US hotel, restaurant and travel group Carlson and Rezidor Hotel Group are joining their hotel operations under one name in a bid to boost revenue and compete better globally.

In an interview on Wednesday with Hotels.com, Carlson President and CEO Hubert Joly called the news analogous to the two Hiltons coming together in 2006.

The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group will develop the Radisson, Country Inns & Suites, and other hotel brands, manage commercial activities and have a global sales force. The group includes more than 1,300 hotels across 80 countries.

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Joly said the announcement was “as profound and as deep an undertaking as what the two Hiltons did. This business has a strong global component and we are deliberately approaching the business on a global basis.”

He also reiterated that there will be no change in the ownership structure at this point and time with Carlson continuing to own approximately 51% of Rezidor’s shares.

“The focus of this is to drive synergies to benefit all shareholders in the current structure,” Joly said. "We're building a global platform across the two companies for the hotel business,"

"The name change eliminates any ambiguity for the business partners, makes it very clear that they are dealing with one group," he added.

The companies are looking to raise more than $400 million in additional hotel revenue by 2015 and bolster revenue per available room through projects such as partnerships with travel agencies and expansion of the Club Carlson loyalty program.

Joly said a key priority of the partnership would be to expand the upscale Radisson Blu hotel brand. The group's rivals include InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG.L), Starwood Hotels and Resorts (HOT.N) and Hilton.

Minneapolis-based Carlson, which also operates TGI Friday's restaurants and the Carlson Wagonlit Travel agency, is majority shareholder of Rezidor. The relationship between the two companies dates back to 1994, with the signing of a master franchise agreement for the Radisson brand in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Subsequent agreements have expanded Rezidor's franchise rights.

"We probably have not exploited the synergies we could have exploited over the years," said Kurt Ritter, president and CEO of Rezidor.

A new website, www.carlsonrezidor.com, will debut February 1.