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This year the entertainment department is celebrating its anniversary. In fact, it is celebrating its silver jubilee! It has been 25 years full of laughter, fun, work, changes, perseverance and above all dedication to your entertainment. Throughout this time, RIU’s entertainment has experienced many changes and evolved enormously. However, its essence is still the same, as part of the team that set it up is still with the chain. This is the case of Bernat Quetglas, a member of the Central Entertainment Staff, with whom we have been lucky enough to talk and who has told us some interesting facts and anecdotes relating to RIU’s entertainment from these years.
RIU entertainment turns 25
In 1996, a young man called Bernat started working in the entertainment department of the RIU chain, becoming one of its creators. He was joined by two other colleagues who arrived from the Iberotel group, which at that time had been acquired by the chain. A small family, since “We were friends who enthusiastically shared this new project together. It was something brand new, regardless of the experience we already had. Now we had to build something from scratch and adapt it to the philosophy of the RIU chain. I have fond memories of that time and my colleagues back then”, says Bernat.
The first ever entertainment team at RIU Hotels, from left to right: Oswald Ponette, Hilde Meeuwis, Jan Maes and Bernat Quetglas.
A summer job that became a passion
Today, 25 years later, we still count on Bernat and the experience he has accumulated in the chain over all these years. But how did he get started in this job? He was only 16 years old when he did his first summer season as a hotel entertainer in Cala Millor. Now, 40 years later, he talks about how this seasonal job “ended up being my way of life, but above all my great passion.” It is remarkable to see how one person puts so much into what they do, and Bernat is a reflection of many of RIU’s staff.
RIU has put its own stamp on hotel entertainment
The entertainment department was set up in the 1996 summer season. Although there had been entertainment in RIU hotels up to that point, it had not been centralised and there was no department to streamline it professionally. It was in this year that work began on unifying the entertainment in all the chain’s hotels. First in Spain, and later in the Caribbean. This was a major challenge because the entertainers who were already working in the hotels had their own methods and ways of working. “We had to introduce them to a new product and change the way they did things. It was not like starting from scratch, we had to pass on the spirit that we had established in Spain.” Later, in a phased approach, the same was rolled out in the rest of the destinations, adapting to each one individually.
RIU’s central entertainment team in 2010.
The team currently comprises nine people based across all the destinations in Europe and the Caribbean. Sandra Müller is the Director of Entertainment, and she is based in the Palma office along with Bernat, Irene González, and Lea Sobocan, who is currently in the Canary Islands. In Mexico we have Jhonathan Mata, Otoniel Casillas and Juan Francisco Mendoza. In Jamaica, Aruba and Bahamas is Michael Blank, and in the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Panama is Osmel Delisle. As you can see, this is a great team strategically distributed throughout the various points on the world map, holding the RIU philosophy high as their banner.
Entertainment team at the RIU headquarters in Mallorca.
Why was it decided to centralise the department? It was a service that was becoming increasingly important for the guests, who were beginning to choose the hotels based on their entertainment. The RIU chain therefore wanted to create a product that would make it stand out from the rest, and it did so by offering the same brand in all its hotels, just as it does, for example, with customer service and the other departments. It created its very own entertainment brand.
How do you train the RIU entertainment staff?
One of the biggest challenges of this department has been the training. This process is key to being able to transmit the philosophy and essence of our entertainment. Now it is somewhat standardised, that is to say, all the entertainers in the RIU team are integrated into the chain and know how to guarantee fun in the RIU style. But do you know how training and selection was done in 1996? We have to remember that back then technology was not what it is today. The first recruitment stage took place over the phone, and the Entertainment Department invited these people to come to Mallorca, where RIU has its head office. Here they did a three-week course, after which they were assigned to one of the RIU hotels. For the senior entertainers, there were annual meetings with the entertainment managers, who were in charge of passing on any changes.
Meeting of the entertainment managers at RIU in Playa de Palma, 2011.
Despite the fact that the team is huge, “After three years we all knew each other and what I am most proud of is to see how in a short time the entertainers became entertainment managers. Many of them have continued their professional careers at RIU and today hold management positions in a wide range of areas.”
Meeting of the RIU entertainment team in Cancun, 2017.
The training is so different now that this year the department is implementing an online training system so that, among other advantages, it can reach the largest number of entertainers across the whole of RIU. For example, in a few months all RiuLand entertainers will have access to the same content, and almost all at the same time.
25 years of entertainment packed with landmarks
It is undeniable that throughout this time there have been many changes in the Entertainment Department. Both our social reality and the world have changed a great deal, and RIU’s entertainment has adapted to the new times.
Animation managers and Riu Land Team Training in Mexico.
Taking care of our employees has always been RIU’s priority
“It is very important that our entertainers feel that they are important and that we take care of them. Our philosophy of customer service starts here, because if the entertainers don’t feel good they can’t make the clients feel good -it’s a wheel that keeps turning”, Bernat Quetglas.
