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RIU is so much more than a hotel chain. It is a company that, in addition to guaranteeing you a dream holiday in its more than 97 hotels around the world, every day strives to improve, in both its hotels and its central services.
Undoubtedly one of the areas to which RIU is most strongly committed is the training of all its employees and the recruitment of talent. Today we would like to introduce you to the Immersive Commercial Engagement Programme (ICEP) which has been running since 2012.
Immersive Commercial Engagement Programme
Every two years, the chain launches this talent recruitment programme for RIU’s Commercial department. The programme looks for young graduates in the economics fields. The goal, in the words of Senén Fornos, RIU’s Senior Vice President of Ibero-American Markets, is “to enrich the Commercial Department with people who have a high level of emotional intelligence and who will enable us to confidently tackle the future challenges that the company is going to face. Our idea is that these people will go on to occupy managerial positions with an international projection in the medium term, and in different departments.”
All ICEP candidates go through a multi-stage selection process as well as interviews during which time their potential and qualities are assessed. Following this process, the selected candidates become part of the programme, which lasts six months, when the candidate is trained and visits the different Commercial departments. They also travel to RIU destinations to gain a complete understanding of the business. After this training period, participants have a 360º vision of how RIU works, its values and its purposes as a company.
Senén Fornos: “This year we have selected a total of 10 candidates from the more than 750 applications received”
The programme, as Senén explains, “arises from the need for RIU, like other companies in the tourism sector, to enrich its Commercial department with talented young people, with the training and skills that guarantee the company’s expansion and growth rate.” In this way, positions in all areas of the Commercial team are also being filled.
“Personal values are essential when selecting a candidate”
The selection process is laborious as it involves people from a number of areas, including the RIU Recruitment department and a representative from each of the Commercial departments. “We are more interested in the value of the person than in their technical knowledge of the industry, as our aim is to teach them that technical knowledge and know-how”, says Senén. He also adds that “We are not looking for the smartest people, but for the best people, whose values are aligned with the company’s values.”
80% of the programme’s candidates currently hold a position of responsibility at RIU
After the programme, a high percentage of candidates stay at RIU. Today, more than 80% of these people are qualified professionals and active in the company, occupying positions of responsibility in destinations such as Cancún, Punta Cana, Dubai and Gran Canaria.
This is the case of our colleague Aurora Ávila who is currently responsible for Revenue for the Mexican Caribbean area, which includes the 14 hotels located in Playa del Carmen, Cancún and Costa Mujeres. She started at RIU three years ago, in the ICEP programme, during which time she has worked in various positions and departments. She started the programme and her training in Palma de Mallorca, where RIU’s headquarters are located.
“The first six months were spent training in the sales and contracting department of América Vacacional, and the following six months I was supporting the Balearic Islands Sales department“, she tells us. In 2022, she moved to Cancún where, after a year of training and getting to know the destination and its particular circumstances, she took up her current position.
During her six months of training, Aurora learned everything involved in the commercial management of a hotel company as large as RIU and “In particular that, for it to work, you have to set up a system in which all the departments must work together.” Each week she received training in a different department, so that she and her colleagues could understand the structure of the company as a whole, being aware of everyone’s work and the relationship between them. In addition, “This training went beyond the company’s Commercial Department, as we also spent two weeks with operations, learning about the day-to-day business of the hotel.”
“The path to getting into the programme was long and demanding, but it was definitely worth it”
Our colleague Aurora sends some advice to future candidates so that they “Take advantage of the opportunity to listen and learn. Soak up all the knowledge and experience of the people who do the training. In addition, do not be afraid to move to a new destination and face the challenge of being away from home, as this will help you grow both professionally and personally, and you can be sure that you will always have a support network that will make everything easier.”
One of the great examples of how this programme is a great opportunity for growth at RIU is Gonzalo Baselga. He joined the programme in 2012 and is currently the head of the Sales Department for the Riu Plaza hotels in Europe, Panama and Guadalajara. There is no doubt that joining ICEP is a great opportunity for young people who are looking for professional challenges and who are not afraid to move away from home.
