INSIGHT Radisson Blu Resort Maldives
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Issue No. 1
2021
INSIGHT
The Pulse of Radisson Hotel Group
Radisson Blu Resort Maldives
INSIGHT BY RADISSON HOTEL GROUP 1
Contents
04 Message from the President 10 Technical Services: Helping 16 India: Leveraging
hotels adapt to the “new the strength of our
Katerina Giannouka, normal” partnerships
President, Asia Pacific
Zubin Saxena,
Greg Farrell, Vice President, Managing Director and
Design and Technical Services, Vice President, Operations,
Asia Pacific South Asia
06 Industry Outlook 02 Brands: New brand and guest 18 South East Asia & Pacific:
experience concepts for a Laying the foundations
Brighter skies appear bright future for a bright future
through the clouds Andre de Jong,
Esther Van Bemmelen, Vice President, Operations, REFERENCES
Vice President Brand Strategy, South East Asia and Pacific
Guest Experience, PR & 1. unwto.org
Communications, Asia Pacific 2. iata.org
3. str.com/str-asia-pacific-hotel-performance
4. globalwellnessinstitute.org
08 Development: Driving 14 China Operations: Leading the 20 Commercial Outlook: 5. relocatemagazine.com
growth with innovative global recovery Spirit of innovation drives
6. uk.reuters.com
concepts in key markets success
7. unwto.org
Ramzy Fenianos, Gary Ye, Vice President, Hannes Bos, Vice President,
Chief Development Officer, Operations, China Commercial, Asia Pacific 8. str.com/str-apac-markets
Asia Pacific 9. globaltourismforum.org
INSIGHT BY RADISSON HOTEL GROUP INSIGHT BY RADISSON HOTEL GROUP
Message from
the President
At the end of 2020, we can reflect on the most the global recovery; occupancy and RevPAR
challenging year in the history of the hospitality in October 2020 were the highest for any
industry. While we have experienced setbacks month since January³, and China’s October’s
in the past, never before have we encountered occupancy was only 3% down year-on-year. This
an almost complete shutdown of cross-border gives us renewed confidence as we enter 2021.
travel.
Our development momentum continued in
Adversity drives innovation, and I am immensely 2020 reaching a new milestone of 84 signings
proud of our team’s ability to create solutions and new hotel openings in Maldives, China and
to the short-term challenges we face, without India. We also launched Radisson Individuals,
losing sight of our long-term strategy. From the our new soft brand which will enable us to
roll-out of COVID-19 compliant procedures in work with independent hotels and small chains.
partnership with SGS and SafeHotels, to fresh This puts us in a strong position to achieve our
food and beverage concepts, such as home aggressive expansion plan, which will see us
delivery services and hybrid meetings. Our grow to over 2,500 hotels by 2025.
teams have shown a wonderful willingness to
adapt and maintain a positive outlook. As part of the world’s second largest hotel
group, Radisson Hotel Group is perfectly
There is no disguising the fact that the positioned to lead the recovery of the
world suffered an immense setback in 2020; hospitality industry in the post-COVID era.
international tourism arrivals fell by 70%¹ and
air passenger numbers are back to 2003 levels².
However, it appears that Asia Pacific may drive
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Industry
outlook
Brighter skies appear through
the clouds
While the global travel and hospitality industries Based on the findings of the UNWTO’s Panel of
suffered a considerable downtown in 2020, Experts¹, the rebound of international tourism
there are signs that brighter skies could lie on a global level is likely to occur in Q3 2021.
ahead in 2021. According to the latest UNWTO But Asia Pacific could lead the way; the cautious
Travel Restrictions Report, 70% of global approach of many regional governments has led
destinations have eased their COVID-19 travel to low infection rates (relative to other parts of
restrictions⁷, and initiatives such WTTC’s Safe the world), and this could help these countries
Travels Stamp, bilateral travel bubbles and, of gain traveler confidence in the post-pandemic
course, the global vaccination programme, will era. Companies and destinations could even tap
help the world to return to normal. into the rising trend for “safecations”⁹.
