Carmen Riu

Carmen Riu
Carmen Riu
Born (1955-10-15) 15 October 1955
Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
Alma materAutonomous University of Barcelona; IE Business School
OccupationsHotelier; business executive
Employer(s)RIU Hotels & Resorts
Known forCo-CEO of RIU Hotels & Resorts (1998–2024); Chair of the Board (2024– )
TitleChair of the Board of Directors (since 2024)
Board member ofSupervisory Board of TUI Group (2005–2018)
Children2

Carmen Riu Güell (commonly shortened to Carmen Riu, born 15 Oct 1955) is a Spanish hotelier and business executive. She belongs to the third generation of the Riu family and, together with her brother Luis Riu Güell, led RIU Hotels & Resorts as co-chief executive officer between 1998 and 2024. In the year 2024, she moved into the role of chair of the board.[1]

Early life and education

Carmen Riu Güell was born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Her parents were the hotelier Luis Riu Bertran (1933–1998) and Pilar Güell Boada.[2] The company's origins go back to her grandparents, Juan Riu Masmitjà and María Bertrán Espigulé, who in 1953 acquired the Hotel Riu San Francisco in Playa de Palma and used it as the base for what later became the RIU chain.[3] She studied Economics and Business Administration at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She later completed postgraduate training in human resources and finance at IE Business School (Madrid).[4]

Career

Carmen Riu started out in the group's hotel operations while still young and, in 1977, took up the position of general manager at the Riu Bali in Playa de Palma.[4] After her father died on 7 April 1998, she and her brother stepped into joint leadership and were appointed co-CEOs.[2] Across her period as co-CEO, the company pushed further into international markets, introduced the Riu Plaza urban brand and, in parallel, concluded a consolidation of ownership after TUI Group divested its 49% stake in 2021.[5] In March 2025, she received the TUI Lifetime Achievement Award during the TUI Global Hotel Awards ceremony.[6] From 2005 until 2018, Carmen Riu Güell sat on the Supervisory Board of TUI Group.[7] And in February 2019, her son Joan Trian Riu was elected to the same body.[8] On 10 May 2024, RIU and TUI stated that she would step back from executive responsibilities before the summer. Under that arrangement, Luis Riu continued as sole CEO, while Carmen Riu became chair of the board.[1] The following year, the company reported a further phase in its generational transition, with expanded duties being assigned to members of the fourth generation of the family.[9]

In 2012, while serving as chief executive, Carmen Riu Güell signed on behalf of RIU Hotels & Resorts the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism (The Code) at a public event in Gran Canaria, confirming the group's participation in the initiative.[10] In Spain, The Code is promoted through the Federación de Asociaciones para la Prevención del Maltrato Infantil (FAPMI) and linked internationally to ECPAT International.[11][12]

After the signing, RIU gradually folded The Code's requirements into its internal routines, including mandatory staff training, child-safeguarding language in supplier contracts, and guidance on how to report suspected cases.[13][14]

RIU's social-action work during her leadership also included collaborations framed around UNICEF's child-rights approach. Following the 2017 Mexico earthquakes, RIU reported that a UNICEF-supported education recovery programme it financed helped install 100 temporary classrooms, supported the return to school of around 4,000 children in Chiapas and Puebla, and trained more than 200 teachers.[15]

As chair, Riu has continued to back RIU's participation in child-protection networks in Spain connected to UNICEF-related forums and to FAPMI/ECPAT Spain. In 2024 and 2025, ECPAT Spain recognised RIU's implementation of The Code with Top Member distinctions.[16][17]

Philanthropy and health partnerships

Since the mid-1990s, Carmen Riu Güell has been associated with the Campaner Foundation, supporting its prevention, diagnosis and care programmes for children affected by noma in Niger, alongside related shelter and education projects (including work in Diffa and Niamey).[18][19]

Through her role at RIU, she has also promoted awareness campaigns encouraging donations and volunteering for the foundation's work.[20] On 15 December 2023, the World Health Organization added noma to its list of neglected tropical diseases, a step that increased international attention on long-running prevention and treatment efforts by organisations such as the Campaner Foundation and its partners.[21]

