Kurt Ritter has delivered on his promise to grow the group. He says "Yet another year of growth! I have now been able to say that for fourteen consecutive years, and for eleven of those years,
I have been able to fortify the statement by saying “record growth”. I am very happy to present 2007 as yet another year of record growth!

Rezidor Hotel Group is one of the fastest growing hotel companies in the world and has been so for some time. During 2007, we signed 53 new contracts, corresponding to a total of 8,937 rooms, and we opened 5,027 rooms for business. This is record growth. We have shifted into a higher gear, especially when it comes to contracts signed."

He continues"the freshest inventory in the industry helps us to secure rising guest satisfaction scores, that, we expect, will translate into strong RevPAR premiums in the years to come. We are extremely proud that Radisson SAS was awarded with the J.D. Powers Award for Best Guest Satisfaction 2007 in the upper upscale hotel segment in Europe – and equally proud, perhaps even more so, that our new volume Park Inn achieved the same award in the economy segment, only five years after its launch."

Readers will remember that the Park Inn Berlin, the first of the brand was an early featured Review (see link below) and that we have also Reviewed the Regent and Radisson brands. Plans for HotelDesigns also include a Review this summer of the Mahmoudieh Design designed Radisson SAS in Berlin which features the spectacular 10,000 litre fish tank in reception.The design qualities that brought the wine tower to the Radisson Stansted (see Review) have helped maintain the high style and attractiveness of the Radisson offer.

Kurt Ritter comments "By focusing on primarily growing the Park Inn brand,we have already shifted growth onto a lower risk level,regardless of entering a weaker business cycle or not. It has taken us fourteen years to grow the Radisson SAS brand to 200+ properties, but only five years to take Park Inn to its first 100. We have now established a powerful growth machine in the mid-market. Historic data confirms that the mid-market and economy segments are more resilient to a weakening economy than the upscale segments." It is noticeable that most growth of the Radisson brand has been by innovative new build hotels whereas Park Inn has grown by purchase and rebranding

Continuing growth in REVpar and in occupancy rates ensures the health of the group with a bouyant message and continued ambitious growth plans auguring well for another record year through 2008, on the way to Mr. Ritter's declared target of 700 hotels by 2012 - and is anyone betting against him achieving it? I'm not...



Patrick Goff