On a day that was “all about RIU,” close to 125 senior managers and executives from across the Sunwing Travel Group convened Tuesday with RIU Hotels & Resorts execs to learn the latest from one of the Canadian travel company’s most important partners.

Sunwing’s VP of Product Development Eric Rodriguez reaffirmed with the already-knowledgeable audience at the annual “Amplify” event that the well-established relationship between the two companies – now 15 years in the books – was not merely based on numbers, but “feel and trust.”

Indeed, Rodriguez joked that he and RIU VP of Sales, Contracting and Business Development Armin Kaester had planned a skit where they played the roles of each other.

He added that “their growth has been our growth.”

And growing RIU is, Kaester said, with the Spanish firm’s roster now including 99 resorts worldwide, of which 38 are located in the Caribbean and Mexico.

And that, of course, is where Sunwing comes in, with the travel company filling 5,000 RIU rooms every day during the peak January-March period, in southern destinations such as Cancun, Punta Cana and Jamaica.

Kaester told Travel Industry Today in an interview that those three destinations are tops in the Americas for RIU, and the Dominican Republic and Mexico typically flip-flip as No. 1 and 2 depending on the year.

He added that Asia notably continues to develop for RIU, explaining that its hard to match such growth in the more mature southern destinations.

At the same time, Kaester said RIU is redeveloping its sun resorts, particularly with its core US and Canadian customers in mind (as opposed to catering to the tastes of Europeans) and showed before and after slides of resorts to oohs and ahs of the audience. New features includes more earthy colour schemes; a chic, elegant feel; enhanced room and bed configurations for friends and family travelling together; and more amenities for kids.

What hasn’t changed are RIU’s core principles, he said: best value – including being a “real all-inclusive” where there are no added fees (for premium drinks or restaurants, etc.); prime locations; 24-hour service; commitment to sustainability; and fun atmosphere, featuring the renowned RIU pool parties.

For travel advisors, Kaester noted that RIU is a singular brand with only two options: Classic and Palace. In other words, there are not multiple brands under the same umbrella to sift through. And the two resort styles offer the same vacation experience, no matter the destination.

“We are very streamlined,” Kaester said. “You know exactly what you’re getting. So, it’s very easy to sell.”