Sustainability

While Carmen Riu Güell was in leadership, RIU introduced its Proudly Committed strategy in 2024. It was presented as a framework for environmental stewardship, community impact and responsible business practices—covering decarbonisation targets and biodiversity projects, among other elements.[22][23] Within that framing, the company places child protection among its stated social-impact commitments, alongside education, health and local development partnerships.[24]

Awards and honours

Entrepreneur of the Year (Spain), shared with her brother Luis Riu (2010); Carmen Riu and Luis Riu Güell received the award from Ernst & Young.[25]

CIMET Gold and Diamonds Insignia, Próceres del Turismo Español en Iberoamérica (2015).[26]

TUI Lifetime Achievement Award (2025).[27]

Selected interviews

Interview with Carmen Riu on the future of tourism in Spain, Vogue Business (Spain).[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Retirement of Carmen Riu". TUI Group. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Agenda – Obituary: Luis Riu Bertrán". El País (in Spanish). 9 April 1998. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  3. ^ "The story behind the RIU chain". RIU Blog. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  4. ^ a b "CEO Carmen Riu to Retire From Roles With RIU Hotels & Resorts". Hotel-Online. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  5. ^ "TUI sells 49% stake in RIU Hotels for €670 million". Reuters. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  6. ^ "Carmen Riu Güell honoured with TUI Lifetime Achievement Award at the TUI Global Hotel Awards 2025". TUI Group. 4 March 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  7. ^ "Corporate Governance Report 2018" (PDF). TUI Group. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  8. ^ "TUI AGM: Shareholders confirm dividend; Joan Trian Riu elected to Supervisory Board". Money & Tourism. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  9. ^ "RIU Hotels & Resorts announces a new step forward in the generational handover". RIU News. 7 February 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  10. ^ "Riu Hotels and Resorts signs The Code". The Code. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  11. ^ "Presentación institucional". Federación de Asociaciones para la Prevención del Maltrato Infantil (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  12. ^ "About ECPAT International". ECPAT International. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  13. ^ "RIU Hotels & Resorts nos habla de su compromiso y experiencia en la protección de niños y niñas". Federación de Asociaciones para la Prevención del Maltrato Infantil – ECPAT España (in Spanish). 21 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  14. ^ "Ante cualquier sospecha contra la explotación sexual infantil en el turismo, denúncialo". RIU Blog (in Spanish). 28 October 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  15. ^ "Six months after the earthquakes in Mexico, RIU's contribution with UNICEF installs 100 temporary classrooms". RIU Blog. 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  16. ^ "Riu Hotels & Resorts: Top Member del Código de Conducta en 2024". Federación de Asociaciones para la Prevención del Maltrato Infantil – ECPAT España (in Spanish). 27 January 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  17. ^ "RIU Hotels & Resorts, Top Member 2025 de The Code". Federación de Asociaciones para la Prevención del Maltrato Infantil – ECPAT España. 7 October 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  18. ^ "At RIU we are looking for "smile savers" to join the Campaner Foundation in their fight against noma disease". RIU Blog. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  19. ^ "El noma infantil – conference by Pep Campaner". Casa África. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  20. ^ "At RIU we are looking for "smile savers" to join the Campaner Foundation in their fight against noma disease". RIU Blog. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  21. ^ "WHO officially recognizes noma as a neglected tropical disease". World Health Organization. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  22. ^ "RIU presents its new Proudly Committed sustainability strategy". RIU News. 5 February 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  23. ^ "RIU Hotels & Resorts updates sustainability strategy". Sustainable Hotel News. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  24. ^ "Social Action – RIU Hotels & Resorts". RIU. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  25. ^ "Carmen and Luis Riu win Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year". RIU.com. 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  26. ^ "Luis y Carmen Riu Güell, nombrados Próceres del Turismo Español en Iberoamérica". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 26 January 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  27. ^ "TUI Global Hotel Awards 2025: Travellers rank the best hotels globally". TUI Group. 4 March 2025. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  28. ^ "El futuro del turismo en España: entrevista a Carmen Riu". Vogue España (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
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