RIU, Sunwing host top partners

In the spirit of the season, Sunwing and Signature Vacations, along with their exclusive hotel partner RIU, hosted a special event yesterday dedicated to their top industry supporters.

Thanking attendees for their support throughout the year, RIU's Sergi Ruiz Piqué, vice-president, business development, said "Without you, it wouldn't be possible to be here."

It's been an exciting year for the brand following the opening of new properties such as Hotel RIU Playa Blanca in Panama, Riu Palace Antillas, the company’s second hotel on the island of Aruba and the RIU Palace St. Martin, to name a few. 

In addition, they continue to invest in updating existing properties such as the RIU Cancun, which recently underwent a $20 million renovation.

"You know with RIU, the last thing you can do is get bored," Piqué quipped, referring to the constant development within the chain. "We don't only open new hotels; we renovate what we own."

Also coming down the pipe in 2015 is a new city hotel in New York City, called Riu Plaza Times Square.

Piqué took the opportunity to announce the launch of a new RIU Specialist Program, now available in both English and French at RIUspecialist.com. The training campus offers travel agents the ability to earn their certification as a RIU specialist, and earn two free nights as a reward for doing so.

Photo: David Wright, Director of Sales, Ontario and Atlantic Canada, Sunwing / Signature Vacations; Sergi Ruiz Piqué, VP, business development, U.S. & Canada, RIU; Valerie Ward, BDM, RIU; Sarah Martinache, director of partner marketing & sales development, USA & Canada, RIU; Timo Wittkopf, sales manager Riviera Maya, RIU; Angela Bennett, sales manager, Jamaica, RIU; Larissa Morias, sales manager, Punta Cana, RIU; Raymundo Muniz, director of business development & Riu Partner Club, RIU; Virginia Casado Castillo, press manager America, RIU; Juventino Ramos, sales manager, PVR, RIU; and Deana Murphy, VP, retail sales, Sunwing Travel Group.