The Riu Plaza Berlin (Germany) and the Riu Plaza Guadalajara (Mexico) will open on Monday, May 25th. They will be the first two hotels in the chain to reopen after the total closure of all their establishments in the month of March due to the crisis caused by the coronavirus. Therefore, these two hotels will become the first to apply the security protocols contained in the RIU Manual for the Post-COVID hotel, which offers the maximum security guarantees and measures possible for clients and employees.
The hotel Riu Plaza Berlin, with 357 rooms and 4 stars, was opened in 2015 in one of the most popular areas of the city, near the main embassies, prominent shopping areas and the historic centre. Its reopening will take place a few days after the celebration of Pentecost, a very important holiday in Germany, as well as in its neighboring countries, and is a period when people usually take the advantage to travel.
The hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajara was opened in 2011 in one of the best areas of the city, on López Mateos Avenue, a thoroughfare that connects with Expo Guadalajara, the industrial areas and the historic center. The 4-star hotel offers 550 rooms, plus a large conference centre with 16 rooms. Guadalajara is the capital of the state of Jalisco, as well as the second most important city in Mexico. Its cultural heritage and active economic and social life attract thousands of visitors every year.
The employees of the Riu Plaza Guadalajara and the Riu Plaza Berlin will resume their work with the great responsibility of being the first RIU teams to apply the 17 protocols created by the chain in collaboration with the consulting firm Preverisk. They establish the necessary security measures to offer maximum peace of mind to its customers and employees in this first phase of reopening. These protocols go into the detail of the daily operation so that each employee knows how to act from the moment he gets to his job, when he performs his tasks and also finishes his daily tasks.
RIU has created a specific training programme for the introduction of these new safety, hygiene and performance protocols in all of its hotels with a view to the gradual reopening of its facilities. The measures are meticulous and strict, starting with limiting hotel occupancy to 50% or 60%, except for more restrictive legal regulations, to offer maximum peace of mind and security to both guests and employees, and will gradually loosen up as health authorities issue new regulations.