Austria
- This iconic hotel is upgrading its category following a total refurbishment, and it now has a new style and new services
RIU Hotels & Resorts has just reopened the Riu Palmeras hotel, following a complete refurbishment and a 22 million-euro investment that has resulted in a luxurious hotel in the Riu Palace line. The hotel opened its doors for the first time in 1985, in Playa del Inglés on the island of Gran Canaria, and it now offers its guests 24-hour all-inclusive service as well as new services and an elegant and sophisticated new design.
Luis Riu, CEO of RIU Hotels & Resorts, explains why this launch is particularly significant for him. “This hotel was RIU’s first outside of Mallorca. At the time, we ploughed the chain’s top talent into this project in order to present our very best service in the Canary Islands. For me, it was the kick-start to my subsequent professional career as Head of Expansion, Construction and Design, Marketing and Operations. It is a source of pride to see it today as the Riu Palace Palmeras.”
Since the beginning, this hotel has had a loyal clientele who have continued to choose this holiday destination year after year. It is common to see several generations of families who have made Riu Palmeras their resort of choice on the island of Gran Canaria.
The aim of this refurbishment project was to modernise all the facilities and to imbue them with the elegance of the Riu Palace line. All the rooms have been completely renovated and the bathtubs replaced with showers. In addition, an annexe building has been built in the garden, with 40 new rooms, to replace the old bungalows. In total, the hotel now has 274 rooms which lend the hotel an air of sophistication, not to mention the excellent location close to Playa del Inglés beach. For this reason, light tones and blue have been selected for the textiles and décor, complementing earthy colours to create a warm ambience in which to enjoy a seaside holiday. What’s more, close attention has been paid to accessibility for people with reduced mobility, with adapted rooms located on the ground floor, with garden views.
Among the communal areas, the entrance lobby is particularly striking. It is lit from the centre with a splendid skylight with large, vertical slats. There is also a new fusion restaurant, “Krystal”. The hotel also offers a complete and refreshed selection of bars, with the elegant lobby bar, the lounge bar and the poolside bar, all of which have open terraces from which to enjoy the wonderful enclave where the hotel is located. The pool areas have also been completely renovated: the old pool has given way to two smaller ones that blend into the landscape of the outdoor areas. In addition, for the youngest members of the family, a new children’s pool with a play area has been added.
In this way, RIU is making progress with its plans to renovate its entire portfolio of hotels, adapting to its guests’ needs and championing design and innovation in its far-reaching renovation plans.