In terms of Asia Pacific’s hotel sector, the Naturally the recovery depends upon many
recovery has started; according to recent data external factors, but it seems likely that intra-
from STR⁸, strong domestic demand and public regional travel between Asia Pacific countries
holidays in key markets have driven continued with low COVID figures could provide the
performance improvements from COVID-19 catalyst for tourism’s revival.
lows. In China, occupancy during the Golden
Week holiday peaked at 83% - almost as high as
2019 levels.
Radisson Blu Resort
Cam Ranh
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Development:
Driving growth
with innovative
concepts in key
markets
Ramzy Fenianos
Chief Development Officer,
Asia Pacific
Radisson Hotel Group Asia Pacific’s its subsidiaries in China will add 8,965 rooms
development strategy continued to gain and suites to our nationwide inventory, covering
momentum in 2020, despite challenging four core brands: Park Plaza, Radisson RED,
conditions. Our Development team signed Park Inn by Radisson, and Country Inns & Suites
12 new hotels and resorts across the region by Radisson. These agreements will continue
and expanded the brands’ footprint in China to drive the success of our five-year expansion
with 72 properties under the master brand strategy. Other key markets will include
development agreements, bringing our total India, where we are the country’s leading
expansion footprint to 84. international hotel group, as well as Vietnam,
Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Key signings in China included two properties
in Nanjing: a 151-key Radisson Collection resort With respected core brands such as Radisson,
and a 300-room Radisson Blu hotel. In South innovative new concepts like Radisson
East Asia and the Pacific, our rapid expansion in Individuals, and a fresh focus on high-growth
Vietnam continued with the signing of the 309- sectors such as serviced apartments, we are
key Radisson Blu Resort and Spa Van Phong confident of accelerating our development in
Bay as well as 84-key Radisson Resort Phan 2021 and beyond.
Thiet, and we sealed eight new deals in India,
including our first Radisson Individuals hotel, a
196-room hotel in Katra, along with the 180-key
Radisson Blu Jaipur.
The 72 signings with Jin Jiang International and
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Technical Services:
Helping hotels
adapt to the “new
normal”
Greg Farrell
Vice President, Design and
Technical Services, Asia Pacific
2020 created many unforeseen challenges in developed intuitive new spaces for “bleisure”
terms of hotel design and operations, however, (business & leisure) travelers, based on the
it was very pleasing to see how the Technical concept of converting the plain hotel lobbies of
Services team stepped up to help our hotels the past into vibrant social spaces.
adapt to the “new normal”. Collaborating with
our global team, we successfully identified the Moving forward, we envisage that many of
standards and solutions required for COVID- our COVID solutions will not be necessary
compliant operations. We enhanced our air in the long-term, but some will undoubtedly
filters and circulation for all guestrooms, have lasting benefits for our hotels and guests
meeting rooms, public spaces and back-of- alike. We can look back on the last 12 months
house areas, implemented cutting-edge UV with considerable pride about the way we
filtration and “nano photon” air purification responded to the unprecedented difficulties we
systems, and implemented enhanced cleaning have all faced.
and disinfection routines, as part of the
Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol. We also
strongly recommend the use of Cu-Film
Antimicrobial Copper Film for high-touch areas.
This helps us to eliminate 99.9% of viruses and
bacteria in less than half an hour.
Our Food & Beverage strategy has reflected a
360-degree approach in line with latest trends
for local and community dining. We have also
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We will be rolling out a fresh
SPA
Brands: CONCEPT
New brand and across all brands to tap into the US$45
trillion⁴ global wellness economy.
Esther Van Bemmelen
guest experience A unique spa philosophy and signature
therapies will appeal to new generations
of wellness-seeking travelers while also
for a bright future expanding our development appeal.
