This Adults-Only Montego Bay Resort Goes Dark at Month's End — and Won't Reopen Until December
One of Riu's flagship Jamaica resorts closes August 31 for a full rebuild, returning in December with new swim-up suites.
The adults-only Hotel Riu Palace Jamaica in Montego Bay will close on August 31 for a multi-million-dollar rebuild, with a reopening planned for December 12.
The overhaul touches nearly every corner of the property: completely renovated guest rooms, refurbished public areas, and updated restaurants including a refreshed steakhouse. The signature addition is 10 new swim-up rooms with private pools, a category that has become a must-have across Riu's upscale Palace line.
The closure caps a heavy investment run for Riu on the island. The Spanish chain poured US$287 million into building the nearby Riu Palace Aquarelle and upgrading its existing properties over the past five years, and it recently marked 25 years operating in Jamaica. Rather than let its older Montego Bay flagship fall behind the newer builds, Riu is bringing it up to the same standard.
Travelers with fall bookings will need to look elsewhere during the roughly three-and-a-half-month shutdown, but the December return lands just ahead of peak winter season. For a resort that trades on adults-only calm and beachfront positioning in one of the Caribbean's busiest resort corridors, the private-pool swim-up rooms are a clear bid to compete with the wave of new-build competition arriving across Jamaica's north coast.
