Innovation

The RIU Method is the social innovation process applied to RIU's Corporate Responsibility initiatives. It is implemented at all levels of the corporation. The action areas for this method are designed to improve the local community and biodiversity of the worldwide destinations where RIU hotels do business. The RIU Method focuses on multiple SDG goals in each destination.

Carmen Riu is the owner and CEO of RIU Hotels and Resorts. She has released a personal message to the employees describing the importance of the RIU Method and its implementation at all their destinations. They take pride in their Gold Certification from Travelife in regard to their CSR initiatives.

https://www.riu.com/riusponsible/en/methodology/

https://www.riu.com/riusponsible/en/riu-sdgs/

Inspiration

The founders of RIU Hotel & Resorts were inspired by sharing their small family structure with the world. Though there is a variety of brands that were successful within the service industry, this company’s philosophy and style are centered on meeting the highest quality of customer service through a family-oriented environment, community, and worldwide service.

The first and second generation of founders dates back to 1953 when Juan Riu, together with his wife, Maria Bertran, and their son Luis Riu Betrain open the first hotel in Palma de Mallorca: Riu San Francisco. This small hotel remains in operation and is considered the cornerstone of the brand. As a family business, it can be set on tradition, but as a visionary, Luis Riu Bertran was able to see their brand go beyond Spain. On his honeymoon, he took the time to work and aimed to sell rooms to tour operations in Germany. This is key to the history of the brand because this was where their partnership with the Touristik Union International (TUI) began.

RIU’s customer service philosophy began to take shape during the touristic boom in the 1960s. Luis Riu Bertran never lost sight of his family's goals. The next step for Luis was to carry out the first customer service survey. For Luis, a satisfied guest always returns, and their opinion is important to improve. As a result of this RIU’s philosophy of service was established.

Today, RIU Hotels & Resorts is run by the Riu family’s third and fourth generations of managing directors. From the 1990s to the first decade of the 2000s, the RIU brand expanded its operations in countries such as Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Aruba, the Bahamas, Cabo Verde, Costa Rica, Marroco, and Tunis. RIU also launched an urban brand, Riu Plaza. The inspiration that the first and second generations of their family members had has grown worldwide and continues to keep customer service at the forefront of their standards.

Source: https://www.riu.com/blog/en/explore-with-us-the-history-of-the-riu-chain/

Overall impact

RIU has engaged in conservation projects to help improve the wildlife and biodiversity in many different areas. One of the initiatives that RIU has been a part of brings them to the islands of Cape Verde in Africa. RIU, along with BIOS CV and Projeto Biodiversidade, has participated in efforts to help protect the Caretta Caretta turtle, along with other wildlife in the area. The focus of this initiative is on Boavista and Sal Island. The project has been executed by volunteers, which brings more awareness of the issues to the locals. Drones and thermal cameras have been used to get a clear view of the area and to see the possible threats to the turtles. Dogs, poachers, and other predators posed a threat to the turtles, and the project helped develop ways to combat those issues. Locals have been warned about the dangers their dogs can cause to the animals, and local police patrol the beach and keep watch for any poachers. In 2020, there were almost 63,000 nests on the beaches, and more than 213,000 hatchlings were released to the sea. These efforts have helped keep these animals safe and raise awareness about the importance of protecting our wildlife.

RIU has helped other projects in Cape Verde, as well as areas like Mexico and Costa Rica. One of the programs they are working on in Mexico is their Oceanus program, which started in 2019. This program is a reef restoration program for creating and maintaining coral nurseries. RIU funds the distribution of 1,000 colonies each year and provides ample accommodations for those doing the work. In Costa Rica, RIU has been working with a wildlife refuge since 2014. The National Private Wildlife Refuge acts as a home to a variety of plant life and animals, both residential and migration, in Matapalo. With 130 species of fauna that may be threatened or endangered and various species of birds, mammals, and reptiles, RIU has made an effort to help this area flourish.

https://www.riu.com/riusponsible/en/biodiversity/

Business benefit

This innovation benefits the business because it benefits the people. RIU believes that its greatest assets are its people. Their philosophy is "service with a heart," which allows the customer's well-being to be at the center of all of their activities. By prioritizing people and biodiversity, it reveals that their intentions for business are very authentic. They identify and manage its impact on the destinations where they operate their hotels. By prioritizing this value, they want to decrease the amount of negative impact they would have on the environment and the local communities that inhabit the space. Customers would be happy to know that the hotel or resort they are staying at has not caused harm to the community.

One of the first hotels that RIU started building was in Riviera Maya, Mexico, and at the time, the area was not very developed. Since their hotels were built, the hospitality district has grown a tremendous amount. The amount of work and changes that took place in that area are very impressive. As a result of the booming hospitality industry, more jobs and opportunities are available there than ever before. This means that people from other areas have had to move closer to Riviera Maya so that they have an opportunity to work, and so that these resorts have an ample amount of staff to keep the business running smoothly. It was difficult for employees who moved there and were looking to start families. These employees were away from their families and with the differing schedules, it became a challenge trying to find people available to watch their children while the parents are at work. RIU partnered with Save the Children to create centers for those children to go to after school and for their parents to pick them up once their work day has ended. This helps lower the risk of these children being in unsafe situations once the school day ends.

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Social and environmental benefit

The RIU Method created by RIU Hotels and Resorts benefits society and the environment in many ways. Firstly, they utilize sustainable procurement for all of the products they use at their destinations. They ensure that their suppliers meet sustainability criteria regarding social and environmental impacts. An interesting statistic is that they procure approximately 79% of their groceries from local suppliers in the area of each destination. This is important because they are infusing money into the local economy, cutting down on their carbon footprint by using local suppliers, and creating a relationship with the local shop owners. Other examples of sustainable procurement include replacing plastic straws with compostable material, utilizing biodegradable cleaning products, and ensuring that suppliers are using humane animal treatment practices.

Secondly, they maximize their efforts to reduce CO2 emissions at their destinations. Some of those efforts include using geothermal air conditioning systems to reduce their carbon footprint, replacing diesel boilers and appliances with natural gas appliances, and reducing pollution by using more efficient machinery and appliances. By reducing their CO2 emissions, RIU Hotels is not only helping the environment, but they are increasing the quality of life for the residents as well.

Lastly, RIU Hotels has implemented energy-saving measures at their destinations. One of the major ways that they save energy is by using automatic disconnection devices for air conditioning in rooms when guests open doors or windows, which avoids unnecessary energy use and loss. They have implemented solar power and timed lighting that reduces the amount of wasted energy in their lighting systems. Although RIU Hotels is making huge strides for the society and environment at their destinations, Covid-19 affected their implementation of some efforts.

In 2020, they planned to reduce the use of plastics at all of their destinations. Unfortunately, due to the restrictions to combat Covid-19, they were forced to delay many of these efforts. They even had to begin using new plastic items that they would normally not have utilized. Although this was a setback at most destinations, RIU Hotels has continued with its efforts to reduce plastics at the destinations where it is feasible. Examples of these efforts include using packaging for waste made of recycled or biodegradable materials and ensuring that proper recycling is being done concerning plastics and waste items.

https://www.riu.com/riusponsible/en/local-initiatives/

https://www.riu.com/riusponsible/en/sustainable-measures/

https://www.riu.com/riusponsible/en/riu-sdgs/

Interview

Lola Trian, CSR Representative for RIU Hotels

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