Radisson Blu
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryHospitality, Hotels, Tourism
Founded1960; 64 years ago (1960)
HeadquartersMinneapolis, United States and Brussels, Belgium
Number of locations
380
Area served
Worldwide
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)
ParentRadisson Hotel Group
Choice Hotels
Websitewww.choicehotels.com radissonblu.com

Radisson Blu is an international chain of hotels operated by Radisson Hotels. With roots dating back to the 1960s, the Radisson Blu brand name came into existence in 2009 with a rebranding from Radisson SAS. Its hotels are found in major cities, key airport gateways and leisure destinations.

History

Room 606 at the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, designed by Arne Jacobsen

SAS Hotels

Main article: Rezidor Hotel Group

SAS Hotels has roots dating to the opening of the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1960. Architect Arne Jacobsen designed every aspect of the hotel for the SAS Group, from the building, to the now-iconic furniture (including the Egg chair), to the tableware.[1]: 378–379  The hotel was initially operated by the catering division of the group, but merged with the hospitality division to become SAS Catering and Hotels.[1]: 379  In 1982, the hotels were spun off as a separate division, operating under the name SAS International Hotels.[2][1]: 379 [2]

In 1994, Radisson SAS Hotels was created, as a partnership between Radisson Hotels International and SAS International Hotels, for operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.[2] By the year 2000, the brand was operating 100 hotels.[3]

2009 to present; Rebrand as Radisson Blu

In 2009, the partnership with SAS ended and the Radisson SAS properties were rebranded as Radisson Blu.[4] The name ‘Blu’ was chosen as part of a research project to find a new visual identity as the company looked to replace the familiar SAS blue box.[3]

Radisson Blu entered the United States market with the opening of its first hotel in Chicago, Illinois in 2011. The hotel occupies part of the Aqua skyscraper developed by Studio Gang Architects.[5] In 2013, it opened its second location. It is connected to the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.[6] In 2010, Radisson Blu was named the largest upper upscale hotel chain in Europe.[7]

Concept

Radisson Blu hotels are mainly located in major cities, key airport gateways and leisure destinations. It is described as an "upper upscale" hotel brand.[8]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Cohen, M. L. (2010). Pederson, Jay P. (ed.). "Rezidor Hotel Group AB". International Directory of Company History. Farmington Hills, Michigan: St. James Press (Gale, Cengage Learning group). 118. ISBN 978-1-4144-4729-2.
  2. ^ a b c McDowell, Edwin (August 12, 1994) [digitalized on n.d.]. "Radisson and SAS Form Hotel Pact". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "RADISSON SAS HOTELS AND RESORTS TO CHANGE THEIR NAME TO RADISSON BLU" (Press release). Globe Newswire. February 4, 2009.
  4. ^ "Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts In Europe, the Middle East and Africa to Change Their Name to Radisson Blu". Franchising.com. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
  5. ^ Citation error. See inline comment how to fix.[verification needed]
  6. ^ "LOOK: The Surprising Location Of This New Hotel". HuffPost. 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
  7. ^ TAYLOR, MIA (April 9, 2018). "Radisson Blu is Europe's Largest Upper-Upscale Hotel Brand". TravelPulse.
  8. ^ "Radisson Blu Hotel, Kyiv". Hospitality Net. 22 February 2020.
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