Everyone agrees that 2020 has been the "annus horribilis" for the world and in particular the hotel industry. However, despite having to tackle unprecedented challenges, many companies grasped that the crisis also presented a unique opportunity to re-invent and re-imagine their business. In the long run, therefore, the pandemic may have some positive consequences as well as negative ones.

In response to the challenges of 2020, what is the single most important change that you implemented that you believe not only helped you get through the past year but that you also expect to maintain as part of your post-pandemic "new normal”?

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Chema Basterrechea
Chema Basterrechea
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at Radisson Hotel Group

2020 has indeed been a difficult year but it has also given us the opportunity to review and ensure we had all the measures in place to support a swift business recovery. 

Throughout the pandemic, we have remained committed to our strategic five year plan which we established in 2017 with 25 concrete objectives, and the objective to be perceived as one of the top three hotel brands in the world and the brand of choice for owners, guests, and talent. This in-depth process during the past years makes Radisson Hotel Group a truly transformed company, ready for the rebound of tourism & travel.

Some of these fundamental optinizations and transformations include the investments in IT and systems focusing on building best-in-class revenue systems and a strong future-proof IT backbone called EMMA. 

In reaction to the pandemic, we have accelerated the roll out of selected programs, such as EMMA, as well as introduced new solutions in an agile response to the new market conditions.

This is shown in the launch of our Hybrid Rooms and Hybrid Meetings, building on our continued investment in digital solutions and the  ZOOM partnership in select locations across EMEA. We believe hybrid is here to stay – allowing for a powerful and seamless combination of face-to-face meetings in multiple locations.

We welcome meeting attendees and guests in a safe environment thanks to the global application of the Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol, in partnership with the worldwide leader in certifications SGS, and our support of the WTTC's Safe Travels Guidelines – both in place since May 2020. Earlier this year, we launched a new comprehensive testing program, and we are proud to be the first hotel group to roll out a rapid testing service for meeting and event attendees at properties across our EMEA portfolio. 

In terms of the growth of our portfolio, we have seen robust success in key segments such Serviced Apartments which have proven to be a resilient business model. We have set a target to more than double serviced apartments portfolio within the next 5 years. To respond to investor opportunities in conversions and increased interest from existing hotels to join our global network, we launched Radisson Individuals in 2020.  Just 6 months after its launch, we signed and opened properties in the UK, Austria, Estonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, the US and India.

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