Radisson Blu Scandinvia Hotel Aarhus
Winning service
A 15-year commitment to client satisfaction has seen the Radisson Blu Scandinvia Hotel Aarhus become a leader in Denmark’s hospitality market
The Rezidor Hotel Group is one of the fastest growing hotel chains in the world, with a dedication to providing the highest levels of quality and comfort. With hotels in almost 60 countries, the group is most prominent across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Underneath its wider umbrella the group operates fives different brands – Radisson Blu Hotels, Park Inn Hotels, Regent, Country Inn and Missoni. The Radisson Blu brand has over 200 hotels within its portfolio, including the Radisson Blu Scandinavian Hotel Aarhus in Denmark.
This year marks the hotel Radisson Blu Aarhus’ 15th anniversary, which the company celebrated with a number of high profile events. Peter Laursen, general manager of the hotel Radisson Blu Aarhus, elaborates on the celebrations: “We held a big birthday reception for guests, partners, members of the travel industry and our key clients to mark the anniversary. We also held an open house event for everyone within the city of Aarhus, which attracted a lot of people and gave them the opportunity to look at the facilities we have to offer. Finally we had a five kilometre run around the neighbourhood of the hotel for guests, partners and the travel industry
with over 130 people taking part, so it was a very positive event.”
Although the hotel Radisson Blu Aarhus has a strong reputation as a convention hotel, Peter explains that the hotel works to cater for all clients, rather than one specific market: “Our range of facilities and ability to adjust our services means that we can fulfill the needs of any customer and make them as welcome as possible. The whole group operates a philosophy of ‘Yes I can’ which is a very positive message and means that as far as our guests go anything is possible. It is also beneficial to staff as we all work to be flexible and help one another to meet our clients’ needs.
“We cater for a lot of meeting and events and this is reflected in our facilities which include a prime location, parking facilities and 30 conference rooms, the largest of which can accommodate 1500 people. Our location means we are also an ideal choice for individual business guests who need to attend meetings within the city centre. On the weekends and during the summer we see a higher percentage of families and so we modify our services accordingly, for example by providing bunk beds in some rooms so families can stay together,” says Peter.
It is this customer commitment, which has helped the hotel Radisson Blu Aarhus gain the Danish Travel Award for the last six years in a row. The award is presented to the best hotel in Denmark outside of Copenhagen as voted for by the travel industry and major corporate companies and so is a real testament to the hotel’s quality of service. Peter explains what makes the hotel Radisson Blu Aarhus stand out from its competitors: “In the hospitality and hotel business it is staff that make all the difference and we are very fortunate to have such a strong team within the hotel. We get a lot of credit from regular guests that staff recognise them, greet them with a smile and have a fantastic dialogue with them. Rezidor provides an excellent people development programme for all employees, which encourages our staff to be the best they can be. We also have an excellent city centre location beside a major music hall, and a commitment to maintaining the upkeep of the hotel so that guests receive a high quality product.”
Maintaining the quality of the hotel means regular investments in updating its facilities. This commitment saw the hotel Radisson Blu Aarhus recently spend 100,000 euros on new carpets throughout the hotel and a further 100,000 euros in updating its banquet facilities. This investment is not only concentrated on the look of the hotel – the hotel Radisson Blu Aarhus is also very aware of its environmental impact and is working to reduce this through measures such as reducing resource consumption and the amount of waste produced by the company. This obligation has led to the hotel Aarhus gaining the Nordic Swan label, which is the highest environmentally friendly certificate achievable in Scandinavia.
Despite the economic crisis, the Rezidor Hotel Group continues to expand opening new hotels every year with a focus on the emerging markets of Africa, Russia and Eastern Europe. Peter highlights how the hotel Radisson Blu Aarhus has continued to be successful during the downturn: “As is the case everywhere, we have seen a reduction in activity within the sector following the economic crisis, however the hotel Radisson Blu Aarhus has continued to operate very well. We have maintained our market share, even growing it slightly so we are very pleased with the hotel’s performance over this difficult time. Of course this success differs from location to location. For example in Copenhagen many new hotels opened during the recession, which put extra pressure on the reduced market demand. At the hotel Radisson Blu Aarhus though we have remained largely unaffected by the crisis.”
With thoughts on the future, Peter concludes with the company’s overall vision: “We want to maintain our position as one of the market leaders in Denmark, by continuing to adjust our services to meet the demands and the needs of the market. We will continue to invest in our staff through training and motivation because we believe that they are key to our success. It is vital therefore that we maintain the levels of quality and commitment we are associated with and continue to build on these further.”