This is how RIU has achieved its unique customer service

12 April, 2021 Share

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It is nothing new. Since 1953, what has been setting RIU apart from other companies is our exclusive customer service. For us, it is vital that you feel cared for and at ease when you visit our hotels for your holidays. All of this has been made possible thanks to you, because over the years you have been helping us and teaching us how to improve. Would you like to know how?

Since we opened the first RIU hotel, the Riu San Francisco in Mallorca, we have learned to be aware of and understand many of your needs. More often than not, you have let us know directly, but on other occasions, you’ve told us without even realising. We are going to let you in on RIU’s best-kept secret!

1) Satisfaction surveys (those famous papers)

I’m sure you already know about these because we’ve done them with you at some point. But do you know how these questionnaires work and what they are for? They measure the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) through a survey performed by an external company. These reflect your opinions and provide us with comparable and reliable data. The results are passed on to our board of directors, which is responsible for analysing and addressing all the issues and then proposing improvements and resolving your concerns.

Riu Dubai

But did you know that this was set in motion by Don Luis Riu Bertrán? The father of our current CEO realised very early on that it was very important to listen to you in order to keep you coming back. In those early years, the results were reviewed manually, but very little has changed over the last 60 years. The secret is simplicity. We keep them short and to the point, so that as many guests as possible respond. Many improvements have been suggested to us, but we have not yet found the one that will make us change.

2) Comments from RIU guests to managers or staff

When you come to see us, you have most contact with the managers and staff of the hotel, and often a special bond is created between you. Everything you tell them and any concerns you convey to them, reach us and help us to improve. This form of communication is a chain: the hotel is alerted and passes the information on to the relevant departments. We always listen very carefully to what the hotels suggest, because they are the ones who know you best and who understand the ins and outs of your stay. For us it is a pleasure to be able to receive this feedback and to learn things that would be impossible to find out about without your help.

Riu Palace Santa Maria

3) Observation: actions or events that RIU customers engage in at the hotels

As well as listening to you, we also watch what you do, and that helps us to get to know you a little better. Your movements and actions tell us where to place the sauces in the restaurants or the towel trolley in the pool area. It is these little things that we make a note of every day. Although they may seem inconsequential, together they constitute our unique customer service.

Now do you understand why we call it service with heart? The truth is that we have been building this thanks to you. It’s something we’ve achieved together, and for that, congratulations, you deserve credit, too! But don’t think that it has been an easy task. We must point out that what we apply in each hotel or destination depends on the nationality of the guests who stay at the hotel. The programming changes, especially in the dining room, according to nationality, in other words, the time an English person eats dinner is not the same as that of a Spaniard. Another excellent example is that 400 Swedes at the Riu Vistamar will not be served the same food as 400 Germans at the Riu Gran Canaria, so in addition to the timetable, this variation also extends to the hotel menus. And this, once again, we know thanks to you.

But it doesn’t stop here, as customer service covers many more areas:

– Work and renovations at RIU hotels

As you know, RIU has been making a growing commitment over the last few years to refurbish all its hotels. Well, one of the main objectives of these renovations, in addition to adapting the hotel to modern times, is to include all those changes that you have been suggesting to us and which are already incorporated into our newly built hotels. When building or refurbishing our hotels, we pay special attention to what you have asked for. In particular, we focus on all the comments that come in from clients prior to a renovation and these reach the GAT, the technical department in charge of making the magic happen in our hotels through the design of the spaces.

Riu Buenavista

– Bedrooms

Undoubtedly, one of the zones of the hotel we pay the most attention to are the bedrooms, as these are the areas where you are able to relax and enjoy your privacy. In this department the beds have been greatly improved, they are now wider and the mattresses are higher. Also, the bathtubs are gradually being removed from the hotels and replaced by showers. Another novelty is that now the TVs have more channels, are more modern and larger. Small changes that you have been asking for and that have become essentials in a RIU hotel.

– Dining rooms and bars

Over the years, the bars and restaurants have been one of the areas that have seen the most modifications, as times change and with them so do tastes and habits. In line with this, many more outdoor spaces have been added, and the size of the terraces has been increased, the furniture is now more modern and the carpets have been removed. Now the exterior lighting brightens up everything and takes centre stage in these areas. There are also many more options in our hotels thanks to the themed restaurants and, if you want to watch what you eat during your days off, there is also a wide range of healthy food on offer. As we have already mentioned, the menus are specially adapted to different nationalities and are as extensive as possible to satisfy all palates.

Riu Palace Palmeras

One of the most popular requests was to be able to eat outside, near the swimming pool, and this is where we came up with the idea of creating Pepe’s Food bar.

– Entertainment

Entertainment is fundamental in our hotels. Over the years our entertainment has been continuously improved and adapted to your tastes. As a result, we now run more up to date activities such as yoga,

Riumba, aquagym, and so on. One of the main changes has come about as a result of the current pandemic, in which technological activities have been introduced in the form of mobile games.

Riu Palace Santa Maria

Everything has been carefully designed to ensure that you have fun and are entertained. For example, each year the entire entertainment programme is reviewed and updated, and new shows are introduced at the request of the guests.

– Swimming pool area

One of the highlights in the new hotels, as well as those that have been renovated, is undoubtedly the pool slides. Children’s areas have also been expanded, there is the new Splash Water World, pool services, infinity pools with sea views, and lots more. These areas have proved to be a key feature you are looking for when choosing a RIU hotel to stay at.

Riu Palace Baja California

– A new technological era

We mentioned earlier that the pandemic has brought with it technological advances that are also replicated in many areas of the hotel. For example, you can now book your restaurant reservation via the mobile app. Do you remember the new RIU App? We introduced it to you a few months ago when we told you about all its advantages. Now you can make a booking, order a towel, and check in in a single space.

These are only a few examples of all the changes that we have been making to our hotels since we began in 1953. All of this is thanks to you, who more than being just a guest, on many occasions have been our guide. So, once again, we would like to thank you for helping us to achieve the quality customer service that sets us apart.