Radisson Rewards easier elite, but fewer elite points

Radisson Rewards replaces the seven year old Club Carlson hotel loyalty program that replaced Goldpoints Plus loyalty program in 2011. Radisson Rewards elite status qualification becomes easier, but elite bonus points earned is reduced for most members.

Radisson Rewards hotel loyalty program changes and brand name changes are in large part the result of the sale of the privately owned majority stake in Carlson Hotels to China’s HNA Group in April 2016. The Minnesota-based Carlson family, founders of Radisson Hotels, sold its America and Asia-Pacific holdings and its majority stake in the European Rezidor Hotel Group in a multibillion dollar deal.

Radisson Hotels Group has made some brand changes too with Quorvus Collection replaced by Radisson Collection and a new budget brand called Prizeotel.

RadissonRewards.com does not pull up any of the four Germany Prizeotel properties in my searches today.

I have stayed at a few of the Radisson Collection hotels. I don’t really see the significance of moving some of these hotels like Radisson Blu Royal Copenhagen to Radisson Collection Royal Copenhagen.

Radisson Collection Brand Led Properties:

1. Radisson Collection Strand Stockholm, Sweden
   
2. Radisson Collection San Marco Venice, Italy *
   
3. Radisson Collection Ukraina Moscow, Russia
   
4. Radisson Collection Paradise Resort & Spa Sochi, Russia
   
5. Radisson Collection Royal Copenhagen, Denmark
   
6. Radisson Collection Royal Mile Edinburgh, Scotland
   
7. Radisson Collection Warsaw, Poland
   
8. Radisson Collection Ikoyi Lagos, Nigeria
   
9. Radisson Collection Agra, India

Hotel Identity Led Collection Properties:

1. The May Fair London, United Kingdom, A Radisson Collection Hotel *
   
2. Old Mill Belgrade, Serbia, A Radisson Collection Hotel
   
3. Symphony Style Kuwait, A Radisson Collection Hotel
   
4. Hormuz Grand Muscat, Oman, A Radisson Collection Hotel
   
5. The Emerald Grand & Spa Lagos, Nigeria, A Radisson Collection Hotel

*Pending final legal agreement and approval

Bye Bye Club Carlson – Hello Radisson Rewards!

Radisson Rewards elite tiers

Radisson Rewards Club

• qualification: free to join base membership
• earn rate = 20 points/$1

Radisson Rewards Silver

• qualification: 9 nights or 6 stays in calendar year Jan 1-Dec 31.
• earn rate = 22 points/$1

Radisson Rewards Gold

• qualification: 30 nights or 20 stays in calendar year Jan 1-Dec 31.
• earn rate = 25  points/$1

Radisson Rewards Platinum

• qualification: 60 nights or 30 stays in calendar year Jan 1-Dec 31.
• earn rate = 35  points/$1

Easier Elite Qualification – Fewer Elite Points Earned

The chart provided by Radisson Rewards points out elite qualification is easier for 2018.

What these tables do not detail is the reduction in elite member bonus points for Radisson Rewards Silver and Gold elite members.

• Radisson Rewards Silver elite 10% elite bonus points.
• Radisson Rewards Gold elite 25% elite bonus points.
• Radisson Rewards Platinum elite 75% elite bonus points.
• Club Carlson 15% Silver elite bonus points (3 points/$1) drop to 10% (2 points/$1) for Radisson Rewards Silver elite members. 
• Club Carlson 35% Gold elite bonus points (7 points/$1) drop to 25% (5 points/$1) for Radisson Rewards Gold elite members.
• Radisson Rewards Platinum members maintain Club Carlson 75% elite bonus points (15 points/$1).

Impact on Radisson Rewards Visa members

For Radisson Rewards/Club Carlson Visa members with complimentary Gold elite membership, a 10% reduction in elite points is equivalent to a loss of 200 points per $100 in eligible hotel spend at Radisson Rewards hotels. I would have earned about 2,800 fewer points in 2017 on my $1,400 in hotel spend. This is not too significant a change since there are buy points opportunities for as little as $3.50 per 1,000 points.

Club Carlson launched 2011 – personal observations on the birth and death of a global hotel loyalty program

I was fortunate to have been invited to global annual meetings of Radisson Hotels from 2010 to 2014. As a blogger, I was allowed an insider’s view of the hotel industry during the launch of a new global hotel loyalty program.

The consequences of meeting many hotel industry executives in Carlson Hotels as well as attending industry meetings and executives for Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott and Starwood from 2010 to 2016 led me to realize my insider’s insight to these major hotel chains offered very little value into my main interest of writing as a travel blogger about value in hotel loyalty programs. Mosto fhte business of the hotel industry has little significance to the traveler simply looking for a good value place to stay.

Hotel industry conferences are focused on strategies for getting more money out of hotel guests. My focus is getting the most out of hotel stays using hotel loyalty programs to minimize spend at hotels.

I stepped back from hotel industry interaction these past two years to maintain my blog focus on traveling in a comfortable style as a budget traveler visiting world destinations primarily through low cost airfare deals, while using hotel loyalty programs for cheaper hotel stays.

Club Carlson was one of my most used hotel loyalty programs in 2017.

Loyalty Traveler – Club Carlson $1,300 for 24 nights my great value year in review (Dec 30, 2017).

Loyalty Traveler – Book Club Carlson rewards before March 1 category changes (Feb 17, 2018).

I redeemed nearly all my points last month before the March 1 hotel reward category changes for summer 2018 hotel stays in Europe.

What I really want to see from Radisson Rewards in the near future is a good value hotel loyalty promotion for earning more points.