High flyer Batt appointed head of Carlson’s hotels

Former British Airways marketing director Mike Batt has been appointed president of the leisure division for Carlson, which runs the AT Mays and Radisson hotel chains in the UK.

Batt left BA last February to join car rental firm Alamo as vice-president of sales and marketing, and was based in Fort Lauderdale, Texas.

He resigned last week from Alamo and will take over at the travel and hospitality conglomerate on September 30.

Minneapolis-based Carlson Companies operates a number of divisions. It runs and franchises more than 350 Radisson Hotels and over 300 TGI Friday’s restaurants.

The company, operating in 127 countries, had revenues of about 7.3bn in 1995, making it one of the largest privately-held companies in the world.

AT Mays is part of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, one of the world’s largest travel agencies. It recently announced proposals to increase its presence in the UK by adding more retail outlets to the 400 shops it already manages.

Batt confirmed his appointment, saying: “I’m looking forward to working with Carlson. It’s a great opportunity in an exciting business.”