More Than $500 Million Invested Since 2005 to Renovate and Enhance Radisson Hotels & Resorts in North America
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More Than $500 Million Invested Since 2005 to Renovate and Enhance Radisson Hotels & Resorts in North America
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Category: North America & West Indies / Carribean islands
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2006-06-09
Radisson Hotels & Resorts® today announced that since the start of 2005 its hotel owners and the brand’s parent company, Carlson Hotels Worldwide, have collectively invested more than $500 million in renovation, enhancement and new construction projects at 100+ Radisson hotels and resorts in North America. This figure includes projects completed last year, currently underway and those scheduled to begin in 2006. The average amount invested in each guestroom currently under renovation is approximately $17,0000.
The announcement was made by Nancy Johnson, executive vice president and brand leader of full-service hotels, Carlson Hotels Worldwide-the Americas, at the 28th Annual NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference held here this week.
“Our Radisson brand has undergone an extensive transformation during the past three years, creating a new generation of hotels and resorts focused on greater product quality and consistency and enhancing the individual guest experience,” said Johnson. “Radisson owners and Carlson Hotels are making significant investments in key markets that are bringing the portfolio into alignment with the brand’s upgraded standards,” said Johnson.
“These investments are not just structural improvements. They also include more than $45 million for the installation of SLEEP NUMBER® beds and new custom bedding, which give guests more control over their hotel experience so they can stay their own way. More than 80 percent of our guests who have experienced a Sleep Number® bed say that the bed exceeded their expectations and positively impacted their perception of the Radisson brand.”
“Overall, our stricter brand compliance standards and investments in the Radisson hotel product have already begun to show positive results. For example, in North America, the brand property condition and quality assurance ratings continue to increase year over year,” Johnson added.
Johnson went on to say that those hotels that were not able or willing to make the investment required to meet the brand’s higher standards have left the Radisson system, including more than 80 hotels in the past 18 months.
Key Carlson-Funded Renovation Projects of Managed Properties
Radisson is currently building and renovating two world-class resorts in the Caribbean. These include the 358-room Radisson Resort Aruba where a $5.2 million spa is opening this fall, and a new flagship Radisson St.Martin Resort and Spa. In St. Martin, Carlson invested $60 million for the acquisition plus extensive renovations and new construction of the luxurious property opening in summer 2007. For more information and downloadable photography of these two Radisson resorts, visit www.caribbean-media.info.
Two additional managed resorts are currently being renovated at a cost of $40 million each. Both properties, the 90-room/60 condo Radisson Resort & Spa Guadeloupeand the 150-room/60 condo Radisson Resort & Spa Martinique, are scheduled to join the Radisson system in late 2007.
In spring 2005, Carlson Hotels reached an agreement with Hospitality Properties Trust to assume the management of 12 hotels. Each hotel has received capital investments ranging from $1 to $4 million; total renovation costs for the 12 hotels exceeded $37 million, and were completed during the first quarter of 2006. Four of the 12 properties became Radisson hotels. They are located in Nashville, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Seattle/Tacoma.
The historic Radisson Plaza-Warwick Hotel Philadelphia is currently undergoing a $15 million renovation/conversion project. Of the hotel’s 545 rooms, 290 are being completely renovated, while the top eight floors of the property are being converted into 100 one-, two- and three-bedroom luxury condominiums. The project is scheduled for completion this fall.
Finally, the Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore recently completed a $3 million renovation in which all 440 guest rooms received Sleep Number beds, new carpeting, lighting, furniture and draperies, along with upgraded bedding and linens. Guestroom bathrooms have been refurbished with new tile, mirrors and sinks.
Key Owner-Funded Renovation Projects of Franchised Properties
In New York City, the Radisson Hotel Martinique, which will open on July 1st, is undergoing a $10 million project to restore virtually all public spaces and guestrooms, and retain the building’s original 1897 French Renaissance architecture. A new French bistro will open in November, and Artemis, a new supper club harkening back to the hotel’s turn-of-the-century origins, will open in 2007. The hotel’s meeting facilities are being expanded by 6,000 square feet to encompass a total of 20,000 square feet of flexible space.
The Radisson Lexington Hotel, also in New York City, is in the final stages of a $15 million renovation project to upgrade all 705 guestrooms and suites with new Herman Miller task chairs, granite desks and enhanced bedding. Deluxe rooms now feature Sleep Number beds. The hotel’s fitness center and business center have also been updated, and the new Alma Grill opened in May 2006.
In New Jersey, the $15.6 million newly-built Radisson Hotel Carteret is scheduled to open on June 21st. This property features on-site dining and 3,700 square feet of flexible meeting space. The hotel is conveniently located near the Rahway Train Station, and is a short drive from downtown Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and the Jersey Shore.
Following the completion of a $14 million renovation, the Radisson Hotel Columbia & Conference Center in South Carolina boasts the largest hotel ballroom in the Midlands. The hotel also includes 238 newly designed guestrooms, with 35 suites, and over 20,000 square feet of enhanced meeting space.
In Wisconsin, the Radisson Hotel Milwaukee Airport recently finished a $3 million renovation in which Sleep Number beds were installed in half of the hotel’s 161 guestrooms. Themed whirlpool suites and an executive suite were also added. Additional enhancements were made to the banquet and meeting rooms, guest corridors and lobby area, which now features marble floors and a baby grand piano.
The Radisson Milwaukee North Shore is also currently going through a $3 million renovation, including a new bell captain’s desk and reception desk in the lobby, Sleep Number beds and new desks in the guestrooms, and upgrades to the meeting rooms, guest corridors and exterior grounds.
Allegiance Realty Corporation, owner of the Radisson Hotel Fort Worth South and the Radisson Hotel Fort Worth North, has invested $12 million to renovate both of these Texas hotels. As part of the restoration, guestrooms at both hotels will receive new carpeting, case goods, Sleep Number beds, as well as granite bathroom countertops, lighting and fixtures. The hotels’ fitness facilities, conference rooms, restaurants and lobby will also be extensively redesigned.
On Dec. 1, 2005, the newly-constructed 248-room Radisson Fort McDowell Resort & Casino opened in the neighboring community of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, just east of Scottsdale, Ariz. The resort was built at a cost of $43 million, and features more than 25,000 square feet of meeting space, flat-screen TVs in all guestrooms, a fitness and workout studio, and two heated swimming pools.
At the Radisson Hotel Phoenix Airport South in Arizona, $5.5 million was invested to renovate all 159 guestrooms, which now feature new case goods, Sleep Number beds, marble countertops, and cable TV with On-Command Videos. Other project highlights include an enlarged and upgraded fitness center, and the conversion of idle space into expanded meeting facilities.
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