Radisson Hotels is an international hotel chain headquartered in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. A division of the Radisson Hotel Group, it operates the brands Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson Collection, Country Inn & Suites, and Park Inn by Radisson, among others. In June 2022, Radisson Hotels agreed to be purchased by

Choice Hotels Choice Hotels International, Inc. is an American multinational hospitality company based in Rockville, Maryland. The company, which is one of the largest hotel chains in the world, owns several hotel brands ranging from upscale to economy. As o ...

for $675 million. The deal closed on August 11, 2022.

History

In 1907, Edna Dickerson came to

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, from Chicago to collect a substantial inheritance.Jack El-Hai, Lost Minnesota: Stories of Vanished Places (University of Minnesota Press, 2000) p. 48."Back in 1909, the Radisson was the 'jewel' of 7th St.", ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'' (November 1, 1981), Architecture, p. 10, 14. Local business leaders persuaded her to build a hotel in the city, with Dickerson investing $1.5 million in the construction of the first Radisson hotel. It was planned as a high-end

luxury hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

, designed in the

French Renaissance architecture French Renaissance architecture is a style which was prominent between the late 15th and early 17th centuries in the Kingdom of France. It succeeded French Gothic architecture. The style was originally imported from Italy after the Hundred Years ...

style, and constructed with "the best in every line" of paints, enamels, woodwork, and wood finishes, and named after the 17th-century French explorer, ranger and furrier

Pierre-Esprit Radisson Pierre-Esprit Radisson (1636/1640–1710) was a French fur trader and explorer in New France. He is often linked to his brother-in-law Médard des Groseilliers. The decision of Radisson and Groseilliers to enter the English service led to the fo ...

. The building was sixteen storeys, making it the second-tallest building in Minneapolis at the time. As the opening neared, reports boasted of hand-carved walnut furnishings in guest rooms and Spanish leather chairs in the main lobby and banquet hall. The hotel opened on Wednesday, December 15, 1909, with many of the staff having been hired from large hotels on the Eastern seaboard, and being new to the city of Minneapolis."Radisson Hotel Opening Is Set for Wednesday", ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'' (December 12, 1909), p. 14. The opening was followed shortly thereafter by a charity ball for the city being held at the hotel. In an early hotel incident the following month, six waiters from New York were fired, allegedly "because the Eastern waiters could not get accustomed to the Western ways", with three of them being thrown out "into the street before they would leave". Dickerson and her husband, attorney Simon Kruse, lived on the hotel's thirteenth floor and managed the hotel, also opening a Radisson Inn on Christmas Lake, in the Minneapolis suburb of

Excelsior Excelsior, a Latin comparative word often translated as "ever upward" or "even higher", may refer to: Arts and entertainment Literature and poetry * "Excelsior" (Longfellow), an 1841 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow * ''Excelsior'' (Macedo ...

. They remained for twenty-five years, until 1934, when the Radisson fell into the hands of a mortgage company. In the mid- and late-1940s, pianist

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...

"gained national exposure through his performance contracts with the Statler and Radisson" hotels. Another owner initiated a renovation of the hotel in the late 1940s. The Radisson was purchased in 1962 by the Carlson Company, and it began adding new locations, both through the purchase of existing hotels such as the Denver Hyatt House in 1968, and constructing new buildings in Bloomington, Minnesota, and

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. The chain had 14 locations by 1976, and 32 by 1984. The original Radisson in Minneapolis was demolished in 1982, with a new hotel being constructed in that city and beginning operations in 1987. Carlson expanded the chain into one of the top hotel corporations by 2013. On top of Radisson, Carlson also owned several other brands, such as Park Inn, Park Plaza (acquired in 2000), and Country Inns & Suites (founded by Carlson in 1986). In the 1990s, American-Russian businessman Paul Tatum was murdered after a series of disagreements over the Radisson Hotel in Moscow. On June 13, 2022, the company agreed to be purchased by

for $675 million.

Brands

Radisson

The majority of Radisson-branded hotels are located in the United States. The company's headquarters, as well as the headquarters of the owner, Radisson Hospitality, Inc., are located in

Minnetonka Minnetonka ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. A western suburb of the Twin Cities, Minnetonka is located about west of downtown Minneapolis. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 53,781. Minnetonka is the ...

, a suburb of

, the city where the first Radisson Hotel was built. The original Radisson Hotel, opened in 1909, was at 41 South Seventh Street in Minneapolis.

Radisson Blu

Radisson Blu is an international chain of upscale hotels. Its hotels are mainly located in major cities, key airport gateways and leisure destinations. Radisson Blu has roots dating back to the opening of the SAS Royal Hotel in Denmark in 1960 and was the world's first designer hotel. After several name changes, spin offs, and rebranding, the Radisson Blu brand name was established in 2009. Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotels is a line of luxury hotels in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, owned by Edwardian Hotels and often operating in historic buildings: Some of its hotels include the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Heathrow and the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Hampshire.

Radisson RED

Radisson RED is a chain of full-service hotels operating in the United States and internationally. Radisson RED is an upscale hotel with emphasis on modern design and technology. As of 2019, the brand has twenty-three hotels either in operation or under development.

Radisson Collection

Radisson Collection was formerly known as Quorvus Collection from 2014 to 2018. Quorvus Collection was introduced in 2014 as a luxury brand. The first hotel of former Rezidor Hotel Group in Copenhagen, was converted to use Radisson Collection brand.

Country Inn & Suites by Radisson

Country Inns & Suites by Radisson in Gillette, Wyoming

Country Inn & Suites by Radisson (formerly Country Inns & Suites) is a hotel chain which accommodates business and leisure travelers. Locations are mainly independently owned and operated, and franchised under licensing agreements with Radisson Hotels. The chain was established as Country Inn & Suites by former Carlson Hotels' owner,

Carlson Companies Carlson is an American privately held company headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, United States. Its primary subsidiaries are CWT, a travel management company, and Carlson Private Capital Partners, a family office that manages the owners' wea ...

in 1986 as a "middle-class" brand. Carlson Companies also owned the namesake, Country Kitchen restaurant chain at that time. In January 2018, two years after Carlson sold Carlson–Rezidor hotel group to HNA Group, the chain was rebranded into "Country Inn & Suites by Radisson".

Park Inn by Radisson

Park Inn by Radisson is a midscale hotel group. It is described as an "affordable hotel for business and leisure travelers." According to ''U.S. News & World Report'', it offers "comfortable, contemporary accommodations and on-site restaurants."

Radisson Rewards

Radisson Rewards is a loyalty program launched by Radisson Hotels in 1999. It allows guests to earn and redeem points for free nights at Radisson properties.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Hotels established in 1909 Hotel chains in the United States 1909 establishments in Minnesota Radisson Hotel Group brands 2022 mergers and acquisitions