Minnetonka-based Radisson Hospitality Inc. and the Radisson Hotel Group have started to take precautions as concerns over the coronavirus outbreak have begun to affect travel plans and hotel stays.
Radisson Hotel Group takes precautions as hospitality industry braces for coronavirus
Company is waiving cancellation fees in heavily affected areas.
March 7, 2020 at 1:52AM
Radisson Hotel Group has temporarily closed five hotels in China in the last few weeks due to low demand. On Thursday, Radisson planned to expand its cancellation policy to waive cancellation fees through April for room reservations in China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, and northern Italy, destinations where travelers have been cautioned about travel.
The hospitality company is implementing health measures such as installing extra hand-sanitation stations in public areas of some of the hotels it owns and manages, and Radisson staff continues to update its franchisee-run hotels on advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization.
Radisson leaders recently said that, other than the company's precautions, the coronavirus' effect on the company has been minimal.
"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," said Federico González, president and chief executive of Radisson Hospitality AB in financial reports released last week.
Radisson Hotel Group is owned by Shanghai-based Jin Jiang International Holdings Co., which is ranked as the second-largest global hotel group with about 9,700 hotels across the world.
According to its website, Radisson Hotel Group has 19 hotels in China.
"Today we have a small footprint [in China]," said Ben Gardeen, spokesman for Radisson Hotel Group. "We have ambitions to really grow the China portfolio under Jin Jiang, our new owner there."
One Radisson hotel under development in Wuhan, China, has postponed its opening date.
The coronavirus' effect is already being felt by many global hotel chains as travelers change plans and major conferences have been postponed or canceled as precautions. Marriott International Inc. said last week that revenue per available room for Greater China, dropped nearly 90% last month compared with a year earlier, according to the Wall Street Journal. Hilton and Hyatt Hotels have also reported negative impacts.
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