Vice President Brand Strategy,
Guest Experience, PR &
Communications, Asia Pacific
A NEW
The Asia Pacific PR, Communications and Brands team was able to move forward
with its global strategy in 2020, achieving several major milestones. These include FITNESS
the launch of the Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol in the wake of the pandemic
and the following exciting initiatives. CONCEPT
will take advantage of the global
Getting back to normal will take some time, and events will look different in the trend for health and fitness. Many
interim. To bridge that transition, we have developed our hybrid meeting services travelers want to stay in shape while
on the road, so we are redefining
in collaboration with expert technology providers to deliver professional, engaging,
our fitness concept to provide extra
effective, and highly interactive meetings. workout facilities.
THE
SERVICED
APARTMENT
sector is one of the fastest-growing areas of
New brand: Radisson Individuals has capitalized on the hospitality, with supply surging 15% in 2019⁵
rising demand for soft-branded hotels in the upscale This is no longer solely for corporate travelers
and upper upscale sectors. This is a win-win situation, or long stays; units are also now booked by
as it allows hotels and small chains to benefit from leisure guests and families. Radisson Hotel
Radisson Hotel Group’s global support and reach, while Group foresees strong opportunities for this
also attracting experience-seeking travelers. concept in Asia Pacific.
Radisson Hotel Group already operates exceptional
BEACHFRONT
RESORTS IN
ASIA PACIFIC
including key locations such as Bali, the Maldives,
Radisson Collection has debuted in China with Radisson Vietnam and Fiji. We are now expanding into new
Collection Hotel, Xing Guo Shanghai, the brand’s first location markets, including Sri Lanka, creating compelling guest
in a gateway city in Asia Pacific, and Radisson Collection Resort, experiences that reflect the essence of their destination.
Nanjing, which forms part of an integrated resort. We foresee
strong potential for this brand in China and across Asia Pacific.
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2020
results improvement from
previous year
China operations:
Leading the
+0.9%
GRI
+0.23%
GSS
global recovery
Gary Ye
Vice President, Operations
China
As one of the first countries to emerge from lockdown, and the world’s largest
domestic tourism market, China is in a strong position to lead the recovery of the
global hospitality sector. The launch of Radisson Collection Hotel,
Xing Guo Shanghai is set to mark the
brand’s debut in China, and the first
Radisson Collection hotel in a gateway
Throughout 2020, Radisson Hotel
city and financial hub of Asia Pacific –
Group has effectively managed
Shanghai. We will follow up this milestone
In October 2020, hotel occupancy in all cost streams including payroll,
in Q2, 2021 with the opening of Radisson
mainland China was only 3% down year- energy, contract services and
Collection Resort, Nanjing.
on-year³, boosted by the Golden Week beyond. In total, we managed to
holidays. save hotel operations costs by
18% compared to the previous
year. We also achieved a
phenomenal improvement in our
brand quality scores for China in
2020, which can be attributed
to the best practices we put in
place.
RevPAR levels for October 2020
were the highest for any month since
November 2019, and ADR was the
highest since January 2020.
The China market has suffered in 2020;
domestic tourism numbers are expected
to slump 43% in 2020⁶, but the latest
data provides cause for optimism.
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To enhance our operations in the COVID era, we introduced the “India Unification Plan”,
an operational blueprint that features more than 20 forward-thinking initiatives. Using our
extensive network, the “Radisson Accelerates Cross-Sell Engagement” (RACE) connected
over 6,000 business partners in more than 50 cities with 180+ hotel sales associates in a
virtual format. This generated leads for over 14,500 room nights and confirmed bookings
for approximately 4,600 room nights for our hotels in India – a vital uplift in this difficult
period.
India: Leveraging Unification Initiatives 2020
Zubin Saxena
the strength of Operations F&D Initiatives
our partnerships
Managing Director and • Focus 40 • Food Delivery Vertical
Vice President, Operations, • Flowthrough Management • New Retail Concept:
South Asia
• Operations Blueprint “Meetha” sweets
• Epicenter Hotels • Outdoor Catering Vertical
• Housekeeping Program • EazyDiner: Corporate Tie-up
• Radisson Concierge Service • Radisson Signature Dishes
• Centre of Excellence • Guest Experience SOPs
• Food & Drink Initiatives
Despite a challenging • Subject Matter Experts
year, Radisson Hotel
Group leveraged its strong
relationships and local
network to bolster our
People Procurement
leadership position in India, • Centralized Procurement
• Cluster General Manager Program
signing seven hotels and Program
• General Manager Lead Referral
opening three: Radisson Program • ‘Owners for Owners’
Blu Mumbai International • Manning Blueprint Procurement Program
Airport, Radisson Blu Towers
Kaushambi and Park Inn by
Radisson Gwalior.
