Choice Hotels International is relaunching Radisson Individuals in the Americas region as an upper-upscale soft brand focused on full-service, boutique and independent hotels. Choice is extending the brand to owners for the first time as part of its expansion into the upper-upscale tier.
“Choice is a different company today than we were just a few years ago. We’ve seen tremendous excitement for our upscale and upper upscale brands including Radisson, Radisson Blu, Radisson Red, Ascend Hotel Collection and Cambria. That’s a testament to the strategic investments we’ve made to provide a strong value proposition to developers interested in growing within these segments,” Pat Pacious, president and chief executive officer of Choice Hotels International, said in a statement. “With Radisson Individuals, we have a great new opportunity for developers and owners of full-service boutique hotels to benefit from Choice’s powerful distribution engine. Our 67 million Choice Privileges rewards members now enjoy access to 1,000 upscale, upper-upscale and luxury hotels around the world, with more than 200 other properties in the pipeline. We are thrilled to welcome Radisson Individuals to this collection.”
According to Choice, hotels in the collection will use “bold designs” to reflect local culture, with a “striking and memorable” front desk and traditional architecture and artwork in guestrooms and common hotel spaces. The properties will have regionally inspired food-and-beverage programming as well as pools, spas and fitness centers.
“Increasingly, we see many travelers place a high value on unconventional hotel experiences that truly steep them in the beauty and magic of their destination without sacrificing top-notch service. With Radisson Individuals, we are seizing on major potential to fill that white space in the market with an upscale experience that Choice is uniquely positioned to deliver,” said Indy Adenaw, senior vice president and general manager for upscale brands.
Upward Expansion
The launch of Radisson Individuals marks a milestone in Choice’s expansion in the upscale and upper-upscale segments. The franchisor has repositioned both the Radisson and Radisson Blu brands earlier this year and has expanded the Cambria Hotels brand. Following its digital integration of Radisson Americas brands through June of this year, Choice has driven a 32 percent year-over-year increase in reservations through direct online channels for those brands.
“We’re looking forward to expanding Radisson Individual’s footprint within the Americas,” said Mark Shalala, senior vice president, development, upscale brands and real estate. “When you combine Radisson’s impressive 89 percent brand recognition with Choice’s powerful distribution engine and reliable, AI-infused, state-of-the-art, proven operations tools, this is a fantastic opportunity for developers and owners who want to maintain their hotels’ unique character but be a part of a winning system.”
Since 2020, more than 30 Radisson Individuals properties have opened around the world, 15 of which are franchised by Choice in the Americas.