‘INNovation Room’: Park Inn® by Radisson launches international campaign to cultivate creativity among hotel management school students

BRUSSELS, 2016-Sep-29 — /Travel PR News/ — Nine of the leading hotel management schools gathered in Manchester, England, last weekend for the launch of an international campaign from Park Inn® by Radisson that aims to drive innovation around the company’s guest experience whilst supporting the Youth Career Initiative (YCI) for young people at risk of unemployment.

The ‘INNovation Room’ is a ground-breaking new program designed to unlock and nurture creativity among hotel management school students. This initiative demonstrates the company’s continuing commitment to cultivating talent in the hospitality sector.

The INNovation Room is a competition for groups of students to pitch ideas to a panel of judges, with the aim of creating a more innovative guest experience at the Park Inn by Radisson hotels. Top hotel management schools from around the world are represented from countries including the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, UK, United Arab Emirates, and the USA.

The company flew in the student teams for a three-day brainstorm and brand immersion session. Each team pitched three ideas to the INNovation Room panel, comprising senior management from Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and Siri Gomnæs Børsum, Industry Leader at Google, who has worked at the company for nine years in a travel-related capacity.

The panel then selected one idea that each team must develop into a full concept document by mid-November. The five strongest ideas will be put to a public vote on 21 November at www.parkinn.com/innovationroom. A shortlist of two will then be pitched to the panel to identify the final winner.

Rose Anderson, Vice President Branding Park Inn by Radisson, Radisson Blu and Quorvus Collection said: “Guests are at the heart of everything we do as a brand and we are constantly looking to enhance the guest experience. Our INNovation Room campaign will work with some of the brightest minds from the world’s most prestigious hospitality schools to further our commitment to creating unique and memorable guest experiences.”

For each public vote, a donation of $1 will be made to Youth Career Initiative up to a maximum total amount of $25,000. This charity represents the hotel industry’s global solution to youth unemployment, of which Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is a lead partner. This is in line with the brand’s responsible business program, Adding Color To Lives, that aims to build long term relationships with young people at risk locally, with a focus on developing work and personal skills and on organizing joint community projects.

Fran Hughes, Director, International Tourism Partnership, added “We are really excited about the INNovation Room initiative from Park Inn by Radisson and delighted that the company has chosen to support our Youth Career Initiative (YCI) program.

“It is through the support of hotel partners like Park Inn by Radisson that we are able to help hundreds of disadvantaged young people every year build the skills and self-confidence they need to embark on their careers in hospitality.”

Watch the INNovation Room launch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQYr02XeACw

The Schools
The nine schools taking part in the inaugural INNovation Room are:

1. School of Hospitality Administration, Boston University, USA
2. School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University, USA
3. Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland
4. Hotelschool The Hague, Netherlands
5. Hotel Management School Maastricht, Netherlands
6. International Hotel School, South Africa
7. Les Roches International School of Hotel Management, Switzerland
8. Oxford School of Hospitality Management, Oxford Brookes University, UK
9. The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, United Arab Emirates

 

The Panel

Javier Rosenberg – Chief Operating Officer, Americas, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
Rose Anderson – Vice President Branding Park Inn by Radisson, Carlson Rezidor Hotel group
Richard Biggs – Senior Vice President Revenue Optimization and Distribution, EMEA, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
Edward Pinchard – Vice President Sales, EMEA, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
Susan McIlveen – Human Resources Manager & Senior Master Trainer, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
Lionel van den Haute – General Manager Park Inn by Radisson Brussels Midi
Siri Gomnæs Børsum – Industry Leader at Google

For more information, visit www.parkinn.com/innovationroom

ENDS

Notes to Editors:
Park Inn® by Radisson is a fresh and energetic mid-market hotel brand offering friendly and welcoming hospitality at a competitive price. Park Inn by Radisson has more than 207 hotels in operation and under development across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the Americas. To attract a mix of business and leisure travelers, the brand offers guests a variety of relevant amenities called “Park Inn Essentials.” Some of these include complimentary high-speed Internet access, fitness and business centers, restaurants or complimentary lite “grab and go” breakfasts.

Park Inn by Radisson is a part of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, which also includes Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu®, Radisson®, Radisson Red, Park Plaza® and Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM. For more information and reservations visit, www.parkinn.com.

Youth Career Initiative is an award-winning six-month employability program offered to youth with limited opportunities across the globe, including survivors of human trafficking. Over 3,000 young people, including 60 survivors of human trafficking have graduated from YCI to date. This new funding will help YCI towards achieving its ambitious growth targets over the coming years. YCI recently won WTTC’s Tourism for Tomorrow People award, for more information about finalists visit www.wttc.org/tourism-for-tomorrow-awards/winners-and-finalists-2016/

For more information about YCI and for case study examples of graduates around the world, visit www.youthcareerinitiative.org. A full list of funders and supporters can be found here.

For further information, contact:
Adrian Johnson, Adrian@umpf.co.uk 07921 504 134 or Nathan Brush, Nathan@umpf.co.uk07880 384 439
Lucie Cardona, Corporate Communications & PR Leader lucie.cardona@carlsonrezidor.com, +32 (0) 2 730 7832
Jonathan Astle, Corporate Communications & PR Leader jonathan.astle@carlsonrezidor.com, +44 (0) 203 193 3181

SOURCE: The Rezidor Hotel Group

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