Radisson Blu is an international hotel brand managed and operated by

Radisson Hotels Radisson Hotels is a multi-brand hotel chain with a worldwide presence. Its brands include several using the Radisson name, as well as other brands like Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts and Country Inn & Suites. In June 2022, Radisson Hotel Grou ...

, and owned by

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

Jinjiang International Jin Jiang International (Holdings) Co., Ltd. is a tourism and hospitality company headquartered in Shanghai, China, and owned by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government. Corporate affairs Its headquarters are in the in Huangpu. The grou ...

and the

Radisson Hotel Group Radisson Hotel Group is an American international hospitality company that has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. It originated as a division of Carlson Companies, which owned Radisson Hotels, Country Inns & Suites and other brands. In 199 ...

. Founded as the SAS Hotels in 1960, the Radisson Blu brand name came into existence in 2006 with a rebranding of Radisson SAS. It operates in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region with 324 operating worldwide .

History

Foundation as SAS Hotels

SAS Hotels has roots dating to the opening of the then named SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1960. Architect

Arne Jacobsen Arne Emil Jacobsen, Honorary Fellowship of the American Institute of Architects, Hon. FAIA (; 11 February 1902 – 24 March 1971) was a Danish architect and furniture designer. He is remembered for his contribution to functionalism (architec ...

designed every aspect of the hotel for the

SAS Group SAS AB, trading as SAS Group, is a Swedish airline holding company headquartered in Solna Municipality, Sweden. It is the owner of the airlines Scandinavian Airlines, SAS Link, and SAS Connect. As of 2024, SAS Group is owned by a group of s ...

, from the building, to the now-iconic furniture (including the

Egg chair The Egg is a chair designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1959 for the SAS Royal Hotel hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is manufactured by Republic of Fritz Hansen. Design The Egg was designed in a typical Jacobsen style, using state-of-the-art materia ...

), to the tableware. The hotel was initially operated by the catering division of the group, but merged with the hospitality division to become SAS Catering and Hotels. In 1982, the hotels were spun off as a separate division, operating under the name SAS International Hotels. In 1994, Radisson SAS Hotels was created, as a partnership between Radisson Hotels International and SAS International Hotels, for operations in

Europe, the Middle East and Africa Europe, the Middle East and Africa, commonly known by its acronym EMEA among the North American business spheres, is a geographical region used by institutions, governments and global spheres of marketing, media and business when referring to t ...

. By the year 2000, the brand was operating 100 hotels.

Rebranding to Radisson Blu since 2009

In 2009, the partnership with SAS ended and the Radisson SAS properties were rebranded as Radisson Blu. The name ‘Blu’ was chosen as part of a research project to find a new visual identity as the company sought to replace the familiar SAS blue box. Radisson Blu entered the United States market with the opening of its first hotel in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 2011. The hotel occupies part of the

Aqua Aqua is the Latin word for water. As such, it is often used in many words which relate to water, such as aquatic life. In English, it may also refer to: Arts * Aqua (color), a greenish-blue color Business * Aqua (Chicago), an 82-story resid ...

skyscraper developed by

Studio Gang Architects Studio Gang is an American architecture and urban design practice with offices in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Paris. Founded and led by architect Jeanne Gang, the Studio is known for its material research and experimentation, collabor ...

. In 2013, it opened its second location. It was connected to the

Mall of America Mall of America (MoA) is a large shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota. Located within the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, the mall lies southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 77, north ...

Bloomington, Minnesota Bloomington is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. It is located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, south of downtown Minneapolis and just south of the Interstate 494/Inter ...

. In 2010, Radisson Blu was named the largest upper upscale hotel chain in Europe.

Concept

Radisson Blu hotels are mainly located in major cities, key airport gateways and leisure destinations. It is described as an "upper upscale" hotel brand.

Notes

References

External links

{{Authority control SAS Group Radisson Hotel Group brands Rezidor Hotel Group Hotels established in 1960