Blue Diamond and RG Hotels in Partnership for Royalton Playa Blanca Panama
Formerly the Nikki Beach Playa Blanca
BERLIN, Germany - March 14, 2011 - During the ITB Berlin tourism trade show taking place this week in Germany, RG Hotels Group has announced a new agreement for the branding and management of its recently completed luxury five-star resort property at Playa Blanca, Panama. Blue Diamond, the new hotel operations company owned by Sunwing Group of Canada, and the European tour operator TUI will work with RG Hotels to manage the property under the Royalton Hotels brand.
The management agreement will cover the newest property in the RG Hotels portfolio, located to the west of Panama City, previously known as Nikki Beach Playa Blanca. The resort features 240 rooms, 70 percent of which are 90-square-meter oceanfront suites. The hotel also features five restaurants, two pools, an events hall, amenities for the whole family and a modernist chic, organic design.
"The Royalton Playa Blanca is one of the most stunning resorts we have ever worked on, and now, thanks to our partners at Blue Diamond, our guests will enjoy an unparalleled luxury experience," said Maru Galvez of RG Hotels. "Immaculate service, attention to detail, and casual beachside elegance at one of the country's most desirable locations is a winning formula."
In addition to this agreement RG Hotels and Blue Diamond are developing expansion plans for two more properties in the Playa Blanca area to compliment the region's elite lodging options. Blue Diamond Resorts and its shareholders are betting on Panama as a major tourist destination, complementing their strong position among corporate and leisure travelers.
The Royalton Playa Blanca Panama will also benefit from its partnership with Europe's top travel group, TUI. TUI Travel is a global leader in the industry, consisting of 80 tour operators in 25 different countries, servicing 40 million passengers a year. With a fleet of 200 planes on seven different airlines and 5,000 travel agencies, the company has ambitious expansion plans.
Sunwing Tour Operators is the Canadian leader for destinations in the Caribbean, operating the brands Sunwing Travel, Signature Vacations, Sell Off Vacations, and Red Seal Vacations. All passengers flying with Sunwing Airlines enjoy the most modern fleet of 737-800 aircraft servicing 35 different airports across all of Canada. In 2010, 1.5 million passengers traveled with Sunwing.
RG Hotels, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, has more than 12 years experience in the hospitality industry, operating several successful luxury real estate developments across the country.




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