Predecessors SAS Group, the flag carrier of Scandinavian countries, opened their first hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1960. The hotel, the
SAS Royal Hotel, was the world's first designer hotel, which was designed by
Arne Jacobsen. According to the
Financial Times, he "lays claim to several innovations [in the hospitality business]". He also struck a franchise deal for the company with Carlson Hotels in 1995, which made SAS International Hotels had "a decade of compound annual growth north of 20 per cent". The subsidiary was known as SAS International Hotels until 2001. The franchise agreement was renewed in 2002, which added three more brands: Park Inn, Regent and Country Inn in the new agreement. However, six of the aforementioned hotels, except Cologne City-West, were converted to
Mercure brand of
AccorHotels in 2014. In 2005, Rezidor SAS opened four more Radisson hotels in the Republic of Ireland. Two Park Inn hotels were also opened in
Dundalk and
Mulranny respectively in the same year. However, Park Inn Dundalk was closed down in 2010. The former Park Inn Dundalk was under
Ramada brand of
Wyndham Hotels and managed by another company Lester Hotels since 2016. In February 2006, Rezidor opened a Park Inn hotel in Baku, the first Park Inn hotel in the
Commonwealth of Independent States.
Rezidor Hotel Group In 2006, SAS Group floated Rezidor SAS Hospitality as Rezidor Hotel Group
AB (publ) on the
Stockholm Stock Exchange. The listed company is incorporated in Sweden. After the listing, as of 2007, SAS Group ceased to be a shareholder of Rezidor Hotel Group, while Carlson Hotels Worldwide owned about 42% shares. In the 2010s, Rezidor Hotel Group became part of a larger hotel group, which
trading as Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Carlson Hotels increased its ownership ratio of the Rezidor Hotel Group to 50.1% in 2010 and then integrating the two hotel groups. In January 2012, it was announced that Carlson hotel group and Rezidor hotel group would runs hotels under one name
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. In 2010, Carlson and Rezidor had already sold the brand
Regent to . The enlarged group, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, was one of the top hotel corporations in 2013. Carlson–Rezidor group was acquired by Chinese conglomerate
HNA Group, via their division, HNA Tourism Group, in 2016 from
Carlson Companies. The takeover also triggered a mandatory bid for the remaining shares of the listed company. However, HNA Group re-sold Carlson–Rezidor group to a consortium led by
Jin Jiang International Holdings, another Chinese conglomerate. In May 2018, Rezidor Hotel Group, the listed company, was renamed to Radisson Hospitality AB (publ); The Belgian subsidiary, was renamed to Radisson Hospitality Belgium SPRL/BVBA; The parent company, Carlson Hotels, Inc., was renamed to Radisson Hospitality, Inc. in the fourth quarter of 2017. The trading name of the whole hotel group, including both Radisson Hospitality AB and Radisson Hospitality, Inc., was renamed
Radisson Hotel Group. ==See also==