Carlson Hotels Adds 92 Hotels to Its Global Portfolio in 2009

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Carlson Hotels today announced year-end 2009 results, which include the addition of a total of 92 properties under its five brands worldwide during the year and systemwide sales of USD 5.8 billion. Carlson Hotels also signed 66 new properties adding to its contracted pipeline of 249 properties.

"Our brands experienced solid growth worldwide in 2009 while continuing to increase quality standards and earning several respected awards for guest satisfaction," said Hubert Joly, president and CEO of Carlson. "I am grateful to our teams around the world for these results and I am confident that our brand-focused strategies will continue to drive guest satisfaction and to generate positive results for our partners in the business," he added.

Growth involved each of Carlson's hotel brands.

As a result, Carlson Hotels now has 1,058 hotels in operation and a contracted pipeline 249 properties.

* see below for additional portfolio information

Radisson, Carlson's contemporary upscale and upper-upscale brand, which seeks to deliver vibrant, contemporary and engaging hospitality defined by the Yes I Can! service philosophy, added 37 Radisson properties to its portfolio in 2009, including 10 in the Americas, five in Asia Pacific and 22 in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Key additions have included major resorts, as well as properties in key city centers and airports around the world:

• The Radisson® Our Lucaya Resort, Grand Bahama Island, a 740-room landmark resort located on Grand Bahama Island. This AAA four-diamond, oceanfront resort is the latest addition to the exceptional Radisson portfolio of destination Caribbean resorts.
• The Radisson Plaza Resort Phuket Panwa Beach in Thailand, nestled on Phuket Island's Southeastern coastline in a secluded cove along the developing Makham Bay, featuring 211 contemporary designed guest rooms.
• The Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Dubrovnik Sun Gardens, the largest resort in Croatia with 408 rooms and residential suites.
• Two hotels in Paris, France, the Radisson Blu Le Metropolitan Hotel, Paris Eiffel, designed by Francois Champsaur, and the Radisson Blu Le Dokhan's Hotel, Paris Trocadero, bringing the total number of properties in the city to eight.
• The 254-room Radisson Plaza Hotel Tianjin, located in the new financial hub of the Hedong District, near Tianjin's Central Business District.
• The Radisson Suites Gurgaon, India, located near the business hub of Gurgaon which offers eight meeting venues with extensive facilities.
• The Radisson Mississauga Toronto Airport, which opened in June, was recognized with a Four Key rating by the Eco Rating program from the Hotel Association of Canada.
• The 266-room Radisson Blu Hotel, Hamburg Airport, conveniently located directly opposite the main terminals.

In addition, Carlson signed 25 new properties, bringing the contracted pipeline of Radisson properties to 90.

Country Inn & Suites, Carlson's mid-market brand known for its homey, caring, consistent and comfortable service philosophy, added 38 Country Inns & Suites to its portfolio around the world in 2009, including 33 in the United States and five in India. In the U.S., the most recent additions include Lexington, Md., Midland, Texas, Tucson City Center, Ariz. and Washington, Pa. Particularly noteworthy is the opening of the first property in New York City, the Country Inn & Suites New York City at Queens, NY.  This new hotel in the key New York market represents a landmark in the continuing growth of Country Inns & Suites, which is approaching 500 locations worldwide. In India, key new properties include Indore, Jaipur and Vaishno.

In addition, Carlson signed 13 new properties, bringing the contracted pipeline of Country Inns & Suites properties to 80.

Park Inn, Carlson's new bright, bold and fresh mid market brand added 16 properties in 2009, including one in the Americas, two in Asia Pacific, and 13 in Europe, Middle East and Africa. They include:

• The 252-room Park Inn Louisville East, Ky. which opened last month and is located just minutes from the Louisville International Airport.
• The Park Inn Manchester Victoria in the United Kingdom, with 252 rooms and suites and a new location of Red Bar & Grill (RBG), Park Inn's signature restaurant.
• Park Inn Muscat, Oman, with 175 rooms, RBG and fitness and wellness area.
• The Park Inn Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, with 204 rooms and suites, two restaurants and outdoor pool.

In addition, Carlson signed 25 new properties, bringing the contracted pipeline of Park Inn properties to 54.

Park Plaza, Carlson's upper-midscale brand dedicated to serving guests with individuality and passion, added one property and signed two to its portfolio globally in 2009.  The Park Plaza Noida, India, located in the National Capital Region, is an elegantly designed contemporary business hotel. It offers 88 well-appointed rooms and suites and a variety of food & beverage options. The Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London, a 1,019-room property, moved into its final phase of construction. It is one of the largest new hotels in Europe and is scheduled to open in early February 2010.  The 350 million pound Sterling hotel is situated at the foot of Westminster Bridge in the heart of London's bustling South Bank.

In addition, Carlson signed two new properties, bringing the contracted pipeline of Park Plaza properties to 14.

Regent, Carlson's luxury brand, announced this month that it will introduce its brand to India in 2013 with the unveiling of the development for The Regent Gurgaon.

Finally, Carlson Hotels brands and properties earned a range of prestigious awards in 2009 around the world.  For example:

• In the J.D. Powers & Associates 2009 European Customer Satisfaction Survey, Park Inn earned top ranking in its category and Radisson earned the second place ranking in its category.
• Radisson Blu was ranked the most preferred hotel chain in the Nordics – BDRC.
• For the third consecutive year, Carlson Hotels was recognized by the National Minority Franchising Initiative as one of the 50 Top Franchises for Minorities.
• Carlson Hotels was named "Fastest Growing Global Hotel Chain in South Asia" while Country Inns & Suites was awarded "Best Mid-market Hotel Brand in India" at the Hospitality India Awards. The Park Plaza Sukhumvit Bangkok was voted as the city's most popular hotel by TripAdvisor.com. The Regent Beijing, a luxurious 500-room property located minutes away from Tiananmen Square was voted as one of Asia's Top City Hotels at the 2009 World's Best Awards by Travel + Leisure Magazine. Expedia recognized seven Radisson and Park Plaza properties in Australia, Fiji, India, China and Thailand as some of the world's best hotels and resorts.

Note to editors:  For additional portfolio information, please click here Carlson Hotels 2009 Results by Geography

About Carlson Hotels

Carlson Hotels is a leading global hotel company with more than 1,058 locations in 77 countries. Its brands include: Regent®, Radisson®, Park Plaza®, Country Inns & Suites(SM) and Park Inn®. Carlson Hotels is part of Carlson, a global hospitality and travel company. For more information, please visit www.carlsonhotels.com.

SOURCE Carlson Hotels