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Spanish hotel giant RIU Hotels & Resorts has injected more than $92 billion into the Jamaican economy over the last five years, underscoring its deepening commitment to the island since opening its first property in 2001.

Speaking at the company’s 25th anniversary gala at RIU Montego Bay on Thursday night, Managing Director Joan Trian Riu reflected on the company’s journey from the opening of RIU Tropical Bay in Negril to becoming one of Jamaica’s largest hospitality operators.

“In 2001 we opened the RIU Tropical Bay, and since then we have grown together step by step,” Riu said.

Today, the company operates seven hotels across Jamaica, with more than 4,200 rooms and welcomes approximately 500,000 guests annually.

Riu outlined the scale of the company’s economic contribution over the last five years, revealing that it paid more than $14.3 billion in taxes and social security contributions, spent $12 billion on salaries, and invested a massive $66 billion with Jamaican suppliers.

Delivering the keynote address during the gala celebration, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness lauded the hotel group for investing heavily in Jamaica. 

“Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in our economy as a result of Riu’s choice of Jamaica,” Holness said.

“Twenty-five years ago, RIU made a choice; it chose Jamaica. That decision was not an inevitability. RIU could have invested in many destinations around the world. Instead, it chose Jamaica, and over the last 25 years it has continued to choose Jamaica through new properties, expansion, renovations, and reinvestment,” Holness added.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett described the investment by RIU as a strong testament of confidence in the destination.

“This is the statement that Jamaica enjoys hearing: that you put your money where your mouth is, and that the confidence in Jamaica and the trust in Jamaica is at the highest level. And I want to say that for us, these 25 years I’ve seen investment on your path of over US$750 million or J$118 billion…and that, prime minister, is confidence and trust in the people and the administration,” Bartlett said.

The Spanish hotel chain’s managing director emphasised that RIU’s success in Jamaica is rooted in its people, noting that 99 per cent of the company’s workforce is Jamaican.

“True hospitality is not built with concrete, but with soul,” he said, praising the “charisma, work ethic and natural warmth” of the local team.

Riu said the bond forged by Jamaican employees has become a defining feature of the brand, with guests returning not just to the hotels, but to what he described as “our family”.

He also lauded the resilience and unflinching spirit of workers during the passage of Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, when the storm battered sections of western Jamaica and severely impacted Montego Bay and Falmouth.

At the height of the storm, RIU had more than 6,500 guests in-house, making staff response critical.

“Our employees, many facing severe hardship at home, stayed and took care of our guests until they could safely return to their countries,” Riu said.

Prime Minister Holness also commended the workers.

“I first want to commend the excellent staff of the RIU hotel, the workers who stayed with the visitors during the passage of Hurricane Melissa to ensure their safety to ensure the protection of life and property while their own homes were under distress. It shows the commitment of the Jamaican people to the tourism industry, and I commend the Jamaican workers for that,” Holness said.

In the aftermath of the hurricane, the company quickly mobilised a US$1 million fund to provide reconstruction materials for employees whose homes were damaged, along with emergency relief packages.

RIU also partnered with the humanitarian organisation World Central Kitchen to prepare and distribute more than 100,000 hot meals to the worst-affected communities in Montego Bay and Negril.

Riu said the experience highlighted the courage and dedication of Jamaican workers.

“Melissa did not change who you are; it simply shed light on the immense courage you have displayed every day for the last 25 years,” he said.

Beyond tourism, Riu highlighted its ongoing social and environmental investments in Jamaica, particularly its support for children and sustainability initiatives.

Among the projects receiving long-term backing is the Elaine Allen Bradley Pediatric Orthotic Foundation, which the company has supported since 2009, helping to provide physical therapy and orthotic devices for children.

The hotel chain also funds biodiversity preservation efforts, including the Parrot Fish Conservation Programme, which protects marine ecosystems, as well as environmental education projects in Ocho Rios and educational reinforcement initiatives in Montego Bay.

Riu said the company remains committed to Jamaica’s future and credited the Government, tourism partners and Jamaican people for making the 25-year journey possible.

“The highest form of respect we could pay Jamaica was to reactivate the economic engine immediately,” he said, noting that all RIU hotels were reopened before the end of the year following the hurricane.