Danish Design Landmark, Rezidor Hotel Group Turn 50

Brussels-based Rezidor Hotel Group celebrates 50 years in hospitality, and marks the 50th anniversary of design landmark Radisson Blu Royal Copenhagen, Denmark.

Renowned 20th Century architect and designer Arne Jacobsen created the historic hotel, which opened in partnership with SAS Airlines in 1960. The property also launched Rezidor itself, now one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide with over 400 hotels in operation and under development across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Earlier this year, Rezidor's Radisson Blu brand overtook Marriott and Hilton to become the largest upscale hotel brand in Europe.

"Rezidor has developed from a small Scandinavian group and 'new kid on the block' to a major international player," commented Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor. "We look back on a successful history and forwards toward an exciting future - towards further profitable growth, mainly in young and emerging markets."

The World's First Designer Hotel
Radisson Blu Royal Copenhagen debuted in 1960 following the inauguration of a new route between the US and Scandinavia on SAS Airlines. SAS commissioned Arne Jacobsen for the hotel project, which brought the best of modernist Scandinavian design to Copenhagen's city center, minutes from Tivoli Gardens.

Jacobsen oversaw every detail of the 260-key hotel; from drafting the proportions of 22-story structure, to choosing light greys and blue-greens for the exterior to reflect the Scandinavian skies, to creating signature AJ door handles for guestrooms.

Several of Jacobsen's now-archetypal Danish Modernist pieces were created for the hotel, including the Egg chair, Swan chair, Drop chair and Royal lamp. Interiors also feature such trademark Jacobsen designs as the Series 7 chair, Series 3300 sofa, AJ cutlery, AJ pendant lamp, and now-rare Pot chair.

Room 606 at the hotel retains Jacobsen's original design and operates as a fully functional guestroom as well as mid-century design timepiece. The 485-square-foot space features Jacobsen's grey and blue-green color palette, built-in vanity and shelving made of wengé wood, and Egg, Drop and Swan chairs.

Family-Run Hotel Offers Designer Dining and Amenities
Radisson Blu Royal Copenhagen's Alberto K restaurant is named for the hotel's first General Manager, Alberto Kappenberger, who lived with his wife and children in a suite on the 20th floor for over 20 years. Roy Kappenberger, Alberto's son, grew up in the hotel and today serves as Hotel Manager.

Located on the 20th floor with sweeping Copenhagen views, Alberto K restaurant offers an Italian-influenced menu featuring local Danish ingredients, served on Jacobsen's AJ cutlery and Cylinda Line tableware.

Additional culinary outlets at the hotel include all-day international dining at Café Royal, and the Royal Bar, which serves an AJ Cocktail, among others, on tall Series 7 chairs.

The hotel also offers over 3,000 square feet of meeting space, spanning 300-seat auditoriums to 10 flexible smaller rooms, and a 6,500-square-foot fitness center.

Hotel Milestone Highlights Rezidor's Global Expansion, Longest-Serving CEO in Hospitality
This Copenhagen property was instrumental to Rezidor's continued achievements. Behind Rezidor's success story stands Kurt Ritter, who has served at the top of the company since 1989 and is the longest serving CEO in the hospitality industry. Ritter, who was born in Switzerland in 1947, spent his childhood in his parents' hotel. He graduated from the prestigious "Ecole Hotelière de Lausanne" before beginning a career with Rezidor in 1976, as General Manager of a hotel in Luleå, Sweden.

Focused on growth from the beginning, the group opened its first hotel outside Scandinavia in Kuwait in 1980. Since 2002, Rezidor has operated four hotel brands throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa: Radisson Blu, Regent Hotels & Resorts, Park Inn and Country Inn. Rezidor's fifth brand, Hotel Missoni, was created in 2005 through a worldwide licence agreement with iconic Italian fashion house Missoni.

Growth is still Rezidor's engine: in 2010, the company hit 400 properties in operation and under development, with a special focus on emerging markets. Rezidor manages almost 60 hotels in Russia and CIS, and almost 30 hotels in Africa.