Radisson CEO Plays Down Coronavirus Impact on Hotels

Federico Gonzalez, the CEO of Radisson Hospitality AB, the European arm of the Radisson Hotel Group, has moved to downplay the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the company.

In a statement alongside the company’s full-year results on Tuesday, Gonzalez said the outlook for 2020 was “promising.”

“Concerning the potential hit from the coronavirus, so far the negative impact is considered negligible due to the limited impact of Chinese and Asian travelers on our client base,” Gonzalez said.

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Radisson began a pilot last year to co-brand some of its properties with the name of its new owner Jin Jiang in the hope of tapping into the growing outbound Chinese travel market.

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Radisson Hospitality AB reported a 79.8 percent rise in pre-tax profit to $36.8 million (€33.8 million) for the year to the end of December 2019. Revenue during the period increased 4.2 percent to $1.1 billion (€999.3 million.)

Radisson Hospitality AB operates brands such as Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson in 387 hotels spread across 80 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It is the sister company of Radisson Hospitality Inc, formerly known as Carlson Hotels, which operates in the Americas and Asia-Pacific regions.

A consortium led by Jin Jiang owns all of Radisson Hospitality Inc and more than 90 percent of the shares in Radisson Hospitality AB. Both companies together are known as Radisson Hotel Group.

As well as his role as CEO of Radisson Hospitality AB, Gonzalez also serves as chair of the global steering committee of Radisson Hotel Group, and — following the retirement of John Kidd, CEO and COO of Minnetonka-based Radisson Hospitality Inc —he now oversees the operational activities of that business.

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