels located in Jamaica, Mexico, Aruba, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Bahamas, have received a Golden Apple Award 2019
  • In addition to this award, the Riu Palace Jamaica Hotel & Riu Palace Costa Rica obtained a Crystal Apple Award, the highest recognition awarded by Apple Vacations

Once again, RIU Hotels & Resorts has shone at the 2019 Golden Apple Awards ceremony. This year, the hotel chain has been distinguished with 23 awards by the US tour operator Apple Vacations. The most important of them is the Crystal Apple Award for Best Staff & Service, granted to two RIU Hotels: the Riu Palace Jamaica and the Riu Palace Costa Rica (winner for the second consecutive year). Furthermore, 21 other RIU hotels in Mexico, Aruba, Jamaica, Bahamas and the Dominican Republic have received a Golden Apple Award.

The event was attended by Hugo Aguilera, Manager of Partner Marketing & Business Development, RIU; Wim Bracke, General Manager at the Hotel Riu Palace Costa Rica; Joachim Schoenfeldt, SVP Sales & Contracting; Armin Kaestner, VP Sales, Contracting & Business Development for USA & Canada, Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica & Panama and Frank Sondern, General Manager for the Riu Palace Jamaica and Riu Reggae hotels. They appear on the photo from left to right.

The Golden Apple Award and the Crystal Apple Award are two of the most sought-after distinctions in the tourism industry since they are awarded based upon an Apple satisfaction questionnaire filled in by hundreds of thousands of travellers every year. In this questionnaire, guests rate the staff, service, food quality, facilities, beaches and entertainment. The highest rated hotels are distinguished with a Golden Apple Award, while the hotel considered to be top in its category receives the Crystal Apple Award, the most prestigious Apple Vacations recognition. According to Apple Vacations, these awards are taken into account by prospective guests when making a decision to choose a hotel and a destination. 

These awards recognise RIU’s commitment to quality and the great effort that every member of the staff makes every day to offer an excellent service to all guests. 

The Riu Palace Jamaica has 288 rooms specially designed to offer the maximum comfort in style. Located on a beautiful stretch of white sandy beach, the hotel is one of the best in Montego Bay. It is the ideal place to enjoy a vacation with your partner or with friends thanks to RIU Hotels & Resorts' All Inclusive Adults Only program. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, room service 24 hours a day, infinity pools and an endless array of sports and activities.

The elegant Riu Palace Costa Rica hotel is situated in the beautiful region of Guanacaste, which is famous for its natural beauty. Located right next to the hotel Riu Guanacaste, the hotel opened in November 2012. It offers 538 rooms, the recognised RIU All Inclusive 24-Hour Service and a wide variety of quality food and drink at its five restaurants and six bars. Furthermore it provides four pools, one of which has a swim-up bar and a children’s pool, free Wi-Fi Internet and 24 hour room service, among many other services.

The RIU Hotels presented with a 2019 Golden Apple Award are:

MEXICO – CANCUN

  • Riu Dunamar
  • Riu Palace Costa Mujeres
  • Riu Palace Las Americas
  • Riu Palace Peninsula

MEXICO – LOS CABOS

  • Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas
  • Riu Palace Baja California

MEXICO – PLAYA DEL CARMEN

  • Riu Palace Mexico
  • Riu Palace Riviera Maya
  • Riu Playacar
  • Riu Tequila

MEXICO – RIVIERA NAYARIT

  • Riu Palace Pacifico
  • Riu Vallarta

ARUBA – PALM BEACH

  • Riu Palace Aruba
  • Riu Palace Antillas

BAHAMAS – PARADISE ISLAND

  • Riu Palace Paradise Island

JAMAICA – MONTEGO BAY

  • Riu Palace Jamaica (Golden Apple and Crystal Apple Award)
  • Riu Reggae

JAMAICA – NEGRIL

  • Riu Palace Tropical Bay

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – PUNTA CANA

  • Riu Palace Bavaro
  • Riu Palace Macao
  • Riu Republica
  • Riu Palace Punta Cana

COSTA RICA – GUANACASTE

  • Riu Palace Costa Rica (Golden Apple and Crystal Apple Award)

About RIU Hotels & Resorts

The international RIU chain was founded in Mallorca by the Riu family in 1953 as a small holiday firm and is still owned by the family's third generation. The company specialises in holiday resorts and over 78% of its establishments offer its acclaimed All Inclusive by RIU service. With the inauguration of its first city hotel in 2010, RIU is expanding its range of products with its own line of city hotels called Riu Plaza. RIU Hotels & Resorts now has 97 hotels in 21 countries. In 2023, the chain welcomed 6,4 million guests and provided jobs for a total of 35,808  employees. RIU is currently the world's 36th ranked chain, one of the Caribbean's most popular, the largest in Spain in terms of revenue and the fourth largest in number of rooms.