<B>Radisson Adds Hotels</B>
By Bruce Serlen
Confirming its commitment to its core business travel market, Radisson Hotels last week announced it will spend $2 billion to add 55 hotels worldwide this year, matching the number of hotels it added in 1999.
Wasting no time, it also made public the first of those 55 acquisitions: the former Hotel Lexington, a 700-room historic property in midtown New York, which will be reflagged the Radisson Hotel New York-East Side. A Buena Park, Calif., resort is opening as well.
Jay Witzel, president and COO, said the company is targeting first-tier U.S. business destinations. Likely cities, in addition to New York, include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. And Witzel didn't rule out the possibility of multiple acquisitions in key destinations.
On the global front, a new Radisson will open later this year in Sydney, Australia, which is experiencing a wave of growth in anticipation of the upcoming Olympics.
"In 1999, we expanded for the first time into South Africa, Mauritius, Oman, Turkey and Uruguay, and you can expect similar ambitious growth this year," said Witzel, a long-time Radisson executive who rejoined the company last year after a stint at Extended Stay America. "We're intent on being a global company and that means building a presence in all corners of the world."
Radisson's goal is to "fortify our position in the marketplace as a three-diamond company, which is how you would describe 90 percent of our portfolio," Witzel said.
With an eye to the business traveler, and an acknowledgement that brand loyalty is crucial in today's marketplace, Radisson is enhancing the frequent guest program it launched last year, allowing members to earn and redeem points with restaurants and car rental companies.
The company also is focusing on the checkin experience, rolling out paperless express checkin at all U.S. properties, and then all international ones. And it has tweaked its official name, to become Radisson Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.