Content area
Full Text
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, the Minnetonka, Minn.-based hospitality company whose roots stretch back to 1938 and for decades operated as a family company with a descendant of founder Curt Carlson in a leadership role, is changing its name to Radisson Hotel Group, in a move that sees the company putting its most well-known brand name front and center.
The name change, formalized now but expected for months, comes among myriad changes at the company. Last December, Chinese travel conglomerate HNA Group closed on the acquisition of Carlson Hotels, and after some stops and starts finally settled on who will lead the company. Federico González Tejera, who was first tapped as CEO of Carlson Hotels in January, subsequently left to become CEO of Rezidor, which, according to Rezidor's October Ownership Summary, is now 67.4-percent owned by HNA. Meanwhile, John Kidd, the former president and COO of HNA Hospitality Group, is now CEO of Carlson Hotels. Changes were made elsewhere, too. A dramatic reorganization transpired in the Americas, where, in June, Ken Greene, the former CEO of Delta Hotels & Resorts, was named president of the Americas for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. From there, Terry Sanders was brought in as chief development officer for the Americas and Charles McKee was appointed chief commercial officer. In November, Mark Williams and Dinesh Chandiramani were hired as VPs of development, with responsibilities for the Eastern and Western regions, respectively.
Radisson's now new strategy was put in motion during the company's recent Investors Day, in Frankfurt, Germany, part of which revolved around "aligning its global brand portfolio around its leading brand, Radisson, to drive the expansion...