Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajara

Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajara is a high-rise hotel in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and one of the most prominent properties in the urban portfolio of RIU Hotels & Resorts. The tower stands approximately 204 metres, including its architectural pinnacle, and was the tallest building in Guadalajara and the surrounding metropolitan area when it opened. Unlike most RIU properties, which historically concentrated on beach-resort destinations, the Guadalajara hotel belongs to the RIU Plaza concept, designed for major cities and business, events, and leisure travel. Construction began in 2009 and the hotel opened on 17 June 2011. The development occupies a site of approximately 8,190.99 square metres and includes three basement levels, a reinforced-concrete and steel structure, and a glass-dominant facade. The building contains 42 habitable floors and more than 550 guest rooms, together with restaurants, meeting facilities, service areas, and a penthouse on the 44th floor. A rooftop heliport and maintenance areas sit above the principal hotel floors, while the building's pinnacle adds approximately 16 metres to its overall height. The property was the second hotel in the RIU Plaza line worldwide, following Riu Plaza Panama, and the first RIU urban hotel in Mexico. Its location and scale gave RIU a substantial presence in Guadalajara, a major industrial, commercial, cultural, and convention center. The hotel also received international attention during the 2011 Pan American Games, when it accommodated competition judges and athletes. The building experienced a serious construction-site fire on 16 February 2011, several months before opening. The fire began on the first and second floors while work was still underway. Initial reports recorded one worker dead and 27 injured, with a second fatality reported the following day. Authorities attributed the incident provisionally to an explosion involving a polyurethane duct. The event became part of the property's construction history, although the hotel subsequently opened as planned. In 2020, after RIU temporarily suspended operations at its hotels because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Riu Plaza Guadalajara was among the first two RIU properties worldwide to reopen and was described as the first RIU property in Latin America to implement the company's post-pandemic operating protocols. In March 2025, the hotel expanded its public-facing amenities with the opening of the 360° Rooftop Bar on the 41st floor. The venue was presented as Guadalajara's highest rooftop bar and provides panoramic views of the city. The property remains positioned as a full-service urban hotel combining accommodation, food and beverage, meetings, events, and elevated city-view experiences. Its identity is closely associated with the RIU Plaza brand architecture, the Guadalajara skyline, and its role as a large-scale hotel serving both international visitors and local events.

Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajara was developed as RIU Hotels & Resorts expanded beyond its traditional concentration on beach destinations. The property belongs to the Riu Plaza concept, a city-hotel format intended for large urban markets. It followed Riu Plaza Panama and became the second property in that line, as well as RIU's first urban hotel in Mexico. Work began in March 2009, although visible construction activity was not clearly apparent until September or October of that year. The project required substantial excavation for three basement floors and the tower foundation. A retaining wall made from steel and shotcrete surrounded the excavation, while the foundation used 113 piles ranging from approximately 0.6 to 2 metres in diameter and extending 10 to 15 metres into the ground. The completed structure used reinforced concrete and steel, with a glass facade. Its approximately 8,190.99-square-metre site supported a 42-floor hotel tower with more than 550 rooms, restaurants, meeting rooms, and upper-level service facilities. A major incident occurred before completion. On 16 February 2011, at about 8:30 a.m. local time, a fire broke out on the first and second floors. Civil-protection personnel evacuated roughly 200 construction workers, and fire crews fought the blaze for approximately two hours. One welder was initially reported dead and 27 other workers were injured, four critically. On 17 February, authorities reported a second worker death. Guadalajara security officials said the apparent cause was an explosion in a polyurethane duct. Contemporary accounts also referred to additional deaths during the wider construction period, largely associated with falls and other workplace hazards, although the available reference material does not establish a complete official accounting. The hotel opened on 17 June 2011. At approximately 204 metres, it became the tallest building in Guadalajara and its metropolitan area at the time. Its height includes a pinnacle extending above the top floor, while the roof also contains a heliport and maintenance rooms. The property helped establish RIU's urban-hotel presence in Mexico and gave the company a large convention- and business-oriented base in Guadalajara. The hotel gained an early operational role during the 2011 Pan American Games, accommodating judges and athletes. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led RIU to temporarily close its hotels. Riu Plaza Guadalajara was among the first two RIU properties worldwide to reopen and was identified as the first RIU property in Latin America to implement the company's new post-COVID procedures. This positioned the property as an early test site for RIU's revised health and operating practices. In March 2025, the hotel added the 360° Rooftop Bar on the 41st floor. The venue broadened the hotel's appeal beyond overnight accommodation by offering a city-view food-and-beverage experience at a highly visible elevation. The property continues to operate as a landmark urban hotel in Guadalajara, with lodging, restaurants, meetings, events, and rooftop hospitality as its principal activities.

