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Carlson Hotels Worldwide Seeks to Add Two Brands to
Canada; Regent International Hotels and Park Inn
TORONTO, Ontario. (April 7, 2003) ---- Carlson Hotels Worldwide, a major global hotel organization, announced an aggressive plan to grow the company's five hotel brands in Canada to more than 100 hotel locations during the next five years. 

Samuel Winterbottom, executive vice president of development for Carlson Hotels Worldwide, is leading the development initiative that will expand the presence in Canada for all of the company's hotel brands: Regent International Hotels, Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Park Plaza hotels, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson and Park Inn hotels.

�We see significant opportunity for growing our brands in Canada to serve both business and leisure travelers,� said Winterbottom.  �Each of our brands offers a distinctive value proposition to customers and proven business building systems for owners and investors by providing a complete range of hotel products and services including luxury, full-service and limited service.�

The company currently has 32 hotels operating in Canada under three brands: Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson and Park Plaza hotels.  The five-year development plan calls for 75 more hotels, including the addition of two brands not currently represented in Canada: Regent International Hotels and Park Inn.  Globally, Carlson Hotels Worldwide includes 861 hotels in 66 countries.

Radisson Hotel & Resorts (www.radisson.com and www.radissoncanada.com):  As the Carlson hotel brand with the largest presence in Canada with 22 current locations, future development plans for Radisson include cities such as Edmonton, Fort McMurray and Banff, Alberta; Kamloops and Nanaimo, British Columbia; plus expanded presence is planned for Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, and Vancouver.  Radisson is one of the world�s leading upscale, full-service hotel companies.  The brand derives its name from the famous French Canadian explorer, Pierre Esprit Radisson.

Country Inn & Suites By Carlson (www.countryinn.com):  One of the fastest growing, mid-tier lodging chains, Country Inn & Suites By Carlson is expected to build on its current nine properties in Canada by adding hotels in Edmonton;
Halifax; Vancouver; Victoria; Thunder Bay; and Montreal; plus expand its current presence in Calgary; Ottawa; Toronto; Winnipeg; and Saint John.  Country Inns & Suites received the highest ranking for guest satisfaction among mid-priced hotel chains with limited service in J.D. Power and Associates 2002 North American Hotel Guest Satisfaction StudySM.

Park Plaza (www.parkplaza.com): Park Plaza hotels, positioned in North America in the mid-scale to upscale segment of the full-service hotel category, has 34 hotels globally--including a hotel currently open at Vancouver airport.  Park Plaza is expected to build on its presence in Canada by focusing on cities such as Edmonton; Banff; Halifax; Montreal; Quebec City; and further expansion in Vancouver. 

The company�s development plans also include introducing two additional hotel brands to Canada, Regent International Hotels and Park Inn hotels. 

Regent International Hotels (www.regenthotels.com): One of the most respected brands in the luxury segment of the lodging industry, Regent will focus on development in cities such as Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. 

Park Inn (www.parkinns.com):  Positioned within the economy to mid-scale segment of the limited service hotel category in North America, Park Inn has its sights on several cities, including Thunder Bay; Halifax; Edmonton; Regina;
Saskatoon; Winnipeg; and Kamloops.

Reach of Carlson Organization Brings Strength to Carlson Hotel Brands

The strength of Carlson Hotels Worldwide is found in its award-winning business delivery technology, which reaches consumers globally through the Internet and travel professionals in 125 countries, providing instantaneous, convenient service.  The �Curtis-C� reservation system is accessible through airline reservations systems worldwide, toll-free numbers and the Internet.  The hotel brands� award-winning Web sites offer an enhanced reservations process and online personalization features to help more Web users shop for a hotel, make or change a reservation or plan an event at any Carlson hotel worldwide.  Hotels can offer narrative information, photos, virtual tours and streaming video of their properties, in addition to local attractions, weather, maps and driving directions. 

The brands of Carlson Hotels Worldwide offer the hotel industry�s only patented online relationship program for travel agents called �Look To Book,� which allows them to automatically earn points toward valuable merchandise and incentive awards in return for booking Carlson hotels.  This exclusive, highly successful program includes travel agents in 106 countries worldwide.  It is one of the company's showcase programs for providing business support to its hotels. 

For consumers, the Gold Points Reward Network allows members to earn points based on dollars spent or nights stayed at any of Carlson Hospitality�s participating hotel, resort and restaurant locations in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and at additional partner locations such as Thrifty Car Rental, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, and Carlson Wagonlit Travel , just to name a few.  Members earn even more points when they visit www.goldpointscanada.com and shop the dozens of featured online retailers.  Gold Points can be redeemed for future hotel stays, restaurant dining, exciting travel offers and hundreds of quality, brand name products.

Carlson Hospitality Worldwide is one of the major operating groups of  Carlson Companies, Inc., a global leader in providing corporate solutions and consumer services in the marketing, travel and hospitality industries.  In addition to having an already strong hotel presence in Canada, the Carlson reach can be found in other divisions such as Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Carlson Marketing Group. 

Carlson Wagonlit Travel Canada (www.carlsonwagonlit.ca) is the second largest travel company in Canada with 850 employees serving both corporate and leisure customers in 300 wholly-owned and associate offices across the country.  Major clients for CWT Canada include:  3M Canada Inc., Alcatel, BP Energy, Bristol Myers Squibb, Canada Post, Clarica, Dupont Canada Inc, General Electric, General Motors of Canada Ltd., Honeywell Ltd., Nortel Networks, Oracle, UBS Bank Canada, Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto Dominion Bank, Ontario Government.  Carlson Hotels Worldwide is a preferred hotel supplier for Carlson Wagonlit Travel. 

In Canada, Carlson Marketing Group is ranked by Report on Business as the fifth largest marketing communications agency (www.carlsoncanada.com).  Carlson Marketing Group, a relationship marketing company, helps global Fortune 1000 clients solve their critical business issues and increase return on investment (ROI) by designing marketing strategies that build better relationships with the audiences that clients depend on for their success: employees, channel partners, and consumers.  Marketing Magazine ranks CMG Canada as #1 in strategic consulting, direct marketing and market research.  More than 450 people are employed in full service offices in Toronto and Montreal.  The client list includes leaders in automotive, financials services, retail, pharmaceuticals and consumer products. 

Minneapolis-based Carlson Hotels Worldwide, part of Carlson Hospitality Worldwide, includes five hotel brands, totaling 861 hotels in 66 countries. 


 
Contact:
Carlson Hospitality Worldwide
Kristi Arndt
763-212-5626
[email protected]


 
Also See: Samuel Winterbottom Named EVP of Development for Carlson Hotels Worldwide / Nov 2002
GS Consorcio Operador of Mexico City Opens the First Country Inns & Suites in Mexico / Jan 2003


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