Ambition 2015 - 2 million new guests @ Radisson in 2011
 

In a recent Radisson stay (to complete the trifecta), there was a nice Carlson-Rezidor Hotel Group magazine regarding their "Ambition 2015" plan. It was an interesting read.

http://www.carlsonrezidorhotlinethea...ine_2012v1/#/2

To summarize, they want to become one of the top choices for a hotel brand by 2015. They've committed hundreds of millions of dollars to expand, renovate, train, market, etc. They are achieving their goals much sooner than anticipated (I think thanks to the club carlson bonus points promos).

Some points:

Promotions/advertising lead to 2 million new guests @ Radisson and 1 million new guests @ Country Inn.
Radisson is Europe's largest upscale brand (surpassing Hilton)
Expect to open 30 Radisson Blue hotels in 2012
Almost doubled marketing spend since 2009
Has the largest pipeline in the industry
New credit card launch by end of 2012 - Will offer earnings at a rate well above most other hotel brands.
Leverage social media - went from zero to 30 million impressions in 2011
Club Carson membership grew 60% in 2 years - 1.7 million new members in 2011.

I am 1 of the 1.7 million new members that joined Club Carlson last year during the 50,000 point promo. It certainly looks like that while we are benefiting from these promos, the ultimate winner is the Carlson-Redizor Hotel Group. The promos worked and they are gaining more customers, awareness, and in return, more revenues/profit. Well done.

I see more promos coming our way to achieve their Ambition 2015.

This makes me nervous. Hyatt did the same and FFN went bye-bye

Exactly what I was thinking ! I hope it won't be an other US-only CC which will kill any (worldwide) promo à la Hyatt (or Fairmont...)

That's said, it's a very good thing their promo works... maybe it will awake some old hotel chains (Hyatt, SPG...) for giving better promos...

agreed, +1as am I, thanks for starting this thread & posting the article yoonny:-:^:-:

Maybe they should have waited?
 

The promos have gotten me to try the product(3 of five types of properties)but I am finding them to be not up to the standards of other properties in the same price range.

Perhaps they should have waited till after the roll-outs and refurbs?

Promos that get me in the door of a hotel that shades the whole chain in bad light is not money well spent IMO.

It is wonderful that they really have a large-magnitude, broad-based commitment behind all of this. It gives confidence that what we've seen is not just one-off - and that there's strong long-range value to be found in committing to them. A common theme underpinning all the earn and redeem promotions and easy status matches we're seeing. The mandate that the head of Hyatt's Gold Passport program got four or five years ago. Everything mentioned, like everything we're seeing, is very attractive, except one thing. As I've said over on the Hyatt board: "Carlson wants me. It's as simple as this." Bravo, Carlson Rezidor!!!

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Now the one thing: The CC cc goal jumps right out. Horrors! It wrecked Gold Passport. The sages prophesied that it would be zero-sum vs. stay incentives, a credit card promotion program with a hotel program piggy-backing, not the reverse. Now, the credit card program is sucking the stay program white. (Now, an irony that's playing out is that non-US disadvantaged members are clamoring for the card. The irony: It will further dilute the stay program with all the incentives that the credit card offers.) I digress. But it was the first reason that I was open to noticing what Carlson was doing, last fall.

But it's like a drug to the hotel company. An economic imperative. CC will do it, and we've seen how it will play out. In a sense, it's a poison pill that undermines everything else above. Who was the Greek mythology character - Cassandra? - who could see the future, but couldn't do anything about it?

:td:

Everything else would make the new Club Carlson an unmitigated "Scorrre!!!"


[I should mention for this thread that I have no connection with Carlson Rezidor except as an impressed new customer.]

Some are saying on other boards that they wouldn't set foot in a Radisson family hotel prima facie. I see Club Carlson being the leading edge of their Ambition 2015, fast generating new cash, demand pull and occupancy, thus rejuvenating the enthusiasm of their franchisees/operators to take the steps necessary to overcome the criticism. I admit I wasn't jazzed by (plain) SAS Radissons a few years back, but this sounds like a plan. We'll see. I'm glad to be a guinea pig.