We recently got a Radisson Hotel, outside of Boston, for a number of nights through Priceline. Looks OK, but a friend told me that Radisson Hotels are known for having the most uncomfortable beds in the hotel industry. (They are not keeping up with Westin, Sheraton and Marriott hotels who have purchased and promoted extra comfortable beds)

So, are the Radisson beds really as bad as my friend reports?

Never had a bad bed at a Radisson Hotel or Resort

Just because they aren't as good as Starwood (Westin/Sheraton) doesn't mean they are bad.

Don't worry.

In a chain like Radisson this is difficult to answer. Unlike some chains where all the hotels are managed by a corporate entity (such as Hyatt and Westin),some Radissons are franchised. What this means is that the owners pay Radisson a fee to use the name, and they have to meet certain standards. But the management is not employed by Radisson. They work for the actual owners of the propery. So there will never be as much consistency in various Radissons, as there is in some other chains.
It's will be a case by case basis when it comes to amenities and quality of furnishings.

Lindsey, you are incorrect. Hyatt and Marriotts are not just owned by corporate as they are also franchised.

GoTravel's right. I once worked for a franchised Westin.

In those that I've been to, Radissons maintain a fairly decent quality standard. In VERY general terms, I would place Radisson somewhere above Holiday Inn and below Hilton. There is great variance within all of these nameplates to be sure. Others can offer their takes on that characterization.

GoTravel,
Reread my post. I said Hyatt and Westin did not franchise. Marriott has always done it.
I do remember, now that you mention it, I read somwhere that Westin was going to offer franchises to grow the brand. But not Hyatt. I have never run across a franchised Hyatt anywhere.

Also, you mentioned that Marriott and Hyatt are not "owned" by corporate. That part is true. Very few hotels are actually owned by the hotel companies who manage them. They are owned by various investors. Hotel management companies do not like to be in the real estate business.

Here's one for ya Lindsey!

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/s...ml?jst=m_ln_hl

Host Marriott owns the Kaanapali Hyatt.

Read the article again. I've cut and pasted the relevant paragraphs below. It proves my point exactly! Host Marriott OWNS but does not MANAGE the Hyatt Kaanapali. The purchase was strictly a real estate transaction, NOT a franchise deal. Hyatt still does not franchise. Nor does Four Seasons. The iimportant thing for the consumer is who actually manages the hotel....that is who controls the quality of service and amenities.


"Host Marriott is a different business from Marriott International. They were split up in the early 1990s. Host Marriott does not insist that its 120 hotels be branded as Marriotts and already has Hilton and Four Seasons hotels in its portfolio.

It be noted that a major Maui resort that does bear the Marriott name is actually owned by Outrigger. The hotel industry increasingly regards hotel ownership, hotel management and hotel branding as three different business decisions, to be made for business reasons only. Marriott International is more deeply into hotel management contracts than actual ownership these days, while many of Sheraton's best known hotels are actually owned by others, including all four Sheraton properties in Waikiki."

Lindsey, Hyatt Corporation which is a separate company from Hyatt, is responsible for the leasing and franchising sector of the Hyatt brand.

This information is readily available on not only Hyatts website but a google search and a Wall Street Journal or Barrons search will give you this same information.

Hyatt does own some of its properties, leases some, and is the management company for others. I am well aware of this practice. In high rent areas such as Manhattan, it doesn't make sense for Hyatt to own the property or lease the property. Hotels change flags on a regular basis and most of the time it has nothing to do with a real estate sale.

OO can give better particulars of this since her husband is a Hyatt GM.