REPORTUR.US interview with Oliver Samorey, Regional Director of Sales in the USA and Canada
Juan Ignacio Orue | January 27, 2023
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RELATED TOPICS: NY, Oliver Samorey, Riu, Riu Plaza Chicago, Riu Plaza Toronto
Riu’s regional sales director for the United States and Canada, Oliver Samorey, exclusively previews REPORTUR.us that the Mallorcan chain seeks to grow in the United States, a destination where it already has four establishments of the “Plaza” brand in New York, Miami and San Francisco.
“Riu is looking for a site for its third hotel in New York,” says Samorey, and recalls that the chain is building the Riu Plaza Chicago and, outside the United States, the Riu Plaza Toronto, in Canada.
The hotel company currently manages the Riu Plaza Manhattan Times Square, the Riu Plaza New York Times Square, the Riu Plaza Fisherman’s Wharf and the Riu Plaza Miami Beach.
The truth is that the parameters for building a Riu Plaza are very strict, the analysis and evaluation are detailed and detailed. The building must be located in the best area of a major city with a capacity of at least 250 rooms. It also has to be a consecrated tourist destination.
“With these requirements we are open to invest. We are looking for the exact site. There are cities where we search and in others we are opportunistic, but we search in an orderly manner. They are four-star hotels with breakfast included for all clients”, she details, adding that the “tourist demand in New York is extreme”.
Samorey says that the Latin American and European markets, especially the German one, have been activated in the United States and that the Asian one is still a little behind.
“We had an excellent 2022, but we are particularly worried about costs in 2023. In the United States, there was talk of a recession, but in the end it looks like that will not happen. It is even possible that Europe will also be saved. In Germany, for example, there will be 0.4% growth this year. All this is very positive for the whole industry and also for us. The forecast is that the United States will continue well. In our hotels we receive a large influx of European and Latin American tourists and we want to keep them. But we are focused on growing much more in the American tourist. We have a significant growth margin in this aspect, ”he concludes.