“If the entertainer is happy, the client will be happy” and this is key for all the teams in the hotel. In other words, you can’t ask your employees to transmit happiness if you don’t take care of them. That’s why one of the big steps taken in this respect was deciding to give the entertainment staff two days off in the vast majority of destinations. “This gave stability to the teams and improved the entertainment; they felt valued. This is reflected by the number of repeat customers we have, often thanks to the entertainment team. It is not unusual to see a guest arrive at the hotel and immediately ask if their favourite entertainer will be there that year. I have even seen clients plan their holidays to coincide with the birthday of a particular entertainer at the Riu Paraiso Lanzarote. These things are the sign that you are doing it right.”
20th anniversary of RIU animation in Mallorca celebration.
Adapting to the new times
Bernat explains how they started recording the music for the shows with minidiscsand cassettes. “Now things have changed significantly, we work with digital equipment and the music is streamed over the internet.” Logically, technology has helped us in our work, but this is true in all areas. “Previously, we made the activity posters by hand. Now they are displayed on the totems in the hotels and on the RIU App.” Another technology-related milestone is Kahoot. This app gained momentum during the pandemic as it is an activity that guests can take part in from anywhere in the hotel using their mobile phone.
Our little guests and their RiuLand space
In 2008, the chain went a step further and created the RiuLand Club, a space dedicated exclusively to our smallest guests. We wanted to create something that children could identify with, to draw them into a space designed just for them. Two years later Calú, their favourite mascot, arrived. Do you know where this name comes from? This is one of the interesting facts that not everyone knows -he was actually named after Carmen and Luis Riu. This turtle keeps the little ones company throughout their holidays and has its own musical repertoire! What’s more, at RiuLand your children will make new friends. Their happiness is guaranteed!
Childrens entertainers who laid the foundations of RiuLand in 2008 meeting.
Riu Party: the parties that would change everything
In 2018, the Riu Party arrived. A new entertainment concept at the RIU chain that came in with a bang. These parties were the brainchild of our CEO, Luis Riu, aimed at bringing the Caribbean pool parties to the other destinations and making this a central concept, raising them to a new level. So, in this case, everything started in the Caribbean area and spread out to the rest of the hotels in the chain. The Riu Parties were a massive hit and are here to stay. Now we are just waiting for the health situation to improve so we can hold them again, in a way that is safe for everyone.
Every year RIU revamps its activity portfolio
Every year the Entertainment Department refreshes its portfolio of activities and “Although the clients have their favourites, we try to give them variety, especially in the shows, which are what change the most.” “In general, we try to adapt to the changing times and not get left behind. New ideas emerge over the course of the year. First we do a test in one hotel and, if that works, we introduce it in the others.” The latest great success is H.A.L.T., our particular “Homage to Earth”, or “Homenaje a La Tierra”, in Spanish. Another great example from the last few years is the Aeroyoga activity that until recently was only available in RIU hotels in the Maldives, but it has now been added in the Riu Buenavista and will soon feature in many more! Another new feature is the “RiuFun” games, which are actually the traditional games but with a revamped and updated image.
Training in Gran Canaria for RIU entertainment managers together with RiuFit, RiuLand and RiuStage staff.
Consistency, the key to RIU entertainment
As we mentioned at the beginning, entertainment is one of the differentiating factors of RIU, adding an extra element to your stay. It is a very important service that must be perfectly combined with the other services provided at the hotels. “I am convinced that our entertainment is now among the best in the world of tourism. This is thanks to the work of all my colleagues in the Entertainment Department as well as each and every one of the thousands of entertainers who have worked, and continue to work, in our hotels all over the world.
Bernat Quetglas, Central Entertainment Staff.
Entertainment is so important that “With RIU’s expansion into the different destinations and the comprehensive refurbishment of the hotels, the work of the department has changed, it has become much more important. When a new hotel opens, you have to assemble a team from scratch, with everything that entails: material, a budget, selecting entertainers and the entertainment manager, implementing the activities, training and scheduling. We are now working on site to ensure that all our areas are ready for opening day.
Entertainment is no longer a summer job. Being an entertainer at RIU means being a professional, where attention to detail, qualifications, good planning and a human dimension are essential to achieve the cheerful, carefree atmosphere that makes guests feel at home.
“The best thing about these 25 years has been to see how we created a product from scratch that has grown to become what it is today. I am a proud father”
Bernat has been able to transmit to us all the passion that lies behind each activity or show that you enjoy when you come to spend your holidays at RIU. He says that he has grown a lot over these 25 years, both professionally and personally, as “I have shared my passion with entertainers from all over the world, with whom we have formed a big family united by a common goal, the happiness of our clients during their holidays. That’s why I say that entertainment is the greatest profession in the world, because the more happiness you give, the more you feel yourself.”
RIU animation team in Punta Cana.
Thanks to Bernat and the entire entertainment team, your fun and enjoyment are assured. We wanted to use this post to celebrate our silver jubilee and introduce you to the human side behind everything you see on stage when you come to RIU. We would also like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to all the entertainment staff and the RIU team for the work they always put in, but even more so through these months when, although we were unable to see the smiles behind the masks, they were able to transmit these through their eyes. Thank you for always putting all your heart into everything you do.
