Hotel company Carlson has capped off a busy stretch in India with the opening of its 30th India hotel, the 201-room Radisson Hotel Indore.
"The Radisson brand is famous for its vibrant, contemporary and engaging hospitality characterised by the 'Yes I Can!' service philosophy. This hotel opening marks Carlson's accelerated growth in India as part of our •Ambition 2015' global growth strategy to expand our portfolio by at least 50 percent by 2015 to more than 1,500 hotels in operation," said K.B. Kachru, executive vice president of Carlson Hotels South Asia. "This is also the 12th Radisson hotel operating in India. With over 40 Radisson hotels under development throughout Asia Pacific, Radisson is the number one, fastest growing upscale brand in the region."
Owned by Bestech Hospitalities Pvt. Ltd. in India, the Radisson Hotel Indore is one of four projects Carlson is partnering on with the group in the country. Carlson currently manages the Radisson Suites Gurgaon and Park Plaza Noida, and will also manage the Radisson Hotel Nagpur scheduled to open in the first half of 2011.
"We are very proud of our strategic alliance with Carlson. With its exceptional hospitality experience, the Radisson Hotel Indore will bring value to the overall development of Indore and add a new dimension to the already established hospitality culture of the city," said Dharmendra Bhandari, managing director of Bestech Hospitalities.
"The hotel has been designed by Singapore headquartered design firm DBTA International and will be the pride and benchmark of true hospitality in Indore," said Sunil Satija, managing director of The Bestech Group.
Carlson's continued efforts in India are part of the company's strong push in the Asia Pacific region. The company has announced that it has signed agreements to open 75 Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, Park Inn and Park Plaza hotels in the region by 2013.
"Accelerated development in Asia Pacific is a key priority of our •Ambition 2015' growth strategy, said Hubert Joly, Carlson president, CEO and director. "This market is a key focus area in our plans to increase Carlson Hotels' portfolio by at least 50 percent to more than 1,500 hotels in operation by 2015."
The signed agreements cover all of Carlson's hotel brands. Radisson, Carlson Hotels' vibrant, first-class brand is leading the charge with 43 hotels scheduled to open, bringing the total Radisson portfolio in the region to 72. Radisson is the fastest growing upscale brand in Asia Pacific, the company said.
"These future openings will strengthen Radisson's positioning as a powerful, globally consistent first-class brand," said Jean-Marc Busato, Asia Pacific managing director for Carlson Hotels.
In 2010, Carlson plans to open 18 hotels in Asia Pacific. Fifteen of these hotels are in India, including Radisson Hotel Rudrapur in India, Radisson Hotel Amritsar and Radisson Hotel Greater Noida. The company has more than 50 hotels in development in India and expects to have more than 80 hotels in the country based on current agreements.
Earlier, Carlson completed the acquisition of a majority interest in RHW Hotel Management Services Ltd., a hotel management and consultancy services company in India that has managed Carlson-branded hotels in the country since 1998. Carlson now owns 87 percent of RHW.
"This acquisition is a natural progression for Carlson as we continue to grow in this key market. We now have a fully integrated India organization which supports our •Ambition 2015' growth strategy by strengthening our position as the country's largest and fastest growing international hotel operator," said Carlson head Joly.
In addition to its hotel business, the Minneapolis, Minn.-based Carlson owns more than more than 1,000 restaurants, including T.G.I. Friday's and Pick Up Stix. It also has a majority stake in Carlson Wagonlit Travel, a business travel management business. Carlson operates in more than 150 countries and its brands employ about 150,000 people.
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