…
2006 Strategic Development Plans Include Revisiting Core Hotel Markets
Targeting Emerging Urban and Suburban Markets for Growth Opportunities
Carlson Hotels Worldwide has added three franchised and one managed locations to its global portfolio of brands in February. These include a Radisson SAS property in Finland, two Radisson hotels in Brazil and Bangladesh, and a new Park Plaza hotel in Amsterdam. The new additions bring Carlson’s global portfolio to 924 hotels with 147,024 rooms in 70 countries. Carlson hotel brands include: Regent International Hotels, Radisson Hotels & Resorts®, Park Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Country Inns & Suites By Carlsonsm and Park Inn®.
“The new additions in February followed the addition of eight locations in January and 110 during 2005, representing continuing strong worldwide growth for our organization,” said Sam Winterbottom, executive vice president of Development, Carlson Hotels Worldwide. “In 2006 and beyond, we intend to take advantage of the continued favorable market and growth opportunities in the Americas, Asia/Pacific and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. To that end, we are reviewing all major hotel markets to ensure we have the right properties in the right places, as well as targeting emerging countries and growing urban and suburban markets to find future growth opportunities. We fully expect that 2006 will be another banner year for the global growth of our brands.”
Winterbottom added that Carlson will continue to focus on select resort and top 25 city markets for the Radisson and Regent brands, while concentrating on West Coast expansion for County Inns & Suites in the Americas.
Radisson Hotels & Resorts
The three new hotels joining the Radisson brand in February include two franchise hotels and one property that is now managed by Carlson Hotels. The franchises include the completely renovated 184-room Radisson SAS Marina Palace Hotel in Turku, Finland, located on the banks of the Aura River, in the heart of the city; and the Radisson Hotel Curitiba in Brazil, a 195-room hotel located in the Brazilian state of Paraná that features a contemporary design scheme and vast panoramic views of Brazil.
In addition, Carlson has assumed management responsibilities for the 211-room Radisson Water Garden Hotel Dhaka in Bangladesh. This eight-story property, located on seven acres of manicured grounds with lavish gardens and water features, has spacious guest rooms, clean design elements and a muted color palette. To date, Radisson’s global portfolio includes 417 hotels with 95,915 guestrooms.
Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts
One new hotel joined the Park Plaza brand in February: the new 143-room Park Plaza Vondel in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The hotel is located within close proximity of the Vondelpark museum district, shopping along PC Hooftstraat and the city’s central business district ”Zuidas.” Special features include superior, executive and suite-style guestrooms, four meeting room, and a breakfast buffet served daily in the onsite restaurant. This addition brings the brand’s global property count to 39 with 6,725 guestrooms.
The global property and room inventory counts of Carlson Hotel’s other brands include eight hotels and 3,045 guestrooms for Regent International Hotels, one of the most respected brands in the luxury segment of the hotel industry; 379 hotels and 30,391 guestrooms for Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, a mid-tier lodging chains offering excellent value and upgraded services and amenities; and 81 hotels and 10,948 guestrooms for Park Inn, a unique emerging hotel brand offering a relaxed environment in the economy category and poised for aggressive global growth.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
