As Hubert Joly, president and CEO of Carlson, said during the opening address of Carlson Hotels’ Global Business Conference on Wednesday, it’s easy putting up slides showing ambitious plans, but the proof will be in the company’s execution and results over the next five years. Aptly titled ‘Ambition 2015,’ Carlson plans to remake Radisson, accelerate the growth of Country Inns & Suites, grow the midscale Park Inn brand primarily through conversion and continue its global push in emerging markets like Brazil, Russia, India and China.

The Radisson revitalization garnered all the headlines, detailed by Lodging Hospitality earlier this week, but the broader goal of becoming a “vibrant, innovative hotel company with segment leading brands, known as the No. 1 hotel company to work for and the No. 1 hotel company to invest with” was outlined by Joly Wednesday evening. He told a crowd of more than 1,300 attendees the company planned to increase its portfolio by 50 percent over the next five years. His new leadership team spent yesterday detailing the specifics during general and brand sessions and more will come today.

It’s both a daunting and opportunistic time to unveil such an ambitious plan, but former CEO and current chair of Carlson Companies Marilyn Carlson Nelson said it was time to get going, time for “reenergizing, revitalizing and reinvigorating, not reducing, downsizing and reorganizing.” Joly said the market is coming back and poised for long-term growth, making now the right time to begin this journey.

Carlson, flush with capital after selling its cruise business two years ago—during the “peak of the market,” Joly said—and its marketing business more recently, will invest $700 million in adding several flagship Radisson locations in the U.S. The first of which was intended to be announced yesterday, said Thorsten Kirschke, COO of the Americas, but the contract wasn’t finalized in time. Instead he told the crowd about an unnamed and unknown 332-room flagship property set to open in the summer of 2011, possibly the time when Carlson would first unveil the new Radisson Blu branding in the U.S., Joly later added.

Another $650 million will be spent by Carlson and current franchisees to renovate current Radissons. Korsten said 13 percent of owners have already signed on for the improvements, another 12 percent have verbally committed and 50 percent are in advanced and positive dialogue about the changes. He did add during a media session that eventually hard deadlines would be mandated for owners to upgrade. Joly said the response from franchisees at the conference was “enthusiastic.”

Carlson currently has 1,059 properties and the goal is to have 1,500 to 1,800 by 2015. Gordon McKinnon, chief branding officer, said all the goals discussed are “tangible, and not pie in the sky.”

During the media briefing, Joly said a new upscale brand was on the verge of being introduced, but instead delayed to focus on enhancing the core brands first. Joly, who took the helm of Carlson two years ago at this time, heads the hotel business as well and said he plans on continuing in the dual roles.