Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group announced at the Global Business Travel Association Convention in Orlando that it will introduce its upscale Radisson Blu brand to Latin America with three properties: Radisson Blu Santiago, La Dehesa in Chile, and two resorts in Colombia — Radisson Blu San Andrés Resort & Spa and Radisson Blu ar Santa Marta Resort & Spa.
“Radisson Blu has a global presence with more than 280 hotels worldwide, and we see strong potential for the brand in Latin America,” said Javier Rosenberg, chief operating officer, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “Carlson Rezidor already maintains a solid footprint with over 50 hotels operating or in development across Latin America, holding leading positions in Brazil and Chile, and now expanding in Colombia with these additions.”
The current Radisson Petra La Dehesa Hotel will be renovated and rebranded as Radisson Blu Santiago, La Dehesa, with the transition scheduled for completion by the first quarter of 2016. Radisson Blu San Andrés Resort & Spa is planned as a new-build property on the Caribbean island of San Andrés — an area celebrated for its marine life, white-sand beaches and coral reef diving — and is expected to open in the first quarter of 2016. Radisson Blu ar Santa Marta Resort & Spa, also a new-build project, is slated to open in 2017 in Santa Marta, one of Colombia’s most historic and romantic cities.
These developments mark Carlson Rezidor’s expansion of its premium Radisson Blu brand into Latin America, combining renovations of existing hotels with newly constructed resorts to serve both leisure and business travelers seeking upscale accommodations across the region.