Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has announced its plans to grow its portfolio in Australasia (Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands) to 15 – 20 hotels in the mid-term, at the 2016 Australasia Hotel Industry Conference & Exhibition (AHICE) in Melbourne.
Having achieved accelerated growth in Asia Pacific in 2015, opening 10 hotels and 23 signings, Carlson Rezidor is on track to achieving its target of adding 100 operating hotels to its Asia Pacific portfolio by 2020.
The Group currently operates four hotels in Australasia – Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens Melbourne, Radisson Suites Sydney, the newly refurbished Radisson Blu Plaza Sydney and Radisson Blu Fiji Denarau Island. Testament to the Group’s expanding footprint in the midscale segment is the upcoming opening of Park Inn by Radisson Suva Fiji in 2018.
Building on the foundation that Carlson Rezidor has established in Australasia over the last 18 years, the Group is better positioning itself to capitalize on growth opportunities. A recent key appointment, Barry Fleischmann, director, Development for Australasia, is responsible for strengthening stakeholder relationships and initiating new strategic partnerships to support Carlson Rezidor’s expansion in this robust and growing market, where the fundamentals are sound, and both inbound and domestic travel are on the upswing. He is based at the Group’s corporate support office in Sydney.
“Australasia is an integral part of Carlson Rezidor’s Asia Pacific expansion strategy and we are committed to growing our presence in this market by rolling out our brand portfolio and actively seeking conversion opportunities,” said Andreas Flaig, executive vice president, Development, Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “In addition to addressing the millennial-minded segment by introducing our Radisson RED brand in metropolitan cities, we are exploring upscale resort opportunities along the Gold Coast for Radisson Blu, while growing our Park Inn by Radisson brand to capture the midscale segment.”
The Group is currently in negotiations with several developers to roll out Radisson RED in top tier cities such as Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Radisson RED is Carlson Rezidor’s lifestyle brand that delivers a hotel experience that is enhanced by art, fashion and music, while offering owners a lower per-key cost than traditional upscale hotels through a multi-functional approach and efficient space planning, which reduce construction and operating costs, and drive higher margins.
