Radisson Blu
| File:Radisson Blu logo.png | |
| Industry | Hospitality, Hotels, Tourism |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1960 |
| Headquarters | Minneapolis, Minnesota and Brussels, Belgium |
|
Key people
|
Wolfgang M. Neumann (President & CEO), Knut Kleiven (Deputy President & Chief Financial Officer), Olivier Harnisch (Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer), Eric De Neef (Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer) |
| Parent | Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group |
| Website | [1] |
Radisson Blu, formerly Radisson SAS, is an upper upscale brand for Radisson Hotels mostly outside the United States, including those in Europe, Africa, and Asia. These are operated by Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.
Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) used to be a major shareholder in Rezidor Hotel Group and licensed its brand for Radisson SAS hotels. Following the withdrawal of SAS from the partnership in 2009, the name changed from Radisson SAS to Radisson Blu.[1] The new brand is being introduced gradually across the portfolio.[2] In 2012, Carlson Hotels and Rezidor Hotel Group combined to form Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.
Radisson Blu operates 265 hotels, with 42 projects in development.[3]
History
In 1960, the Royal Copenhagen hotel opened in Denmark. Designed by the Arne Jacobsen for SAS International Hotels (SIH) - the hotel division of the Scandinavian airline group, SAS.[1]
Radisson SAS was created in 1994 when SAS International Hotels (SIH) joined forces with the Radisson brand for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in a joint branding initiative.[1]
In 2000, Radisson SAS opened its hundredth hotel.[1]
In 2002, Rezidor introduced the SAS Hospitality brand. Radisson SAS operated more than 150 properties at this time in more than 40 countries throughout EMEA. By late 2006, Rezidor SAS, renamed the Rezidor Hotel Group, and made an initial public offering on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.[1]
In 2008, the Rezidor Hotel Group had a total portfolio of over 360 hotels in 55 countries.[1]
When the name was changed in 2009, Gordon McKinnon, Rezidor’s Executive Vice President of Brands, explained that the name Blu was choice from Rezidor’s research to find a new visual differentiator to replace the familiar SAS ‘blue box’.[1]
“The name Blu started life as the project’s working title. But it soon became apparent that it was actually the most natural of choices. It’s simple, it’s short, it’s relevant and we’ve applied it in a way that adds a certain modernity to the identity without taking it too far,” he said.
“Most importantly it also promotes our specific brand heritage by preserving the graphic ‘blue box’ which has become the recognised symbol of the distinctive characteristics of the Radisson brand in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Radisson Blu preserves the continuity of our unique brand, while taking it that one essential step forward to more accurately represent its true position and future ambitions.”
Expansion into United States
SAS did not have hotels in the United States. The first Radisson Blu in the U.S., the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel opened in downtown Chicago in Aqua, a skyscraper, in November 2011. The second Radisson Blu, the Radisson Blu Mall of America, opened on March 15, 2013, in Bloomington, Minnesota, and is connected to the Mall of America. After completion of a $17-million renovation, the Radisson Plaza-Warwick Hotel Philadelphia became the third Radisson Blu in 2013, and renamed the Radisson Blu Warwick Hotel Philadelphia. The former Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown Minneapolis was renovated and converted into the fourth Radisson Blu in 2014.[4]
