Predecessors Curt Carlson, founder of
the namesake company, bought Radisson Hotel in downtown Minneapolis in 1962 (Radisson Hotel Group claimed it was 1960). 40 years later, the hotel division of Carlson had expanded into one of the top hotel corporations, as of 2013. The agreement gave birth of the co-brand
Radisson SAS, which became
Radisson Blu since 2009. SAS International Hotels, later known as Rezidor SAS Hospitality in 2001 and then Rezidor Hotel Group in 2006, had expanded into a hotel group that consisted of more than 320 hotels as of 2008. The franchise agreement was renewed in 2002 and again in 2005. The 2002 deal added Park Inn, Regent and Country Inns into the agreement, while in 2005 agreement, Carlson purchased 25% shares of Rezidor SAS from SAS Group. The 2005 franchise agreement would last until year 2052. Rezidor Hotel Group also had other brands, such as Hotel Missoni, which was licensed from
Missoni.
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Rezidor Hotel Group, formerly Rezidor SAS, became a listed company in 2006. SAS Group ceased to be the shareholder of Rezidor Hotel Group in 2007, while Carlson, a significant shareholder of Rezidor SAS since 2005, became the parent company of Rezidor Hotel Group in 2010. Since January 2012, the enlarged hotel group was
trading as Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. In February 2014, Carlson Rezidor terminated the license agreement of Hotel Missoni. Carlson Rezidor's Hotel Missoni Edinburgh and Hotel Missoni Kuwait would cease to use the brand Hotel Missoni not later than June 30, 2014. In the same month, two new brands of the group were introduced, namely Quorvus Collection and
Radisson Red. In March 2016, Carlson Rezidor acquired a 49% stake in German hotel chain prizeotel, for €14.7 million, with a future right to acquire the remaining 51% of the shares. (On October 4, 2019, Radisson announced that it was purchasing the remaining 51% of prizeotel.) In April 2016, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group was sold to HNA Tourism Group, a division of Chinese conglomerate
HNA Group. The
loyalty programs: HNA Group and
Hainan Airlines' Fortune Wings Club and Radisson's Radisson Rewards, signed a partnership agreement in June 2018.
Radisson Hotel Group In the fourth quarter of 2017, Carlson Hotels, Inc. (the US-based
holding company of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group) was renamed Radisson Hospitality, Inc., The whole group received a new trading name – Radisson Hotel Group. The Club Carlson customer loyalty program was renamed Radisson Rewards. In August 2018, Radisson Hotel Group was sold to Aplite Holdings AB, a consortium led by a Chinese
state-owned hospitality company,
Jin Jiang International. According to the press release, Radisson Hotel Group had more than 1,400 hotels in operation and under development at that time. In June 2022, the Radisson Hotel Group agreed to sell Radisson Hotels Americas, consisting of the Radisson franchise agreements, operations and intellectual property in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean to
Choice Hotels for $675 million. ==Brands==