Radisson and Park Plaza might not be household hotel names in the Asia-Pacific region, but the company behind them is looking to change that.

Their owner, Carlson Companies, a privately held Minneapolis-based group in the marketing, travel and hospitality industries, is turning its attention to the Asia-Pacific for its growth over the next five to ten years.

At present, less than 10 per cent of the group's income comes from Asia-Pacific. The aim is to grow it to 20 per cent. Carlson intends to increase the number of hotels it has in Asia from 45 to close to 70 over the next three years, or by around 50 per cent.

About one-third will be in India, with another third in China and the rest in other locations in Asia-Pacific. Besides China and India, Singapore is one of the markets Carlson is hoping to expand in. The group's Asia-Pacific headquarters for all of its business divisions - Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Carlson Hotels and Carlson Marketing Group - is in Singapore.

Carlson group's head of Asia-Pacific operations Paul Kirwin told BT in a recent interview that it is looking at opening hotels here under the Radisson and Park Plaza brands.

'We're determined to get a hotel or hotels,' Mr Kirwin said. 'We are now working with some potential partners as a bidder - we expect to be, we haven't finalised yet - for the Changi Airport hotel. We remain in dialogue with several parties for opportunities for existing hotels that might be for sale.' He added that Carlson could either own or operate the hotels here.

The company already has one hotel property here, The Regent Singapore, which is one of the hotel brands it owns. It is managed by the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, but Carlson runs the reservation system.

The company is also planning to bring restaurant chain TGI Friday's back to Singapore along with its Malaysian partner, Chaswood Resources, which runs six TGI Friday's restaurants there. Mr Kirwin said that they will spend the next year looking at opportunities, with the master franchise going to Chaswood.

Aside from TGI Friday's, Mr Kirwin said Carlson is looking to acquire or develop another restaurant brand. Capitalising on its 'Western food expertise', Mr Kirwin said it is exploring an Italian food concept, as 'Italian is probably the most compatible food for Asians'.

Alternatively, Mr Kirwin said it is considering an Asian-concept food, although that could present more of a 'challenge'. But the idea, he said, would be to stay with a mid-market, experience-oriented food concept.

In 2003, Carlson Companies' system-wide sales, including franchises, totalled US$20.9 billion. Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific and Carlson Wagonlit Travel contribute 70 per cent to the Asia-Pacific segment's revenues, while 30 per cent comes from Carlson Restaurants Worldwide and Carlson Marketing Group.

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