On 23 September 2026, RIU Hotels & Resorts gathered the Bangkok travel trade for a welcome cocktail to introduce Riu Palace Phuket, the group's first hotel in Thailand, and our Director attended on behalf of Explera. We want to thank the RIU team for the invitation and for their hospitality. A new hotel is only as useful to agents as the understanding behind it, and an evening spent with the people who will run and sell it is the best start we could ask for.
Explera operates on the ground in four destinations — Thailand, Japan, Korea and Indonesia — and new supply in any of them changes what we can offer the agencies we work with. A five-star, all-inclusive arrival on Phuket's north-west coast from an internationally known brand is exactly that kind of change.
An Evening With the RIU Team
The invitation set out a simple programme: a welcome reception, wine and tapas, and an introduction to RIU Hotels & Resorts, held from six until nine in the evening at the fourth-floor lounge of Cagette Canteen & Deli on Yen Akat Road in Bangkok. Behind the reception stood a single line that sums up the news: the RIU experience, now in Thailand.
Our Director spent the evening with the RIU team. Meeting the people behind a new property before it appears in a client proposal is part of how a destination management company earns its partners' trust, and we are grateful to RIU for opening that door to the trade so early.
Why RIU's Thailand Debut Matters
Riu Palace Phuket marks RIU Hotels & Resorts' first step into Thailand and, in the chain's own words, a new international milestone in its expansion across Asia. For agencies in markets where the brand is already known, that familiarity does real work: clients who have stayed with RIU elsewhere arrive understanding what an all-inclusive stay with the brand means, which shortens the sale.
The resort brings RIU's 24-hour All Inclusive service to Phuket, and RIU presents that as what distinguishes the hotel in the destination. For agents, an all-inclusive rate turns a beach week into one comparable figure, without estimating what meals and drinks will add — useful for families, for couples who want to stay put, and for groups where one budget has to cover everyone.
The Resort in Brief
- Location: beachfront at Mai Khao on Phuket's north-west coast, beside Sirinat National Park, about 16 kilometres from Phuket International Airport and 40 kilometres from the historic old town.
- Rooms: 504, across several buildings of up to four floors connected by covered walkways, including spacious Junior Suites.
- Elite Club by RIU: 49 rooms with a private reception and personalised check-in, a dedicated restaurant and pool, premium international branded drinks, an upgraded minibar, welcome amenities, aromatherapy, and Swim Up rooms with a private terrace pool.
- Dining: six venues — Chantra (live cooking stations and themed buffets), Ruen Siam (Thai), Il Gusto (Italian), a premium Steakhouse, Pepe's Food (casual grill) and the Elite Club restaurant.
- Bars: seven — Mai Khao lobby bar, Siang Sawan lounge bar, Khon plaza, a Sports bar, Capuchino coffee and ice-cream parlour, Sabai pool bar with swim-up, and the Elite Club Lounge.
- Pools and wellness: six pools, two of them for children and one reserved for Elite Club guests; a gym, a steam bath and the Renova Spa; a meditation, prayer and offering area, and a wooden palapa for open-air massage.
- Activities: the RiuLand kids' club, a daily programme of daytime and evening entertainment, and the RiuFit sports programme.
- Sustainability: solar panels across two service buildings and rooftop rainwater harvesting that irrigates the gardens.
What It Means for Agents Selling Thailand
The north of Phuket is where much of the island's new upscale supply is being built, and a large all-inclusive resort there, close to the airport, gives agents a different kind of option from the busy west-coast beaches. The Elite Club tier adds a clear upgrade within the same hotel, which suits honeymoons, milestone trips and incentive groups whose leaders should be treated differently from the rest.
Our Thailand team at Explera DMC Thailand handles everything around the stay: private airport transfers, guided excursions across the island and to Phang Nga Bay, dinners outside the resort for clients who want them, and meeting and event arrangements for groups. For the full Thailand briefing on the resort, read our Thailand team's dispatch on the welcome cocktail.
Thank You, RIU
Our thanks again to RIU Hotels & Resorts for including Explera in the introduction of Riu Palace Phuket. We look forward to working with the team as the hotel welcomes its first guests, and to bringing our partners' clients to Mai Khao.
To include Riu Palace Phuket in a proposal, send your dates, room mix and group size to b2b@explera.co.th, or reach the group desk at b2b@expleradmc.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Riu Palace Phuket?
On the beach at Mai Khao, on Phuket's north-west coast, next to Sirinat National Park — about 16 kilometres from Phuket International Airport and 40 kilometres from Phuket's historic old town.
Is Riu Palace Phuket RIU's first hotel in Thailand?
Yes. RIU Hotels & Resorts describes the resort as its debut in Thailand and a step in its expansion across Asia.
What is the Elite Club by RIU?
A category of 49 rooms with a private reception, personalised check-in, a dedicated restaurant and pool, premium international branded drinks and other added services, including Swim Up rooms with a private pool on the terrace.
How can an agent book Riu Palace Phuket through Explera?
Send the client's dates, room mix and any special occasions to our Thailand trade desk. We come back with availability and a complete ground programme around the stay, so the proposal arrives as one package.
