Radisson RED — An Upscale Lifestyle Hotel With a Millennial Mindset Offers a Modern Take on Date Night or Weekend Escapes

The Short Version: Millennials have embraced the trend of incorporating technology into their everyday lives and are now influencing the way hotels cater to guests. Radisson RED has created a brand with a special appeal to the millennial mindset. By blending the latest interactive tech with art, music, and fashion, the hotel provides a space for young couples to flock to and feel connections to the city and each other during date nights and weekend escapes. With a specialized app to manage services directly from mobile devices, an in-house cutting-edge bar and restaurant, and a digital social hub to learn about local events, Radisson RED is changing the face of hospitality by offering modern, personalized experiences.//

It’s no secret many millennials place a higher value on experiences than on material items. A whopping 72% would rather travel than buy the latest Chanel handbag or upgrade their wheels to a new series BMW. A huge chunk of today’s travelers are millennials, and projections suggest that by 2020, half of all the money spent on travel will come from this highly-influential pocket of society.

The hospitality industry knows the impact these numbers can have, and one hotel is leading the pack in transforming the way guests interact with its brand. Through a marriage of technology, art, music, and fashion, Radisson RED is catering to a millennial mindset that values personalized experiences.

Radisson RED integrates technology throughout a guest’s journey — from check-in to check-out. With a specialized mobile app, visitors can manage every aspect of their stay, essentially making their phones and tablets mini concierge stations.

This focus on technology, a cutting-edge in-house restaurant, and art and music filling the hallways has young couples flocking to Radisson RED for exciting date nights and modernized weekend getaways. It’s a lifestyle hotel that aims to immerse visitors in the local culture when they travel.

Out with stuffy rooms and rigid rules — Radisson RED has unboxed the hotel experience and created an entirely new travel paradigm.

“The motivation to create this brand was based on consumer research,” said  Heather Boschke, Global Director of Branding for Radisson RED. “We found customers wanted more than just a place to sleep.”

Heather told us millennials are looking for an experience that connects them to the local area. Young couples want to feel energized at venues where they can socialize and find what makes a destination tick.

Heather Boschke, Radisson RED’s Director of Branding, walked us through the new hotel experience.

Radisson took these considerations to heart when creating this new brand. And the hotel’s novel approach to guest experiences is thrilling millennials in Minneapolis, Brussels, Cape Town, and Campinas, Brazil, with locations coming soon to Glasgow, Miami, and Portland. Radisson RED presents the perfect union of personal control, immediate response, and individualized touch all in one shot. And, of course, since this hotel was built with millennials in mind, the wifi is great.

The RED App: Comprehensive Concierge Services at Your Fingertips

We are a mobile device-happy society, and Radisson RED knows it. That’s why it created the RED App. With a host of features, the easy-to-use app (which is available for iOS and Android) allows you to control your hotel experience on your timeline and without the hassles usually included with travel.

Guests can manage everything related to their stay directly from the RED App. Rather than wait in line and complete paperwork, the app gives you the ability to check in and out remotely. Since the app lets smartphones double as room keys, visitors can simply walk into their rooms and start relaxing immediately.

You can also manage your many wants and desires with the RED App. When your tummy starts rumbling, simply pull up the hotel’s OUIBar and KTCHN menu on your phone to let them know what you want and how you want it. If you need something other than a bit of nosh or if there’s an issue with your room, drop the Creatives (Radisson RED team members) a note through the app to let them know what you need. They’ll be up in a jiffy to make it all good.

Social butterflies can flex their social skills with the app’s guest chat feature. Talk with other guests about restaurant recommendations, find someone with whom to share a ride to the airport, or maybe just meet a new friend to have a meal with while you’re there. With the Chat tool, your hotel mates are no longer strangers.

Creating Shareable Moments Through a Unique & Interactive Digital Wall

One of the popular new features at Radisson RED is the Digital Wall. Guests love taking selfies with the wall to share on the hotel’s social media platforms, but it’s so much more than that. The Digital Wall takes connecting with hotel guests to a new level.

Radisson RED’s Digital Wall gives guests the skinny on what’s happening in the city.

“The interactive digital wall also features a city guide that serves as a nontraditional concierge,” Heather said. “It recommends the best places to go in the city so guests can experience it like a local.”

The wall constantly updates its information for guests looking for events in a city. It’s the center and social hub of Radisson RED locations.

OUIBar + KTCHN Helps Ease You into a City’s Social Scene

Inventive cocktails, local beers, and inspired grub are not the only things you find at OUIBar and KTCHN. It’s also a place where you can socialize and unwind. Here, you aren’t limited to traditional room service fare. OUIBar and KTCHN have upped the food game with city-specific menus filled with locally grown produce.

“The OUIBar + KTCHN’s philosophy is simple food done well,” Heather said. “Global street food inspires it, and you’ll also find nontraditional spins on local favorites on the menu. And local beer is always on tap!”

The on-premises OUIBar + KTCHN serves up modern takes on city-specific food and cocktails.

In Minneapolis, for example, Radisson RED offers unique dishes like brisket tacos, ham tots, s’mores, and a waffle mac sandwich, just to name a few. In Brussels, the fare is completely different and includes typical European cuisine such as Aperol Spritz, Ardennes sausage, sticky toffee pudding, and Affogato. The menu not only reflects the uniqueness of the city, it has drool-worthy, and certainly date-worthy, prospects.

People love to do more than stay at Radisson RED hotels because each hotel is a testament to the city in which it’s located. Local art and an emphatic anti-beige stance result in a bold feel. As a result, people love to escape for romantic weekends and date nights at the hotels to take in all the unique amenities.

An expert on the unbelievable date potential of Radisson RED, Heather told us why it’s the place for couples.

“Radisson RED is a great date spot,” she said. “From a friendly game of ping-pong or pool to cozying up for a selfie on the interactive digital wall, RED keeps the romance fun and playful.”

The hotel’s blend of art, fashion, and music makes it a unique destination for modern couples.

According to Heather, the OUIBar + KTCHN has great bites perfect for sharing. And couples can end the night streaming their favorite movies from their devices to the in-room TV.

“The beds are quite comfortable, too,” she added.

There’s also no Muzak or canned music at Radisson RED. Worldwide DJs curate the playlists to infuse the hotel with a fresh appeal that will have you dancing with your love in the elevator or down the stylish and artfully-curated spaces.

What makes Radisson RED most unique is its service philosophy. It’s not just the T-shirts and fashion-forward prints the team wears — the hotel exudes a genuine warmth. Heather noted this culture is carefully curated, creating an environment that both employees and guests alike enjoy.

At Radisson RED, it’s all about fostering interactions and connecting guests to the city they’re in.

“At Radisson RED, our service culture facilitates genuine interactions,” she said. “And we call our team [members] Creatives instead of traditional hotel roles like ‘front desk associate.’ We want our Creatives to bring their authentic self to work each day, and we’ve crossed-trained them to be versatile in their roles so everyone is helping fill in as needs arise at the hotel.”

Creatives aren’t all hanging around a front desk either (there isn’t one!). Instead, they mingle with guests around the hotel, so they’re always around to have sincere interactions. It creates a social scene with a welcoming vibe.

If you’re part of a young couple looking for a new way to connect with a city and each other, or if you’re simply a lover of tech, art, and culture, there’s no time like the present to spend a relaxing weekend at Radisson RED, a lifestyle hotel that millennials inspired.