Riu Hotels & Resorts has added Thailand to its growing roster of destinations on offer, as it opens the Hotel Riu Palace Phuket.

The five star resort is the first of an expected larger portfolio of Riu properties, as the renowned holiday giant from Europe looks to grow its presence across Asia. This launch property has 504 rooms, and has a frontage onto Mai Khao Beach. While, for nature lovers, the development is also close to the region’s Sirinat National Park, making for immersive experiences and days out.

Featuring a Resort Within a Resort

The premium resort features Riu’s Elite Club by RIU concept, which has 49 rooms set apart with their own exclusive pool and restaurant. A super luxury hotel within a hotel, it has its own reception and swim-up rooms.

The resort has a plethora of dining options for guests coming to stay. Across six restaurants, options include everything from traditional Thai inspired menus, to Italian food, a steakhouse, sports bar and ice cream shop. Facilities also include six different swimming pools, and a fully equipped gym and spa, with treatments to suit every guest need.

Also newly opened in the Riu portfolio is Riu Palace Peninsula, a refurbished resort in Cancun. The 562 room property has just undergone a complete refresh to keep it up to date in the busy, competitive Cancun resort market.

Further projects are also under way. Also in Cancun, work is nerving completion on a refurbishment at Riu Palace Mexico Playa del Carmen. This 434 room resort will relaunch as an adult-only offering, in the coming weeks.

In New York city centre, Riu is working on building its third hotel in the city. A vacant office building in Broadway is being replaced to create the 673 room Riu Plaza Broadway, a 50 storey landmark that is another addition to Riu’s growing portfolio of urban resorts. The hotel will be opening in the second quarter of 2027.

The Riu Palace Phuket is one of several major new resort properties coming to Phuket, as major hotel groups look to include the destination in their leisure offering. Work is under way on the 858 room Wyndham Grand Phuket Surin Beach, which is expected to launch in late 2026 as the largest resort in the pipeline.

Building Resorts with Scale

Also coming, and in second place in terms of scale, is a Marriott property with 600 rooms. The Sheraton Nai Harn Beach Resort & Spa will join the market in 2029, aiming to have a broad appeal for meeting and events organisers, as well as for leisure guests.

Yoo Hotels is also looking to join the party, with a pair of co-located resorts planned, adding up to around 600 rooms. Forest by Yoo and Forest by Yoo2 Phuket promise to be a design-led hotel and villa project, offering guests a broad choice of dining options and on-site entertainment.