Carlson Hotels unveils aggressive growth strategy
10 March 2010
Global hospitality company Carlson Hotels has announced plans to at least double its portfolio by 2015 as part of its global growth strategy.
It aims to expand its portfolio by at least 50% by 2015 to more than 1,500 hotels in operation.
The company also announced strategic expansion plans for its Radisson brand.
Carlson Hotels said its growth plans, which are part of its Ambition 2015 expansion strategy, include continuing growth in key emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India and China, without providing specifics.
Carlson already has a formidable presence in India with 79 hotels in operation or contracted at the end of 2009.
“We believe this is a great time to invest in the hotel business. With Ambition 2015, we have a comprehensive and compelling strategy to build the business,” Hubert Joly, president and CEO at Carlson said as the news was announced.
Carlson also unveiled a comprehensive strategy for its Radisson brand aimed at positioning Radisson as a ‘powerful, globally consistent, first-class brand’.
The strategy for Radisson will involve expansion of the brand around the world. Carlson currently has 422 hotels in operation globally under the Radisson brand and plans to increase this to at least 600 hotels worldwide by 2015.
The brand expansion entails an investment program of up to US$1.5 billion in North America, focused on establishing flagship hotels in key US cities and upgrading the existing portfolio.
"With 422 hotels in operation and 90 in the contracted pipeline, Radisson is one of the most well-known and fastest-growing brands in the world, delivering market leading guest satisfaction and achieving superior RevPar penetration internationally," said Joly. "We have crystallized the success formula for the brand, improved it and are using it as the foundation for its future development."
In addition to expansion, the brand focus on Radisson is being supported by a series of innovations including new room concepts, new restaurant concepts and a series of new service concepts focused on the guest experience.
Other growth initiatives under the Ambition 2015 strategy include continuing to grow in emerging markets, with greater emphasis on mid-scale; accelerating the growth of Country Inns & Suites By Carlson in the US, Canada, India, and Mexico; and growing its mid-scale Park Inn brand.
Carlson Hotels’ brand portfolio comprises: Radisson, Country Inns & Suites by Carlson, Park Inn, Park Plaza, and Regent.
