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Carlson, a privately held, global hospitality and travel company, announced that it plans to increase the number of Radisson hotels in Asia Pacific to over 100 hotels by 2015. This was announced by Hubert Joly, Carlson president and chief executive officer at the ITB Asia travel tradeshow in Singapore.
“We are delighted to be adding a young portfolio of vibrant, contemporary and engaging Radisson hotels that are synonymous with iconic design and architecture to key cities, resorts and airport locations throughout Asia Pacific,” said Hubert Joly, Carlson president and chief executive officer.
Radisson is a well established global brand with 430 hotels in operation worldwide. In Europe, it enjoys a strong leadership position as the largest upscale brand with 170 hotels in operation. It also received one of the highest guest satisfaction ratings in Europe by J.D. Power and Associates, a global marketing information services company.
Its portfolio include some of the world’s most iconic properties such as the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Copenhagen designed by the legendary Arne Jacobsen, and the upcoming Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago designed by Jeanne Gang. The Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel received the 2009 Skyscraper of the Year Award for its fascinating shape and is scheduled to open next year.
In Asia Pacific, Radisson is building on a strong legacy of great historic properties, such as the Radisson Hotel New Delhi, the Radisson Hotel Shanghai New World, the Radisson Plaza Xing Guo Hotel Shanghai and the Radisson Plaza Hotel Sydney.
Some of the most iconic new Radisson properties in the region include:
– The Radisson Marina Hotel Connaught Place which is New Delhi’s first heritage, boutique, city centre hotel that balances the historical external facade with a modern interior. (Opened in 2010)
– The Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Mumbai Powai which is designed by internationally acclaimed architect Hafeez Contractor, together with Hirsch Bedner, consultants renowned for their outstanding hospitality interior design work. (Opening in 2012)
– The Radisson Hotel Pudong Century Park property in Shanghai, a trendy art hotel that incorporates minimalist-chic with bold colors, clean lines and boasts a collection of modern artwork that feature throughout the hotel. (Opened in 2006)
– The Radisson Plaza Hotel Tianjin, a 23-story architecturally stunning property with a glass exterior in the new financial hub of Hedong District, Tianjin. (Opened in 2009)
– Two new Radisson hotels under development in Chongqing, one of China’s fastest growing cities: the Radisson Plaza Hotel Chongqing Nan Bin Lu scheduled to open in 2011, and the Radisson Plaza Hotel Chongqing Shapingba scheduled to open in 2012.
– The Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu in the Philippines that combines natural elements of woodwork carvings, weavings and the use of mother of pearl to accentuate the hotel interior.
A total of 40 properties are contracted to open by 2013, including key properties in Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangkok, Chennai, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Karachi, Kolkata, Manila, Mumbai, Mysore, Noida, Pune, Shanghai and Shenyang.
The portfolio in Asia Pacific also includes 10 resorts, in India (Alibaug, Goa and Mamallapuram), China (Huizhou and Sanya), Thailand (Pattaya and Phuket), Australia (Gold Coast) and the South Pacific (Fiji and Tahiti).
Part of announcement also includes the launch in Asia Pacific of Radisson Blu, the upper upscale tier of the Radisson brand. Out of 35 Radisson hotels in operation in Asia, 23 are being rebranded Radisson Blu. In addition, 30 out of the 36 Radisson hotels in development in Asia Pacific will be Radisson Blu.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
