9
The Story of Carlson. Starting in 1938 with an idea and a USD 55 loan, entrepreneur Curtis L. Carlson (1914-1999) founded the Gold Bond Stamp Company in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He knew that grocery stores, drug stores, gas stations and other independent merchants could use stamps to drive customer loyalty and to distinguish themselves from their competitors. During the 1950s and 1960s, Gold Bond and sister company Top Value Stamps helped revolutionize the way retail goods were marketed. Trading stamps proved to be right for the times and swept the nation in a wave of dramatic growth.
In the late 1960s, when the trading stamp market reached its peak, the Gold Bond Stamp Company expanded into the hospitality industry. In the 1970s, the company acquired
dozens of additional businesses, including T.G.I. Friday’s and Radisson hotels. To reflect its diversification, Gold Bond changed its name to Carlson Companies in 1973, and since 2006, to demonstrate that it is one company serving a variety of need; it has become known as Carlson.
It all began with one hotel epitomizing the glamour of 1960s America, located in the heart of the Midwest. Today, Carlson’s hotel business has grown one of the most dynamic portfolios in the business with more than 1,070 properties in 77 countries. It is a portfolio that has expanded one by one, brand by brand, country to country, to represent some of the world’s most respected hotel brands: Radisson®
Carlson, Park Inn by Radisson and Park Plaza® SM
, Country Inns & Suites By .
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47