Riu Just Reopened Three Jamaica All-Inclusive Resorts, With Four More to Relaunch By Mid-December
Jamaica’s hotel sector is moving through one of its fastest recovery cycles in recent years, with several major resorts already back on line less than a month after Hurricane Melissa. Along the north coast, the biggest shift came this week as RIU confirmed that three of its Jamaica all-inclusive properties are now open and operating, with four more scheduled to return over the next three weeks.
The reopening timeline follows an intensive stretch of repair work, utility stabilization and property checks that began immediately after the storm. While conditions varied across the island, teams prioritized restoring electricity, water and guest-facing systems in resort corridors, which allowed some properties to move earlier than expected.
Riu Ocho Rios remained open throughout the storm and has already returned to full operations. Riu Montego Bay reopened on Sunday after completing cleanup and infrastructure inspections. And today, Riu Palace Jamaica is back online, marking three functioning properties across two of the island’s busiest tourism hubs.
The next phase is set to unfold quickly. Riu Reggae, Riu Negril, Riu Palace Tropical Bay and Riu Palace Aquarelle are working toward reopening dates between late November and mid-December, pending final repair work and staff readiness. Once complete, all seven RIU properties in Jamaica will be operational again, restoring thousands of rooms ahead of the winter season.
The pace of the recovery aligns with the broader national push to stabilize tourism before peak travel begins. Charter carriers from Canada, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are preparing to resume their winter schedules, a key factor in the island’s holiday and high-season performance. Tourism officials have spent the last week conducting on-site assessments across the north coast, noting stronger-than-expected progress in areas where utilities were restored quickly.
RIU’s footprint across Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Negril and Falmouth represents one of the largest single hotel clusters in Jamaica, and its staggered reopening is expected to help normalize room supply as demand ramps up in December. For travelers with upcoming bookings, the return of these properties offers clearer visibility on availability at a time when the island’s recovery is moving from immediate restoration into long-term stabilization.
Karen Udler is the Deputy Travel Editor of Caribbean Journal. A graduate of Duke University, has been traveling across the Americas for three decades. First an expert on Latin American travel, Karen has been traveling with CJ for more than a decade. She likes to focus on wellness, luxury travel and food.