Another silver lining to the COVID cloud
has been how we stayed innovative and
created many new initiatives, such as
“Meetha”, which highlights traditional
Indian sweets, and a collaboration with
EazyDiner to offer table booking and
home delivery services. Our hard work
is paying off; RHG was recognized as
the “Best Frontline Support/CSR” hotel
group at Travel + Leisure India’s Best
Awards.
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South East Asia &
Pacific: Laying the
foundations for a
bright future
Andre de Jong
Vice President, Operations
South East Asia and Pacific
Countries in South East Asia and the Pacific In 2020, we successfully opened two new
are among the most desirable tourism properties in the region, Radisson Blu Resort
destinations in the world, but this made Maldives and Park Inn by Radisson Putrajaya.
them more susceptible to the unprecedented Looking ahead 2021, we are excited to launch
travel disruptions that arose in 2020. Many of our first two hotels in Sri Lanka this year,
Radisson Hotel Group’s properties in the SEAP including a Park Inn by Radisson in Colombo
region were unable to welcome international and a Radisson Collection property in Galle.
visitors since the start of market lockdowns, Our brands continue to expand their footprint
but the spirit of innovation and ability to adapt as we plan to open four new properties in
to the “new normal” of tourism have been truly Vietnam, putting us in a great position for the
inspiring. resumption of international travel.
Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney converted to
a government quarantine hotel, with extremely
good feedback from guests about the quality
of service. Radisson Blu Resort Fiji Denarau
Island continued operating despite the inbound
travel restrictions and became a popular choice
for the local market, creating a lot of goodwill
in the community. Our resorts in Vietnam,
Radisson Blu Resort Cam Ranh and Radisson
Blu Resort Phu Quoc also stayed open during
this period, catering for domestic tourists,
steering us towards growth and our planned
expansion strategy.
18 INSIGHT BY RADISSON HOTEL GROUP INSIGHT BY RADISSON HOTEL GROUP 19Commercial:
Spirit of
innovation drives
success
Hannes Bos
Vice President, Commercial
Asia Pacific
The global pandemic did not slowdown our commercial activities in 2020. We
managed to maintain our growth by promptly reengineering our strategy around
five key focus areas:
Development of market
share growth through
our third party online
strategic partners
Creating “one sales force” Sales business development
- combining hotel sales and a focused plan for key
associates and Radisson Hotel These rapid markets
Group Corporate actions enabled
us to deliver rapid
results and lay firm
foundations for
Redirecting our Asia Pacific 2021. Pivoting our sales strategy to
partnerships to focus tap new segments in the post-
on domestic marketing COVID-19 era
campaigns
The four-day Radisson Connect virtual Trip & Staycation”, “China Q3 MICE Campaign
roadshow brought together 400 customers and 1,000 Meetings Partnership”, and “APAC
from 13 countries, while our Radisson Get Flex” MICE campaign, which uses flexible
Accelerate Cross Sell Engagement (RACE) policies to boost all areas of our business,
led to 6,000 sales calls in five days. In terms post-COVID-19. We also launched Radisson
of loyalty, we conducted the “1,000 Point Hotels WeChat Mall, which has generated
Appreciation Bonus” offer and paused US$230,000 in revenue since May.
the expiration of points and tiers. We also
suspended our hotels’ monthly enrolment Distribution-wise, our OTA Business Recovery
goals to let teams focus on our new priorities. and Best Practices Checklist will help hotels
capture more bookings. We encourage hotels
Our Marketing team rose to 2020’s challenges to leverage the revised REACH and Hotelbeds
with innovative campaigns, including “Pay rate plans to support their recovery.
Now Travel Later with Mastercard”, “India Road
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