The SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen opened in 1960 as the first SAS hotel. Designed in every detail by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen, it is considered the world's first design hotel.

In 1994 SAS International Hotels, a then wholly owned subsidiary of the SAS Group, owned and operated 29 hotels in key cities throughout the airline group's geographical network. That same year the company signed a master franchise agreement with Carlson Hotels Worldwide to develop and operate the Radisson brand in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Radisson SAS was born and thus an incredible journey of success began.

The vision to recognise the power of global brands, interpreted for local markets, led to an aggressive growth of Radisson SAS. In 2001, SAS International Hotels changed its name to Rezidor SAS Hospitality and took the next step to advance further on the path of success. Continuing their fruitful partnership, Rezidor SAS and Carlson Hotels Worldwide signed a multi-brand master franchise agreement in 2002 that added three other Carlson brands to the Rezidor SAS portfolio. Today, Rezidor SAS is one of the world's leading hospitality management companies.