Marcus Brewster wins Rezidor Hotel Group

Rezidor operates the brands Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts, Regent International Hotels, Park Inn and Country Inns & Suites in Europe, Middle East and Africa, along with the goldpoints plusSM loyalty programme for frequent hotel guests. The group has more than 61 000 rooms in its global portfolio.

Rezidor has also signed a worldwide licence agreement with the Italian fashion house Missoni, in order to develop and operate a lifestyle hotel brand of the same name: Hotel Missoni.

Marcus Brewster has been contracted to supply a turnkey PR consultancy service to Rezidor in SA. The award-winning PR firm will provide strategic counsel, media liaison and publicity services, as well as brand and reputation management.

“Big plans”

Comments Brewster: "The Rezidor Hotel Group has big plans for SA. Building on the success of Rezidor in Europe, Russia, CIS Countries and the Middle East, Rezidor has turned its focus on Africa with an attention to both business and leisure destinations. A Business Development office, under Andrew McLachlan, has been opened in SA, responsible for the groups' growth on the African Continent and Indian Ocean Islands".

The Rezidor Hotel Group has already got two new Radisson Hotels under construction, which should complement the successful Radisson Hotel Waterfront Cape Town. The two new five-star properties opening in late 2008 are Radisson Hotel Sandton, with 283 rooms, and the Radisson Hotel Port Elizabeth, with 173 rooms.

"We plan aggressive growth in SA with both the Radisson and Park Inn brands, through individual projects and portfolio deals" says McLachlan. "Our focus is primarily management agreements for city hotels as well as resorts".

In addition to the two Radisson Hotels currently under construction in Sandton and Port Elizabeth, Rezidor is looking for the right locations and right partners to grow the Radisson and Park Inn brand in key cities such as Durban, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, East London and parts of Johannesburg in addition to resort locations along the coast. "We also believe that SA is one of the few countries in Africa that could also have the Hotel Missoni and Regent Hotel in triple A locations along with Mauritius and Seychelles" says McLachlan.