Radisson Hotel Group Americas is ushering in what interim CEO Tom Buoy calls a second “Roaring Twenties” with the launch of a companion brand to Country Inn & Suites that will reach new markets while continuing to offer the same "warm hospitality" Buoy said Country Inn is known for.
The new brand, Radisson Inn & Suites, will occupy the upper-midscale, limited-service space. In contrast to the company’s Country Inn & Suites brand, which is designed primarily for suburban markets, the new brand is slated for airport locations, metropolitan areas and mixed-development communities.
The brand and details came together quickly based on the feedback from owners and what they saw as a need in the market. Buoy said the new brand honors Radisson’s past, celebrates its future and refocuses the company on innovation.
“We see it as providing a highly differentiated offering in what we'll call a sea of gray in the upper-midscale segment. There [are] a little over 62,000 hotels in the U.S. About 12,000 of those are focused on the upper-midscale segment in the limited-service side, and it is not differentiated—it is really a sea of sameness,” he said. “This hotel will disrupt that space significantly and offer a highly differentiated product—one that demands attention and, obviously, celebrates this company's legacy of innovation and exploration.”
Design Details
The Radisson Inn & Suites brand has a modern look that starts with the exterior. Inside, properties will have a café-inspired lobby that serves as a hub for guests to gather, similar to an urban coffee shop. The space has natural light and other biophilic aspects, such as wood grains, plants and natural materials to bring the outside in and foster a connection to nature.
“It really transforms based on the time of day and the individuals that are there so it becomes somewhat organic,” Buoy said. “Public spaces take on the personality of the individuals that are in them, so our desire is to create a lobby that functions as a coffee shop in the morning, progresses throughout the day and then becomes a vibrant hub at night—full of life and, of course, people engaging and hopefully creating heartfelt memories with the other guests that are there and really talking about the stories that were created throughout the day and creating ones into the night.”
The public spaces also include a grab-and-go-market, a walk-around island counter station, a breakfast counter, lounge seating and a fitness center.
Many of the elements carry through into the guestrooms, such as the natural light and materials. The interiors are inspired by the blue-green of evergreens and morning mist, according to the company, with the brand marketing, signage and wayfinding displaying the deep purples and oranges of a setting sun.
The Creative Content Studio, which also functions as a meeting room, includes monitors, gaming chairs and a high-speed internet connection for social media content creation or video game play.
“We will attract individuals that want a highly relatable practical experience that basically creates a social hub for them to interact collectively and something that really stands out in the crowd, but also values going out into the local marketplace and experiencing the best that that location has,” Buoy said. “We want it to be distinctive, we want it to be memorable and we want it to be a welcoming refuge for people that are coming in after a day of exploration and are probably a little bit exhausted and want someplace where they can relax and feel at home.”
Development Outlook
Interest was strong in the upcoming brand even before today’s official launch, according to Buoy.
“We have two highly complementary, upper-midscale limited-service brands that enable us to go anywhere throughout the Americas and to penetrate into markets where we haven't had the opportunity before,” he said. “It gives our development team the ability to do things we haven't done and it fills a need in our existing portfolio.”
Phil Hugh, chief development officer, expects most of the brand’s growth to stem from conversions.
“New constructions are always exciting but there are some really high-quality properties out there that are looking for a home and are tired of the same-old same-old and tired of competing against their sister brands,” he said. The company’s architecture, he added, precludes its brands from being in competition with each other.
Hugh said there are no specific portfolio numbers the brand is working to achieve, but noted that growth is expected to happen quickly. Development will be focused on Canada, the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America.
Flexibility will be a key aspect of the brand, especially in F&B, according to Hugh and Buoy. The breakfast buffet will have five required elements, and then owners can adjust as needed.
“We want to put the power back in our owners’ hands and let them do what is appropriate,” Buoy said. “Obviously, if you're running full on a weekend with a soccer team and a volleyball team in house, you probably want to flex that. But if it's a slow Sunday night or a holiday week, maybe you just knock it down to those five items.
“We want our owners to focus on those things that drive the most value for their guests while enabling them to be as profitable as they can be.”