• 2025

  360° Rooftop Bar launches

  [1]Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajaraen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel opened a rooftop bar on the 41st floor, promoted as Guadalajara's highest rooftop bar.

• 2020

  Early reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic

  [1]Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajaraen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel was among the first two RIU properties worldwide to reopen after pandemic-related closures and the first in Latin America to implement RIU's post-COVID protocols.

• 2011

  Construction-site fire

  [1]Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajaraen.wikipedia.org

  A fire during construction killed two workers according to reports issued on 16 and 17 February and injured 27 others.

• 2011

  Hotel opens

  [1]Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajaraen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel opened on 17 June as RIU's first urban hotel in Mexico and the second Riu Plaza property worldwide.

• 2011

  Pan American Games accommodation

  [1]Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajaraen.wikipedia.org

  The property hosted competition judges and athletes during the Guadalajara Pan American Games.

• 2009

  Construction begins

  [1]Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajaraen.wikipedia.org

  Construction of the Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajara tower began in March 2009.

A landmark, full-service urban hotel combining the international RIU Plaza operating model with business, events, and leisure accommodation in Guadalajara.

• Hotel accommodation · 2011

  Guest rooms

  The property contains more than 550 guest rooms in a 42-floor urban hotel tower. The room inventory supports business, leisure, event, and group travel in Guadalajara and forms the core of the hotel's RIU Plaza city-hotel proposition.

• Food and beverage · 2011

  Restaurants and bars

  Restaurants and bar facilities are part of the hotel's full-service offering. They serve resident guests and contribute to the property's role as a large urban hospitality venue rather than a room-only accommodation business.

• Meetings and events · 2011

  Meeting rooms

  The hotel includes meeting rooms and event-oriented facilities for business gatherings, group functions, and other organized activities. These facilities support the property's positioning in Guadalajara's commercial and convention market.

• Rooftop hospitality · 2025

  360° Rooftop Bar

  Opened in March 2025 on the 41st floor, the 360° Rooftop Bar provides panoramic views across Guadalajara and extends the hotel's offering into destination food, beverage, and city-view experiences.

• 2025

  Launch of the 360° Rooftop BarProduct launch

  Background

  The tower's height and city views created an opportunity to add a destination rooftop venue.

  Action taken

  The hotel opened the 360° Rooftop Bar on the 41st floor.

  Aftermath

  The venue expanded the hotel's public food-and-beverage offer and was promoted as Guadalajara's highest rooftop bar.

  Source

• 2020

  Implementation of post-COVID operating protocolsStrategy

  Background

  The COVID-19 pandemic led RIU to temporarily close its hotels and develop new operating procedures for reopening.

  Action taken

  Riu Plaza Guadalajara reopened among the first two RIU properties worldwide and implemented the company's post-COVID protocols as the first RIU property in Latin America.

  Aftermath

  The hotel served as an early Latin American example of RIU's return-to-operation procedures.

  Source

• 2009

  Expansion into urban hotels in MexicoStrategy

  Background

  RIU historically operated many resort properties, while the Riu Plaza format was designed for major cities. Guadalajara provided a large commercial and metropolitan market for the chain's first urban hotel in Mexico.

  Action taken

  RIU developed and opened a high-rise Riu Plaza property in Guadalajara with more than 550 rooms, restaurants, meeting facilities, and landmark-building visibility.

  Aftermath

  The project established RIU's urban-hotel presence in Mexico and became a prominent feature of the Guadalajara skyline.

  Source

1. 1Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajaraen.wikipedia.org