Radisson Hotels & Resorts is a worldwide chain of 435 hotels, with a total of 102,000 guest rooms, in 61 countries. The first Radisson Hotel was built in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1909, and was named for the 17th century French explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson. The hotel was purchased by Curt Carlson (1914-1999) in 1962, and is still owned by his Carlson Companies.

Radisson Hotels in parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia are branded Radisson SAS and are operated by the Belgian hotel firm Rezidor Hotel Group under a master franchise contract with Carlson. Carlson and SAS, the Scandinavian airline, are equity holders of Rezidor Hotel Group.^[1]