Carlson Hotels has recently revealed that it is to launch a new global growth standards strategy, introducing consistency across its brands around the world, mainly in the US.Although recently announced, this strategy is not a new method for the hotel group. At the end of 2006, Carlson Hotels said that it was renovating Radisson hotels around the world in order to improve brand consistency. Carlson Hotels spent nearly US$516m in 2005 and 2006 renovating and improving hotels across the Americas, yet it was Europe that provided the brands main growth area thanks to the management drive of Kurt Ritter and the design management of Gordon McKinnon.
Across Europe new Radisson Blu hotels were opened, featuring the brand’s new designs. HotelDesigns reviewed the Radisson Blu’s in Krakow, Poland; Berlin, Germany; Stansted, UK, Cape Town South Africa and Copenhagen Denmark, and recognised the chain’s successful branding across the board.
The branding had been implemented successfully, yet at the same time all of the hotels had their own unique feel. It was this successful implementation that allowed Radisson EMEA franchisee Rezidor to expand rapidly throughout Europe and in 2009 alone the brand opened 22 new Radisson Blu hotels.
Now Rezidor head of design and ‘brand guru’ Gordon McKinnon has transferred over to the US to help implement the new brand standards across the country. McKinnon is the chief branding officer and will work alongside CEO Hubert Joly to improve the Radissons in the US. McKinnon was previously the concept developer at Rezidor working to implement Rezidor CEO’s Kurt Ritter’s style and high brand standards.
