New York, New York, March 30, 2016 RIU Hotels & Resorts has inaugurated the Riu Plaza New York Times Square, its first hotel in New York City. The newly constructed hotel has a prime location in the heart of Manhattan, just a few steps from emblematic Times Square on Restaurant Row. It is these features – and more – which make the new, 647-room hotel the ideal point from which to explore the city.

RIU has invested a total of $310 million in the project, its largest investment to date. This investment included purchasing the land, constructing the building – with its modern style and 29 floors – and decorating the hotel, with its clean, contemporary design.

"This opening is a dream come true. It took us nearly ten years to find the most appropriate opportunity to invest in the right location in New York, in addition to the three years it took to prepare and build the hotel. However, without a doubt, all of the effort and work was worth it seeing how the Riu Plaza New York Times Square hotel is now a reality", affirmed Luis Riu, CEO of RIU Hotels & Resorts. Luis Riu also made clear how "proud he is to offer our most trusted guests the opportunity to explore the city with us."

New York is the cultural and economic capital of the world and receives more visits than any other city across the globe. In 2015 alone, New York welcomed nearly 60 million tourists, once again, beating its own record for number of visitors. Almost everyone dreams of visiting the city at least once in their lifetime and RIU expects that many of its repeat customers will also join them in New York, of RIU's 4.1 million guests in 2015, 40% are loyal to the brand.

The 647 rooms housed within the Riu Plaza New York Times Square are divided into doubles, executives, family suites, junior suites and the presidential suite. Among the guest room amenities are a minibar, a flat screen television, and complimentary Wi-Fi, which will be available throughout the entire hotel.

Guests can dine on-site at Fashion, an à la carte restaurant that will be open for lunch and dinner, with a buffet breakfast offered each morning. It will also be open for snacks from 12 PM to 11 PM daily. The casual, grab-and-go Capital will offer coffee, tea, soft drinks, snacks, sweets and healthy bites for guests on the go.

With regard to business tourism, the hotel has two conference rooms with capacity for 70 and 75 people, respectively, along with two meeting rooms. Meeting planners and business travelers also have access to full audiovisual equipment and Wi-Fi. It is also worth noting that guests will have a fitness center with the latest and most modern equipment at their disposal.

With the opening of the RIU Plaza New York Times Square, RIU now has five hotels in its urban line: the Riu Plaza Berlin in Germany, the Riu Plaza Panama in Panama City, the Riu Plaza Guadalajara in Mexico, and the Riu Plaza Miami Beach in Florida (USA).