Radisson Blu is an upscale international hotel and resort brand operated by Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, with 287 hotels globally as of December 2014. Initially branded as Radisson SAS, the name changed to Radisson Blu in 2009 after Scandinavian Airlines System withdrew as a major shareholder. The brand has expanded into the U.S. market with several notable hotel openings, including the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago in 2011.

1. AN OVERVIEW ON THE RADISSON BLU
Varun Kesavan, Research Scholar, E – Mail Id –
varunkesavan@yahoo.com
INTRODUCTION
Radisson Blu (formerly Radisson SAS) is an upscale international chain of full
service hotels and resorts brand for Radisson Hotels mostly outside the United States,
including those in Europe, Africa, and Asia. These are operated by Carlson Rezidor Hotel
Group. As of December 2014, Radisson Blu has 287 hotels operating throughout the world
with 68,270 rooms, and 102 hotels under development with an additional 23,489 rooms.[1]
Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) used to be a major shareholder in Rezidor Hotel
Group and licensed its brand for Radisson SAS hotels. Following the withdrawal of SAS
from the partnership in 2009, the name changed from Radisson SAS to Radisson
Blu.[2]
The new brand is being introduced gradually across the portfolio.[3][when?]
In 2012,
Carlson Hotels and Rezidor Hotel Group combined to form Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.
HISTORY
In 1960, the Royal Copenhagen hotel opened in Denmark. Designed by
the Arne Jacobsen for SAS International Hotels (SIH) - the hotel division
of Scandinavian Airlines.[2] Then, in 1994, the Radisson SAS was created when
SAS International Hotels (SIH) joined forces with the Radisson brand for

2. Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in a joint branding initiative.[2] In
2000, Radisson SAS opened its hundredth hotel.[2]
In 2002, Rezidor introduced the SAS Hospitality brand. Radisson SAS operated
more than 150 properties at this time in more than 40 countries throughout
EMEA. By late 2006, Rezidor SAS, renamed the Rezidor Hotel Group, and
made an initial public offering on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.[2] By 2008,
the Rezidor Hotel Group had a total portfolio of over 360 hotels in 55
countries.[2] When the name was changed in 2009, Gordon McKinnon,
Rezidor’s Executive Vice President of Brands, explained that the name Blu was
choice from Rezidor’s research to find a new visual differentiator to replace the
familiar SAS ‘blue box’.[2] “The name Blu started life as the project’s working
title. But it soon became apparent that it was actually the most natural of
choices. It’s simple, it’s short, it’s relevant and we’ve applied it in a way that
adds a certain modernity to the identity without taking it too far,” he said.
In April 2016, the first Radisson Blu Resort operated in Crete, Greece. The
Radisson Blu Beach Resort, Crete Milatos is an existing property that has re-
opened under the Radisson Blu flag after renovation in 2016. The resort is
located in the east of the island, surrounded by fishing villages, Milatos and
Sissi.[4]
Expansion into the United States

3. SAS did not have hotels in the United States. The first Radisson Blu in the U.S.,
the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, opened in downtown Chicago in November 2011.
The hotel occupies part of the Aqua skyscraper developed by Studio Gang
Architects. The second Radisson Blu, the Radisson Blu Mall of America,
opened on March 15, 2013, in Bloomington, Minnesota, and is connected to
the Mall of America. The former Radisson Plaza Hotel in
downtown Minneapolis was renovated and converted into the fourth Radisson
Blu in 2014.[5]