"we did business differently than the best hotel companies in the world, so we're now planning on a five-year plan"
It seems to me that plan is to raise Carlson Rezidor standards to standards of larger chains. I can't see loyalty program not being part of this plan.
However, article seems to be focused on US market, so I wonder what will happen in Europe - do they consider their European operations to be good enough (perhaps a model for what US hotels should aspire to become), or can we expect some improvements too? Radisson Blu is in many aspects excellent, but there is still room for improvement - and desperate need for better quality control (few bad hotels can ruin it for the whole brand). I agree that Park Inn is a hidden gem - I used to avoid them but after excellent experiences in Prague and Ostrava, I'm now inclined to book those Park Inns that are more modern. New properties are excellent value for money - the one in Prague could beat some of Blus I've stayed at before.