NASSAU, Bahamas (Feb. 15, 2012) – Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group,
one of the world’s largest and most dynamic hotel
groups, today reported that it has achieved major milestones in the
implementation of its Ambition 2015 strategy, especially as it relates
to the rejuvenation and growth of its core Radisson® brand, the
growth of its Club CarlsonSM loyalty program to eight million
members, and the growth of its global portfolio to more than 1,300
hotels. The
announcement was made at the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Global
Business
Conference taking place this week in Nassau, Bahamas.
“Two years after launching our Ambition 2015
strategy, our team is well on its way toward achieving our key
objectives,”
said Hubert Joly, president and chief executive officer, Carlson. “Our
momentum
continues in 2012 with more exciting news across our key priorities.”
“The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group ranks among the top
10 largest hotel groups worldwide,” said Kurt Ritter, president and
chief
executive officer, The Rezidor Hotel Group. “Our joint forces allow us
to
globally align and develop our brands, and to focus on global revenue
generating activities.”
Development Growth
- Signed 84 hotels in 2011 with more than 16,600 rooms, the
highest number signed in
the last three years. Seventy-one percent of the new hotels signed are
from
emerging markets. (Click here for additional information on Carlson
Rezidor
Hotel Group 2011 portfolio, signings, openings and development pipeline)
- Global
portfolio is now at 1,319 hotels in operation and under development.
Number of
rooms in operation and under development has grown to
208,500 at the end of 2011, from 202,000 at the end of 2010 and 197,000
at the
end of 2009, despite the removal of close to 15,000 rooms over the last
two
years.
- Carlson
Rezidor’s global pipeline represents 26 percent of the number rooms in
operation and under development – about four times greater than the
industry
average, highlighting the strong growth momentum of the group. Carlson
Rezidor’s
growth potential is particularly strong in key emerging markets, where
its
pipeline equals 72 percent of the number of its hotels in operation,
compared
to the industry average of 10 percent.
Brand Progress
Radisson
Blu
- Opened the Radisson
Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago, the first Radisson Blu in the U.S.
- A second Radisson Blu
is under construction at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, opening in
spring
2013, which will bring the North American portfolio to three Radisson
Blu hotels,
including the Radisson Blu Resort, Marina & Spa, St Martin.
- Expanded the Asia
Pacific portfolio from one Radisson Blu property at the end of 2010 to
29 at
the end of 2011.
- Radisson Blu hotels
in operation grew from 192 at the end of 2010 to 229 at the end of 2011.
- In 2012, the group is
expecting to open more than 30 Radisson Blu hotels.
Radisson
- Twenty-five percent
of Radisson hotels in the U.S. and Canada have completed Property
Improvement
Plans (PIPs), up from four percent at the end of 2010.
- Early indications of
hotels’ post-renovation performance show strong, initial increases in
Revenue
Generation Index (RGI).
Country Inns & Suites By
Carlson
- One-third of the
hotels have implemented the third generation room prototype, up from 20
percent
at the end of 2010.
- The brand is the
first and only in the U.S. midscale segment to eliminate disposable
plates,
bowls, cups and utensils in favor of non-disposable items. More than 84
percent
of the U.S. hotels have converted to non-disposable dining ware.
Revenue Generation Successes
- The
group’s sales and marketing investments have increased 68 percent over
the past
two years – from USD 101 million in 2009 to USD 168 million in 2011.
- The
launch of Club Carlson was a major success, increasing loyalty program
membership to 8 million at the end of 2011, from 6.3 million at the end
of 2010
and 5.1 million at the end of 2009.
- Global web revenue increased 22 percent over 2010, and 40
percent since the launch of the strategy two years ago.
- Stay Night Automated Pricing (SNAP), Carlson Rezidor’s
proprietary revenue optimization system, was rolled out globally in
2011. By
the end of 2011, 87 percent of hotels worldwide were using the SNAP
tool.
Hotels using SNAP rate recommendations consistently see an incremental
RevPAR
increase of four percent on average.
Other accomplishments
- Rezidor
was named one of the Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere for the
second
consecutive year.
- Radisson
Royal Hotel, Moscow was awarded the top honors of World’s Leading
Luxury
Business Hotel at the World Travel Awards 2011.
- Radisson
Blu and Park Inn by Radisson won the best national and international
hotel
chain at the Grand Travel Awards, for the second year in a row.
- Radisson
Blu was named Best Full Service Hotel Brand at the Business Travel
Awards
(BTA).
- Hotel
Missoni, Kuwait won the “Best Hotel” at the Arabian Hotel Awards 2011.
- Park Plaza was
honored with two prestigious international awards: Outlook Traveler –
Best
Mid-Range Hotel and Business Travel – Best Independent Hotel Chain.
2012
Milestones and Looking Ahead:
Looking
ahead, the focus continues to be on the implementation of the Ambition
2015
strategy.
- Brand strategies:
- Group
expects to add more than 30 Radisson Blu hotels in 2012, including of
the conversion of the 13 Radisson Edwardian properties in the U.K.
announced during the conference, and iconic hotels in key
markets:
Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Chongqing Nan Bin Lu, China;
Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Ajaccio Bay, Corsica, France; Radisson
Blu Hotel
Doha, Qatar; Radisson Blu Istanbul, Turkey; Radisson Blu Hotel
Ludhiana, India;
Radisson Blu Maputo Mozambique; and Radisson Blu Nantes, France.
- For Radisson, 49 percent of the North American portfolio
will have completed their Property Improvement Plans by the end of 2012.
- Investments committed to the elevation of the Radisson
brand in the U.S. now exceed USD 600 million.
- For Country Inns &
SuitesSM, additional dining options will be launched during the year,
including a Grab & Go snack program.
- Development:
- The
group expects to open 90 new hotels with more than 15,000 rooms during
2012. (Click here
for overview on the group’s expected openings in 2012).
- Revenue Generation:
- Carlson Rezidor will
continue to focus on generating more than USD 400 million in
incremental
revenue and a Revenue Generation Index (RGI) increase of more than nine
points
by 2015.
- The
group announced during the conference that it is partnering with U.S.
Bank to launch a Club Carlson Visa credit card in the fourth quarter of
2012.
About Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
Carlson Rezidor
Hotel
Group – born in early 2012 – is one of the world’s largest and most
dynamic hotel groups. The portfolio of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
includes
more than 1,300 hotels, a global footprint spanning 81 countries and
territories, a powerful set of global brands (Radisson Blu,
Radisson®, Park
Plaza®, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inns & Suites By
CarlsonSM
and Hotel Missoni). In most of the group’s hotels, guests can benefit
from the
loyalty program Club CarlsonSM, one of the most rewarding loyalty
programs in the world. Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and its brands
employ more
than 80,000 people.
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is
headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., and Brussels, Belgium.
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