MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (April 17, 2003) � Radisson Hotels & Resorts, continuing its global expansion, today announced it has added 11 new hotels and resorts during the first quarter of 2003, spanning eight countries around the world and encompassing more than 2,800 rooms.  The brand's growth includes the introduction of the Radisson brand in Lebanon and expansion in Saudi Arabia, Finland, Germany, Norway and Sweden.  In North America, Radisson added four hotels with over 850 rooms in Clearwater, Fla; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; San Mateo, Calif.; and Cancun, Mexico. 
 

"These newest Radisson hotels are part of our overall development strategy of growing our brand's presence in three key global regions, including the Americas, Europe, The Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific," said Bjorn Gullaksen, executive vice president and brand leader of Radisson Hotels & Resorts.  "Our first quarter growth was highlighted by our master development partner Rezidor SAS Hospitality's rapid expansion of the brand in Europe and the Middle East in primary metropolitan areas and key feeder markets."  Europe and the Middle East During the first quarter, Rezidor SAS Hospitality opened seven Radisson SAS hotels across Europe and the Middle East.  Their most recent additions include the opening of three hotels in the Middle East in January, introducing the Radisson brand to Lebanon and the addition of a second and third location in Saudi Arabia.  Radisson SAS assumed management of the Martinez Hotel that is in the most historic area of Beirut, known as Ain El Meraiseh.  The Radisson SAS Hotel Riyadh, in the center of the Saudi Arabian capital, and the Radisson SAS Hotel Jeddah, are both undergoing comprehensive refurbishment.  In Europe, the $86 million architecturally significant Radisson SAS in Cologne,

Radisson Sas Martinez Hotel (formerly Holiday Inn Martinez) Phoenicia Street  Ain Mereysseh  Beirut Lebanon  -- Radisson Plaza Hotel Myrtle Beach Convention Center 2101 North Oak Street Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The fastest-growing full-service hotel operator in Scandinavia, Radisson SAS also opened its fourth property in Helsinki, Finland; the brand's 20th location in Norway in the city of Narvik and the first hotel there to carry an international brand; and the 17th property in Sweden in the city of Karlstad (noted for its renowned University focused on information technology). 

North America

In the Southeast, Radisson opened the 402-room Radisson Plaza Hotel Myrtle Beach, a premier group and meeting hotel in Myrtle Beach, S.C., attached to the 250,000-square-foot Myrtle Beach Convention Center with video conferencing and high-speed Internet access. The four-star hotel features contemporary guest rooms, an indoor pool, exercise center and a Southern-themed restaurant.  The hotel is in the heart of the Grand Strand's growing entertainment district and close to popular beaches.  Radisson Hotel Corporation is managing the new hotel.  Further south, the 148-room Radisson Hotel Clearwater Central on Florida's Gulf Coast in Clearwater, just west of Tampa, features a tropical pool deck with heated pool, Jacuzzi and sauna, over 6,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space and a state-of-the-art business center. 

On the West Coast, the 301-room Radisson Villa Hotel San Mateo in San Mateo, Calif., offers a 24-hour fitness center, 24-hour business center with complimentary high-speed Internet access and over 13,000 square feet of conference space with 15 breakout rooms.  In Mexico, the 248-room Radisson Hotel Cancun, convenient to snorkeling and diving at Isla Mujeras and two miles from the hotel zone, offers a health club, sauna, spa services, outdoor pool and children's pool, tennis court and complimentary shuttle to Hotel Beach Club. 

Asia-Pacific

Radisson, along with its division's regional development and operations group, Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific, has signed two recent agreements in the first quarter to manage two new hotels being developed in the region.  The five-star Radisson Water Garden Hotel, the brand's first hotel in Bangladesh in the city of Dhaka, will bring a new level of accommodation to an emerging market when it opens at the end of 2003.  The nine-story hotel features a full-height atrium, two banquet ballrooms, nine meeting rooms, three restaurants, a health club, swimming pool and nine-hole golf course. 
In the South Pacific, a five-star, 168-room Radisson Plaza Resort Tahiti is currently under construction four miles from the Central Business District of the Tahiti capital, Papeete, and is scheduled to open by the end of March 2004.    The resort, adjacent to Lafayette Beach, a stunning black sand beach spanning more than 2,600 feet, is the brand's first property in French Polynesia.