Progressing on turnaround journey, group also reaches 100,000 rooms milestone
The Rezidor Hotel Group has concluded 2015 with 41 hotel signings totalling 7,900 purely fee-based rooms and the opening of 24 hotels with 4,000 rooms - surpassing 2014 results and further fuelling the long-term strategy of asset-light and sustainable growth in Europe, the Middle East & Africa (EMEA) with a particular focus on emerging markets and selected key countries. During the past year, Rezidor has also reached the milestone of 100,000 rooms in operation or under development.
A successful year for signings "2015 was a successful year for us and an important stage on our journey towards increased profitability. Building on our achievements, using the momentum in many markets and rigorously pursuing our strategy, we grew the number of hotel signings by almost 30% compared to 2014", said Elie Younes, Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer of Rezidor.
In the course of last year, Rezidor signed projects in seven new countries (Armenia, Congo, Cyprus, Iraq (Kurdistan), Mauritius, Slovenia and Togo) and is now present in 80 countries across EMEA. The signings also included one new Quorvus Collection member in Oman/Muscat and three Radisson RED hotels in Cape Town/South Africa, Glasgow/UK and Brussels/Belgium. "We are particularly excited about our RED roll-out. This lifestyle select brand ideally complements our portfolio and unlocks commercial and shareholder value by capturing the growing guest segment of the millennial travellers. It is all set for future ambitious development in urban destinations", commented Younes.
An accelerated plan for openings In 2015, Rezidor opened 24 hotels with 4,000 rooms - an increase by 30% compared to 2014. Despite the challenging external environment, Rezidor opened four properties in Russia - clearly strengthening its position as the leading international operator in the area - and three hotels in Saudi-Arabia where the group has a country development agreement with the regional company Al Hokair. In Turkey, Rezidor cemented Radisson Blu as the largest upper-upscale brand in Istanbul - and launched the very first mid-scale Park Inn by Radisson in the city.
100,000 rooms The speed of strategic signings and an accelerated openings plan made Rezidor reach the milestone of 100,000 rooms in operation or under development in 2015. "Our total portfolio continues to feature a solid pipeline of 20,000 rooms. 85% are located in developing markets which are often high RevPAR markets where we operate with fee-based contract models generating high EBITDA margins. While we continue to lead the upper-upscale segment in Europe with Radisson Blu, we remain committed to these emerging regions and mitigate market-inherent risks through our asset-light business model, a focused geographic execution and increased security measures", ended Younes.
For further media information, please contact: Christiane Reiter, Senior Director Corporate Communication, Christiane.Reiter@rezidor.com Renu Snehi, Senior Director PR, Brand & Marketing Communication, Renu.Snehi@rezidor.com
About Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is one of the world's largest and most dynamic hotel groups and includes more than 1,370 hotels in operation and under development with 220,000 rooms and a footprint spanning 110 countries and territories. The Carlson Rezidor portfolio includes a powerful set of global brands: Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu ® , Radisson ® , Radisson RED, Park Plaza ® , Park Inn ® by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites By Carlson SM . In most hotels, guests can benefit from Club Carlson SM , one of the 2015 - 2016 "Top Three Hotel Rewards Programs" as recently ranked by U.S. News and World Report . Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and its brands employ 85,000 people worldwide and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., and Brussels, Belgium. For more information, visit www.carlsonrezidor.com . Connect with Carlson Rezidor on social media: @CarlsonRezidor on Twitter and linkedin.com/company/2364.
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