The Rezidor Hotel Group today announced that it has signed five new hotels, with over 1,000 rooms, and opened five properties, with 940 rooms, during the first quarter of 2013. The group’s operating portfolio now comprises 338 hotels, with more than 74,000 rooms in 56 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
“The signing of new projects in Nigeria, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia underlines our commitment to strategic, asset-light and profitable growth in the emerging markets of Russia and Africa,” said Wolfgang M. Neumann, president and chief executive officer for The Rezidor Hotel Group.
The key signing was the Radisson Blu Sheremetyevo Airport Hotel, Moscow, which will be the only hotel with a direct walkway link to the terminals. Sheremetyevo International Airport has the largest capacity of any airport in Russia and serves more than 22 million passengers annually.
"With this agreement, Rezidor continues to fortify its position as the leading international hotel operator in Russia/CIS and as one of Europe's most important airport hotel operators," said Elie Younes, senior vice president and head of group development at Rezidor.
In Russia/CIS, Rezidor's portfolio comprises 32 hotels with 8,700 rooms in operation and 28 hotels with 6,700 rooms under development.
Rezidor's recent opening of the flagship Radisson Blu Hotel, Maputo, Mozambique also strengthens the group's leading position in the emerging markets. Across all of Africa, the group is operating and developing 49 hotels with nearly 10,000 rooms, and has the largest pipeline of hotels under development in sub-Saharan Africa.
Rezidor's openings during the first quarter of 2013 are all under management and franchise contracts, and total 940 rooms. They include:
- Radisson Blu Riverside Hotel, Gothenburg, Sweden with 265 rooms
- Radisson Blu Hotel, Maputo, Mozambique with 154 rooms
- Radisson Hotel, Rosa Khutor, Russia with 181 rooms
- Park Inn by Radisson Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands with 150 rooms
- Radisson Blu Hotel, Dortmund, Germany with 190 rooms
Asset and contract management continues to be a strategic priority for Rezidor, and in line with its asset-light strategy, two leased hotels in Sweden have been converted to franchises: the Park Inn by Radisson Malmö and Park Inn by Radisson Hammarby Sjöstad.
As part of the group's Route 2015, Rezidor also announced the renegotiation and extension of two important leases in Western Europe: the Radisson Blu Hotel, Amsterdam and the Radisson Blu Hotel, Wiesbaden. The Radisson Blu Hotel, Amsterdam is one the most prominent properties in the company's portfolio, benefitting from a prime location in one of the best performing hotel markets in Europe. The hotel is undergoing a large-scale renovation, partly funded by the owner. Meanwhile, the Radisson Blu Wiesbaden, Germany's oldest luxury hotel, will undergo a major joint renovation to give new life and grandeur to this historic landmark.