SÃO PAULO Carlson’s Park Inn by Radisson midscale hotel brand will officially launch in South America this month with a 350-key property in São Paulo.
Atlantica Hotels International is taking over management Sonesta Sao Paulo Ibirapuera, located on Avenida Ibirapuera in the Moema area, which will officially become Park Inn by Radisson Ibirapuera on February 17. Atlantica will spend about US$1 million renovating the property.
Hotel amenities include a business center, eight convertible meeting rooms, a covered heated pool, a fitness center and a home theater. The restaurant can accommodate 150 people for banquets.
The property is the 155th Park Inn hotel across 67 countries worldwide but just the first in South America. The brand is the Europe leader in guest satisfaction, especially services, according to a 2009 study by J.D. Power and Associates.
Conversions account for about a third of Atlantica’s hotel portfolio, says Rafael Guaspari, senior vice president of development. “This performance is increasing in proportion to recognition of our company for its significant experience in hotel operation, with a team of specialists who are exclusively dedicated to managing the process of changing flags,” he says.
Carlson Hotels touts Park Inn as an especially attractive conversion brand. “We are privileged to bring firsthand to Brazil a young, cheerful and clean brand that translates the dynamism of São Paulo, especially in neighborhoods such as Moema, one of the city’s most vibrant areas,” says Annie Morrissey, Atlantica’s vice president of marketing and sales. “This is a brand that expresses a contemporary reading of the hotel business.”
