RIU swung into action short after Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica last month (28 October) to resume operations, including "necessary cleaning and repair work". RIU Montego Bay resumed operations on Sunday (23 November), while RIU Palace Jamaica reopened on Monday (24 November).
The company has also established "tentative" opening dates for RIU Reggae, RIU Negril, RIU Palace Tropical Bay and RIU Palace Aquarelle, with the four properties expected to open their doors to the public between 30 November and 15 December.
All seven RIU hotels in Jamaica are "ready welcome their guests" (Credit: RIU)
RIU has put aside $1 million, 80% of which has been directly assigned to staff, to support the welfare of its colleagues as the island recovers from the hurricane.
The fund includes $570,000 specifically for providing materials for the reconstruction of employees’ homes, and $230,000 for immediate aid packages with basic necessities. Additionally, RIU has enabled an interest-free credit line of $1,300,000 for damages.
The resort staff have been handling the preparation and delivery of essential aid packages (Credit: RIU)
The remaining 20% has been allocated to the non-profit Jamaica Basic School Foundation, which has delivered 1,750 support packages to isolated communities with limited assistance.
RIU has also partnered with the NGO World Central Kitchen to prepare and distribute more than 7,000 meals daily from Negril and Montego Bay to affected communities, with the added benefit of offering employment to RIU employees while normal operations are being restored.
RIU's decision to set out its plans to reopen its resorts in Jamaica comes after Tui restarted its Jamaica programme on Monday (24 November), which it will ramp up in the coming months.
