TOKYO, Japan -- Radisson Hotels & Resorts, a world leader in the hotel industry with 31 hotels and resorts operating in major cities throughout Asia/Pacific including Tokyo and Osaka, today announced the grand opening of its first regional office in Japan. The regional office, which operates from the Radisson Miyako Hotel Tokyo in downtown Tokyo, serves a dual purpose as a center for sales and marketing activities in East Asia and will also be used by the company's development team to foster continued expansion of Radisson and its sister-company's lodging operations in the region. Globally, Radisson Hotels & Resorts includes 424 locations, encompassing 100,931 guestrooms in 59 countries.

Radisson has appointed Yasuaki Hori as Director of International Sales to oversee the regional office. Hori has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality and travel industry and is a graduate of Johnson & Wales College in Providence, Rhode Island, in the United States. He most recently served as the International Corporate Sales Representative for Delta Airlines, successfully creating and implementing a program to increase Business Class usage by Japanese corporations. Prior to that, he was Director of Worldwide Sales-East Asia for Holiday Inns in their Regional Sales Office. Hori has also worked as a sales representative for Hilton Hotels, in both the United States and Tokyo.

"As the Asian economy continues to rebound, the power of branding and global marketing will play an increasingly important role in the Asian hospitality industry of the new millennium,"said Brian Stage, executive vice president of Radisson Hotels & Resorts. "We expect an accelerating growth of our sales and hotel operations in Asia because of this important trend," Stage added.

Radisson has three strategically located hotels in Japan, Radisson Miyako hotels in central and Tokyo and Osaka, plus a Radisson managed hotel at Narita Airport, outside Tokyo, which is owned by Northwest Airlines. Together the three hotels have helped Radisson establish a strong presence in this vital market over the past five years. The Radisson Miyako Tokyo will install new signage with Radisson's new logo on March 1 and signals the beginning of a one billion yen ($10 million USD) investment in the renovation of its guestrooms and public areas. Radisson is interested in developing additional hotels throughout the country.

Radisson's parent company, Carlson Hospitality Worldwide, also includes cruise ship and restaurant operations in the region. Carlson Restaurants Worldwide opened their fifth T.G.I. Friday's restaurant in Japan yesterday in Ginza, and have a major new T.G.I. Friday's restaurant in central Tokyo. TGI Friday's restaurants are being developed in Japan through a partnership with noted franchisee Mikki Watannabe of Watami Foods.

Radisson is part of Carlson Hotels Worldwide, whose total lodging operations include more than 687 hotels, resorts and inns in 64 countries. Carlson's hotel brands include – Regent International Hotels, Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson and Park Inn and Park Plaza Hotels in the United States. Carlson Hotels Worldwide currently has a total of 42 hotels open in the Asia/Pacific region, with a value of over $1.6 billion (USD), and plans to expand the company's total locations in Asia/Pacific to 55 by the year 2002.

"We view the Asia/Pacific region of the world as a tremendous long range growth opportunity and strategic imperative for the travel and tourism industry," said Stage. "Offering one of the world's most powerful reservations and business delivery systems, we are confident that our brands will grow and prosper in the expanding economies of this region," he added.

Stage said the company's long-term plans are to become the premier hotel and resort organization in the region. "Driving this growth is Carlson's global marketing, reservations and business building systems which attract customers and deliver business to the hotels in our system from around the world," he said.

"Hori will lead our regional sales efforts in East Asia to increase corporate and leisure incentive business with Radisson's top 100 key accounts in Japan, including mega travel agencies," said Michael Fegley, vice president of sales for Radisson Hotels & Resorts. 'Tokyo is a major world-class destination that generates both inbound and outbound business for our hotels."

Major Radisson hotel openings this year in the Asia/ Pacific region include the recent grand opening of its fourth location in China - the 519-room, luxurious Radisson Plaza State Guest Hotel in Beijing. It is the only American-branded, world-class hotel on the central west side of the world's largest public square, Tiananmen Square, near the historic Diao Yu Tai State Guest House. The hotel is a landmark joint-venture partnership with China International Industry & Commerce Co., Ltd. (CIIC).

During the first quarter of 2000, Radisson opened another location in China, a new $50 million (USD), five-star hotel in Hangzhou, two hours southwest of Shanghai, China. The 27-story Radisson Plaza Hotel Hangzhou, located in the city's premier business district, features 286 guestrooms and luxurious suites.

Radisson has three hotels open in India, located in New Delhi, Chennai and Raichak (Calcutta) and five hotels under construction in Jalandar and Ahmedabad (spring 2001); Mumbai, Gurgaon and Varanasi (mid-year 2002). The company has several other hotels in the early stages of development throughout the country.

Radisson also has controlling interest in Sydney-based DC International Limited (DCI), which operates 18 Radisson Hotels and resorts in Australia, and the Asean region. This summer, the company opened the Radisson Plaza Hotel Sydney, Radisson's second hotel in the city and a major new flagship for its overall Asia/Pacific operations. The hotel is situated in the heart of the city, adjacent to Australia Square, features 337 rooms and 26 suites, a Business Centre and Plaza Club rooms for the business traveler, a health club, steam room and lap pool.

The Radisson Seoul Plaza is a 480-room, five-star, high-rise hotel located in Seoul's central business district. The hotel, which recently underwent a $30 million (USD) renovation, features a stunning, marble and granite lobby, and spacious deluxe rooms with elegant and refined furnishings and marble baths with separate shower.

HOTEL LOCATION SUMMARY

Current locations of Radisson Hotels & Resorts in the region include the cities of: Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai, China; Seoul, Korea; New Delhi, Chennai, Calcutta (Raichak), India; Kathmandu, Nepal; Bukit Indah, Surabaya, Bali (2), and Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Tokyo's Narita Airport and central Tokyo, and Osaka, Japan; Pointe aux Piments, Mauritius; Bangkok, Thailand; Honolulu, Hawaii; and nine locations in Australia.

Radisson has sales offices in Hong Kong; India (5); Jakarta, Indonesia; Sydney, Australia; and the new regional office in Tokyo.

Frank Klare
Vice President/General Manager
81-476-93-1234
Radisson Hotels & Resorts (by Carlson Hotels Worldwide)