How has Carlson Rezidor gone from being a Nordic operator to a major player in Europe in just 15 years?
Eric de Neef - If Radisson Blu is now one of the leading brands in the upmarket segment with 220 establishments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, it's thanks to a winning recipe, abandoning the 'copy and paste' model of the big American groups in favour of sophisticated hotels with a local touch. Our strong presence is the other key to our success. We're not just present in the capital cities, because as well as international travel, we also cater for domestic travel. In France, there are a dozen cities where you need to be. We have 14 hotels in the country, more than Pullman, for example. In Paris, we have three boutique hotels with 50 to 80 rooms, but we're lacking one or two units with international resonance. We also have a strong presence, with around twenty hotels in Russia and many others already open or under development in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa.
You've just launched two brands. Let's start with the first, the very contemporary Radisson Red. When will it open?
E. de N. - The first establishment is due to open in Western Europe in September 2015. Three other contracts are ready to be signed in emerging countries. In the spirit of Citizen M or Mama Shelter, Radisson Red breaks the codes with upmarket rooms and a limited restaurant offer. For example, the hotels no longer have a breakfast buffet, but a takeaway offer in a deli open 24 hours a day that guests can enjoy wherever they like, in their room or in the different lobby atmospheres, on a high table, in a lounge... We want to offer a totally different experience, adapted to generation Y. So there is no longer a reception desk. Check-in is online or via an app. There's no television in the rooms either, just an overhead projector. At the same time, we live in an increasingly virtual world, and we need human contact all the more. With administrative tasks dematerialised, staff have time to take care of customers and be pleasant to them.
Aren't you afraid of losing part of your customer base?
E. de N. - Of course, you can't rely on 25-30 years to make a hotel profitable. It's a gamble on the future. The attitudes of generation Y are only going to increase. On the other hand, you can very well have someone aged 50 who is very comfortable with all this. On the other hand, if we don't target the right customers, we can end up disappointing them. So we need to take a different approach to the customer, away from traditional hotel marketing, through good SEO and a presence on social networks.
Let's move on to luxury. Why did you end the Hotel Missoni adventure and create the Quorvus Collection?
E. de N. - Hotel Missoni is a failure. Launched in 2006, the brand had two hotels, one in Edinburgh and the other in Kuwait, but did not land cities like Paris or London, where prices could have offset the high development costs. The furniture and fabrics for the fashion house were prohibitively expensive. I don't blame Missoni, but for an owner, the return on investment was difficult to achieve. We asked ourselves whether we should be present in the luxury segment. The Quorvus Collection is our answer, made up of five-star establishments that are very personal, without ostentation. It is designed to accommodate independent hotels united around Q24 standards for excellent service at all times. The two Missoni hotels and the Mayfair in London will be taking part, and we are working on new destinations such as Moscow and Dubai. Our ambition is to have 25 hotels by 2020 and 50 in the long term, with quality taking precedence over volume.
Key dates :
1985 - Graduated from CERIA, Brussels.
1987 - Joins the Accor group.
1993 - General Manager of the Sofitel Bruxelles Louise.
2002 - Vice-President, Worldwide Marketing for the Mercure brand.
2008 - Managing Director of Mercure, MGallery and All Seasons France.
2011 - Senior Vice-President of Park Inn by Radisson EMEA.
2013 - Senior Vice-President Marketing, CRM and Brand at Park Inn by Radisson.
June 2014 - Appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Carlson Rezidor.
