The stylish Rezidor group has expanded so quickly in recent years that it has reached the top of the hospitality tree almost unnoticed. Jonathan Hart reports Asked to name one of the world's fastest-growing hotel groups, it's unlikely you would say Rezidor. You might suggest Radisson SAS, one of the group's brands. Or even Carlson Hotels Worldwide, a name with which Radisson is traditionally associated. Yet as a corporate brand or instantly recognisable hotel management company, Rezidor seems to have crept up largely unawares to capture its coveted position in the development league. At least among consumers or those unfamiliar with the impact made on the hospitality industry by this rapid action, fast talking group that already ranks among the world's top five hotel operators, with 309 hotels in operation or under development, offering a total of 63,000 rooms in 48 countries. One reason, perhaps, is that Rezidor's expansion has been so fast, moving from minnow to major in a few short years; meaning that its image as a big corporate player has arguably yet to become entrenched in the business traveller psyche. Another could be that the group has only recently started to spread its focus from the core Radisson SAS brand to encompass a multi-tiered approach across its primary operating sphere in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
So think Rezidor today and you should also be thinking of the same company that, alongside Radisson SAS, also operates Park Inn, Regent and Country Inn – all brands that, following Radisson via the SAS Group of Stockholm since 1994, have been co-opted under master franchise agreements from the Carlson Hotels Worldwide stable.
Add the recent licence to operate the Missoni fashion brand, as yet in its infancy with hotel devel-opments, and you have an impressive portfolio geared to compete on all accommodation levels. Following a recent IPO and a phased withdrawal of the SAS Group, Carlson remains a major share-holder in Brussels-based Rezidor, increasing its stake this year to more than 40%. But to all intents and purposes, it is the Rezidor Hotel Group name, assisted by slick banner marketing and generic product development, including themed interiors, meetings innovations and hip bars and restaur-ants, that is gaining prominence outside the US. An autonomous image that could be ideal right now, if only in terms of disassociation with squabbles in the parent company. In an owner family feud redolent of the Pritzkers of Hyatt, Carlson mother and son are currently locked in a lawsuit over the running of the family companies; an action that on the organisation's 70th anniversary in 2008 looks set to see the first non-family member being elected to run Carlson. Meanwhile, Rezidor president and chief executive Kurt Ritter presides over an uncommonly flat-structured and democratic company that has escaped such unsettling trouble at the top, continuously evaluating, re-evaluating and adapting to local market needs, with resulting top levels of guest satisfaction. "We're flexible, approachable and entrepreneurial, so very commercial," says a pragmatic Ritter. Given its projects in the pipeline and potential to multiply yet again, with another 20,000 rooms opening during the next two years, principally across Northern Europe, Russia and the CIS, Rezidor has clearly found a formula that should also improve its recognition among consumers.
Rezidor Hotel Group
Key brands
Radisson SAS: Almost 200 first class, full-service hotels. City centre landmark, boutique or major airport properties; average size 202 rooms. New or refurbished hotels with innovative architecture and/or interior décor.
Latest openings: Dublin, Jersey.
Park Inn: Some 100 mid-range/ budget, full-service hotels. Secondary city, urban or airport locations; average size 164 rooms. All with meeting and recreational facilities. Clean, energetic, fun properties with all the essentials.
Latest openings: Glasgow, St Petersburg, Bielefeld, Dusseldorf.
- Radisson SAS (in the upper upscale segment) and Park Inn (economy segment) were ranked highest in their class in the 2007 European Guest Satisfaction Index of J.D.Power & Associates. Additional brands
Regent Hotels & Resorts: Eight traditional 5-star deluxe hotels/ resorts in Europe (Berlin, Zagreb); Caribbean/North America
(Turks & Caicos, Florida), and Asia (Shanghai, Taipei, Singapore, Beijing). Properties to open in Boston and Bangkok in 2008, Dubai in 2009, and Costa Rica and Abu Dhabi in 2010.
Hotel Missoni: New fashion/ lifestyle brand to debut in 2008
in Edinburgh and Kuwait City. Properties to focus on food and design, ranging in size from 100 to 300 rooms depending on market, location and architecture.
Country Inn: Four limited service hotels in Austria, France, Germany and UK. Homely atmosphere, residential-style interior décor. Brand under review, possibly for adaptation and incorporation with Park Inn.
Loyalty scheme
Goldpoints plus, with points and awards earned and redeemable across all brands. Also operates with the Park Plaza brand, another Carlson offshoot.
Website: www.rezidor.com
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