8.3.2019 TTG Show Daily ITB Berlin 6
In the spotlight
Making strides into the Maldives
Oliver Kluth, senior vice president of sales & business development at Riu Hotels & Resorts, shares with
Paige Lee Pei Qi why the country will make an important addition to the Spanish hotel chain’s portfolio
What is Riu Hotels doing to court Euro-
pean buyers at ITB Berlin this year?
To us, attending this show is an opportu-
nity to present the group’s news to the in-
dustry. This year we have seven openings
scheduled in the Maldives, Madrid, Mal-
lorca, Morocco and Bulgaria, and we have
plans to renovate and extend seven of our
hotels, including the Riu Palace Zanzibar.
We will be holding the great Riu party
at Riu Plaza Berlin, which is now in its
fourth edition and has become a tradition
that brings together all of our partners
and the top political leaders of the key
destinations where we operate.
What’s the one key message that Riu
Hotels want to convey to ITB Berlin
buyers?
One of the most important and excit-
ing points for Riu this year is that we are
opening our first two hotels in the Mal-
dives: the four-star Riu Atoll with 264
rooms in May, and the five-star Riu Palace
Maldivas with 176 rooms, which will open
a few weeks later.
We have high hopes for these immi-
nent openings with the unique nature of
the destination, which is so different from
everything else we offer at the moment.
We are also reopening the Riu Palace
Zanzibar, Tanzania, in June, following its
renovation and extension to 200 rooms.
This new destination, which we added
recently to our portfolio, reinforces our
commitment to destinations in the Indian
Ocean, and our focus on new markets that
differ from the chain’s traditional ones.
Which new property or brand will ap-
peal to the European market?
Our upcoming flagship in the European
market is the Riu Plaza España, which
is located in Spain’s capital city, Madrid.
This hotel represents the company’s first
steps in this city, and it is the first in the
Riu Plaza category in Spain. For this ho-
tel, the Spanish national market will make
up at least 40 per cent of the hotel occu-
pancy.
Which source markets from Europe
are expected to do well for the group in
2019, and why?
The principal European markets are very
important to Riu across all our destina-
tions and they will continue to be so for
the upcoming openings in Zanzibar and
the Maldives. The UK, Germany and
Benelux represent over 40 per cent of our
global turnover and they are largely re-
sponsible for the success of our hotels in
We have high hopes for the
imminent openings of our two
hotels in Maldives with the
unique nature of the destination,
which is so different from
everything else we offer at
the moment.
Sri Lanka and Mauritius.
However, the main focus of our work
in 2019 will be in China, India and other
Asian countries, which will be key in mar-
keting the new hotels in the Indian Ocean.
Which new markets/segments in Eu-
rope does Riu Hotels have on the radar?
All of our markets are important, both in
Europe and other destinations. Currently,
it is very important for us to maintain our
position in Europe, and much more so if
we consider the great response to our ho-
tels in Germany, Bulgaria, Spain, Ireland
and Portugal, which we will be extending
over the next year with the opening in
London – our first hotel in the UK.
What is Riu Hotels doing to stand out
amid strong market competition?
The most important thing is the quality of
our services. It is a maxim for us, and we
take it as our duty to our guests to offer
the highest possible quality, and to always
maintain our level of service across all of
our hotels and destinations.
Remaking an island destination
Lynette Ang, chief marketing officer of Sentosa Development Corporation, tells Paige Lee Pei Qi how a trio
of new hotels will transform the accommodation scene for Singapore’s holiday island
What is Sentosa doing to court the Eu-
ropean market?
Sentosa’s presence at ITB Berlin is part of
our continuous effort to extend our popu-
larity beyond traditional regional markets,
and welcome more guests from longhaul
markets such as Europe, America and
Oceania.
Europe is a market that we have not ful-
ly tapped, and we see the growth potential
for both the leisure and MICE markets.
Thus, as we look to grow our global visi-
torship, Sentosa Development Corpora-
tion (SDC) has increased our focus on
courting the MICE segment, as well as our
presence in global trade shows.
Participating at ITB Berlin will en-
able us to reach a global audience and
raise top-of-mind awareness of Sentosa
in longhaul markets, while also allowing
us to establish strategic alliances with key
partners in Europe.
Which were the top performing mar-
kets from Europe in 2018?
Germany is our top performing market,
followed by France. With the traction that
we have gained so far among visitors from
these countries, we are continuing our fo-
cus on these markets within Europe.
Which key European markets is Sentosa
targeting for 2019?
We also see great potential in the Eastern
European market. Looking at tourism
figures to Singapore in its entirety, Eu-
rope was the third fastest-growing market
for Singapore, with the strongest growth
numbers coming from Eastern Europe
countries. As such, we also have our sights
on Eastern Europe, from where we are be-
ginning to see small MICE groups travel-
ling to Singapore.
What new offerings on Sentosa will ap-
peal to the European market?
We have observed that European guests
tend to spend more time on Sentosa, with
many of them staying over for a night.
With up to 18 hotels, we have accommo-
dation that caters to different needs and
budgets.
Most notably, three new hotels under
the Far East Hospitality umbrella will be
opening their doors to guests from April
this year. They bring to the island an addi-
tional 839 rooms across three hotels – Vil-
lage Hotel at Sentosa, The Outpost Hotel
and The Barracks Hotel – adding to the
existing 3,500-plus rooms in Sentosa.
On the leisure front, this boosts our ap-
peal as Singapore’s holiday island. In ad-
dition, the four-star Village Hotel at Sen-
tosa creates more options for the mid-tier
market with its value-for-money accom-
modation.
The addition of more rooms and the
new Events Centre also gives us greater ca-
pabilities in accommodating larger MICE
groups and conferences, therefore allow-
ing us to host more corporate clients as
well as Sentosa-only or Sentosa-led itin-
eraries.
What about the attractions?
Our nature trails, while not necessarily
new to Sentosa, also appeal to European
travellers and their preference for new
experiences, activities and nature when
travelling.
With this in mind, we’re currently ex-
ploring working with the Singapore Envi-
ronment Council to develop new nature
trail experiences and learning journeys in
Sentosa – an experience that will appeal
to not just European guests, but tourists
from other markets and locals as well.
Europe is a market that we
have not fully tapped, and
we see the growth potential
for both the leisure and MICE
markets.