Carlson Cos. Inc. will spend $1.5 billion to expand and improve its Radisson Hotels & Resorts brand as part of a broader plan to grow its hospitality business, the company announced Wednesday.
 As part of its new "Ambition 2015" campaign, Carlson will add 500 hotels to its portfolio of more than 1,000. The company now has 422 Radisson hotels and plans to have 600 up and running by 2015. Carlson also is planning to divide the Radisson brand into two concepts, according to Hotels magazine. One will be its existing upscale "Radisson Blue" concept; the other will be a new and also upscale brand, "Radisson Green." Both brands will feature new room designs and a "service culture" with a "theme of travel empathy," the magazine reported. Carlson will also bolster Radisson by adding flagship hotels in "key" U.S. cities, and upgrading existing hotels, the company said in a press statement. In addition, Carlson plans to grow its Country Inn & Suites brand. It now has about 500 hotels built or under construction, and plans to add another 250 locations by 2015. Carlson also noted its Park Inn brand is "ideal for conversion and new builds." The company's plan partly focuses on expanding in Brazil, Russia, India and China. Source | bizjournals.com |