Not many brand reveals or hotel-portfolio reorganizations typically are announced at the International Hotel Investment Forum, but 2018, the convention’s 21st year, has proved a little different.

Carlson Hotels and its European master franchise, the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, announced its new identity as Radisson Hotel Group.

Radisson Hospitality, formerly the privately held Carlson, is under the control of CEO and COO John Kidd, while the legal entity of what was Carlson Rezidor is now Rezidor Hotel Group AB.

The soft-brand Quorvus Collection has been consigned to history, replaced by the Radisson Collection.

But the public face, and the umbrella it is hoped will attract more investment and owners, is Radisson Hotel Group, led by Rezidor Hotel Group CEO Federico González Tejera, who was recently CEO of Carlson Hotels and before that NH Hotel Group.

González said he hopes the newly imposed five-year strategic review of the two companies will propel the Minnetonka, Minnesota- and Brussels-based companies into the top three of hospitality firms.

That goal is not defined in terms of market capitalization, but in terms of brand recognition with guests, he said.

The new creation’s management is not concerned with rumors circulating over the future of Chinese company HNA, which owns the Carlson part of the new firm and a portion of the Carlson Rezidor part.

HNA at the end of 2017 made an offer for the remaining part of the Carlson Rezidor it did not own, but that offer was rejected. No more has been heard as to renewed bids.

“We are the management team,” González said. “Rezidor is public; Carlson is private. I should not be worried about who sells stock and who buys them, and everything is more gossipy than knowledge.

“We have today the funds we need to deliver the transformation,” he said, answering a question about HNA and concerns its possible disappearance from the scene could affect Radisson’s ability to go out into the capital markets.

“The current plan in terms of the current transformation is focused on organic growth,” he said, “and we have fixed all the problematic leases in our portfolio. We will now sign leases in key cities.”