Austria
RIU Hotels is introducing its new website all about its Corporate Social Responsibility and the RIU Method, a social innovation method that the company uses to identify and manage the impact its activity has on the destinations where its hotels operate. This digital space sits within its long-term strategy, which aims to achieve a more responsible hospitality model for the people and environment in the 20 countries where its 100 hotels are situated.
Under the slogan “Be RIUsponsible”, the website contains all the information about the chain’s responsible identity, with statements from its CEOs, Carmen and Luis Riu, as well as testimonials from the team itself, who are known as “sustainability ambassadors”. It also lists the company’s commitments to and membership of official bodies relating to tourism and defending human rights, especially with regard to protecting children.
The RIU Method section explains the phases of this system of work that is unique in the sector and that, to the CSR team, is a key tool to help them decide which actions or projects to undertake in each country, always considering two areas of priority: people (children and the local community) and biodiversity. This diagnostic procedure was created in 2019 in partnership with ESCP Business School.It links social and environmental investment with each destination’s turnover, in order to apply criteria of proportionality. For example, in 2019, this method guided a social investment of 1.2 million euros and in 2020, even with the COVID-19 crisis and the temporary closure of many of the company’s hotels, 700,000 euros were invested in social and environmental projects around the world.
Partners, collaborators and not-for-profit bodies linked to RIU Hotels also have their own space on this new online platform, which includes information and photographs of their projects, as well as specific details of the positive impact they have had on society and the environment. Not-for-profit organisations and foundations, clinics and sports and cultural associations can use this platform as a global showcase for their actions and projects with the hotel chain. In addition, the website includes an interactive CSR map in which users can find all the projects RIU is collaborating with around the world.
In addition, the new web page gives special importance to the “Hotels with Sustainability Awareness”, in a space dedicated to the RIU hotels’ social and environmental initiatives, their good practice, the sustainable measures they apply, their official certifications and the SDGs involved in the CSR strategy.
Finally, the website highlights the importance of RIU Hotels CSR Communication, which is a vital tool for interaction with its stakeholders, including suppliers, public authorities, third-sector partners, the media and so on. This section includes the key CSR news and campaigns, as well as a document archive with all the company’s public policies and reports.
