Radisson Red is an upscale, select service concept that boasts a forward-thinking focus on design and detail, the customer experience, personal interaction, personal choice and recognition of the increasingly important role that technology plays in facilitating the best of everyday life.
Global hospitality major, Carlson Rezidor has begun giving a decisive push to its new offering – Radisson Red. The company claims the new brand has been designed to create a new industry category, “Lifestyle Elect,” an upscale, select service concept that boasts a forward-thinking focus on design and detail, the customer experience, personal interaction, personal choice and recognition of the increasingly important role that technology plays in facilitating the best of everyday life.
According to Thorsten Kirschke, president, Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group who visited Delhi early this month to formally introduce Radisson Red in the Indian market, while the new brand entails broadening of the profile for Carlson Rezidor, its USP clearly lies in responding to the aspirations of the new age travellers. “The millennial-mind traveller is someone who has a penchant for unique travel experiences and a lifestyle that blends work with play. They are technology-savvy travellers who enjoy online interactions and like to stay connected. Carlson Rezidor’s Radisson Red hotel brand speaks to this important and growing segment. Radisson Red introduces the Lifestyle Elect concept that enables guests to elect the kind of stay experience that they want,” Kirschke told TourismFirst.
While the first Radisson Red Hotel is expected to be commissioned in Shenyang Hunnan, China around the middle of the next year, the group is looking at a modest profile of 50 plus properties in the next five years in the key markets of the world. And going by Radisson Red specific expansion strategy which the group has devised, India will be a major market where this product will be rolled out in the near to medium run. “We want to have 60 Radisson Red brand hotels (greenfield as well as conversion routes) in the leading key global markets by 2020. Half of them will be in Asia and we believe China and India can easily have 10 units each,” Kirschke added. According to Kirsche, the changing dynamics in the hospitality market and the rising aspirations of customers in the country make India perfectly poised to willingly receive Radisson Red units. “The brand is a great fit for the Indian market, where increasing affluence and the rising middle-class mean increased travel. Expenditure on domestic travel now accounts for more than 80 percent of direct Travel and Tourism GDP. And although the bulk of this is attributed to business travel, leisure travel is growing. Indians are increasingly willing to spend on holidays and the proliferation of low-cost carriers is opening up a world of vacation options.” In company’s assessment, Radisson Red will be ideal for primary destinations such as Ahmedabad, Benguluru, Chennai, the Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune, as well as leisure and religious destinations such as Goa, Jaipur, Katra, Shirdi, and Tirupati.
Kirschke further divulged details on the defining amenities which will help Radisson Red units to carve a niche of its own. For events and gatherings that set the stage for social interaction, there will be a dedicated event studios section equipped with the latest technology. In the guest rooms, technology and smart design will feature strongly, with audio-visual equipment such as super-sized smart TVs that support the streaming of content from the guest’s personal devices. Flexibility and efficiency will be the cornerstones of room design. For instance, instead of a desk, each guest room will have a multifunctional table, where guests can eat, work and surf the internet. Food & Beverage options at Radisson Red hotels will include Red Cafe, Oui Bar and the 24-hour Red deli. All of them will be connected, open and social spaces that set the scene for interaction and games. And as the brand can be tailored to suit the specifics of each destination, Radisson Red hotels in markets like India can also offer full-service restaurants and in-room dining.
Apart from China and India, Carlson Rezidor is also looking at Australia and Indonesia as the possible major turfs to establish its Radisson Red brand. In these countries, the group may also bring in some resort properties under the Radisson Red flag.
By Ritwik Sinha
