Minneapolis | March 25, 2013 Country Inns & Suites By Carlson^SM, a leading upper midscale hotel brand known for its outstanding service culture and complimentary amenities, honored its 2012 top-performing hotels, general managers and employees at the brand's 2013 Business Conference held recently at FontaineBleau, Miami Beach. Following are highlights of the top award winners.

2012 Hotel of the Year
Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Pineville, Louisiana was named the brands 2012 Hotel of Year. Country Inn & Suites, Pineville has achieved outstanding performance in guest satisfaction, employee engagement and revenue generation and is ranked number one by TripAdvisor for all hotels in its market.

2012 Employee of the Year
Duane Hitchcock, shuttle driver from the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Cape Canaveral, Florida was named the 2012 employee of the year. Mr. Hitchcock has received over 1,245 positive recognitions through Medallia guest surveys and Trip Advisor. He is a recipient of the Be Our Guest Gold pin, the brands highest employee honor for guest recognition.

2012 General Manager of the Year
Ed Wilson, General Manager, Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Grand Rapids East, Michigan was named the 2012 general manager of the year. An outstanding leader, Mr. Wilson’s property excelled from guest satisfaction to revenue generation and employee engagement – all during a renovation.

2012 Responsible Business Award
Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Bloomington at Mall of America, Minnesota has been given the 2012 Responsible Business Award. The Responsible Business Award is presented to the hotel that has shown an extraordinary commitment to Responsible Business through ethical business practices, education, communication, community involvement and environmental responsibility. In 2012, Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Bloomington at Mall of America packed meals for Feed My Starving Children that will feed over 500 children for a year, achieved Green Key, Four 4 Certification, donated linen and terry to Bridging, a charity that helps people with household needs in times of transition, and raised over $10,000 for World Childhood Foundation among many other accomplishments.

About Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group 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 in operation and under development, a global footprint spanning 100 countries and territories and a powerful set of global brands (Radisson Blu, Radisson®, Park Plaza®, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson^SM 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. http://www.carlsonrezidor.com