UPDATED – 188,000 Radisson Gold Points GO LIVE LATE TONIGHT – How to get them, what’s their value, and what are they good for?

by Adam

Much has been written about the return of Radisson’s Big Night Giveaway, Stay One Night Get One Night promotion and its sister promotions at Country Inns & Suites and Park Inn properties that go live late tonight.  Find below a concise summary with the details of each offer, tips on the easiest and most affordable ways to qualify, and examples of the truly amazing value proposition that this promotion offers.  I’ve also provided details of how I qualified and earned my 50,000 points during the same promotion last fall.

  • Radisson’s hotel rewards program is Club Carlson and members earn gold points for their stays at Radisson, Radisson Blu, Country Inns & Suites, Park Inn, and Park Plaza hotels. 
  • There will be three promotions, two of which go live at 12:01 am central time on May 15, 2012 and one going live at 12:01 am central time on May 22nd. 
    • Radisson’s Big Night Giveaway – The first 100,000 members who register at 12:01 AM CDT on May 15th will earn 50,000 bonus points after staying at least one night at any worldwide Radisson or Radisson Blu hotel from May 15 – July 15, 2012. * After the first 100,000 spots are taken members will be provided the opportunity to earn 15,000 points instead.
    • Country Inns & Suites Stay 1 Get 1 So Go! promotion – The first 35,000 members who register at 12:01 AM CDT on May 15th will earn 44,000 bonus points after staying at least one night at any worldwide Country Inns & Suites property from May 15 – July 15, 2012. * After the first 35,000 spots are taken members will be provided the opportunity to earn 15,000 points instead.
    • Park Inn 1 + 1, Stay One Get 1 promotion – The first 20,000 members who register at 12:01 AM CET on May 22nd will earn 44,000 bonus points after staying at least one night at any worldwide Park Inn property from May 22 – July 22, 2012. * After the first 20,000 spots are taken members will be provided the opportunity to earn 15,000 points instead.  
    • Park Plaza Ultimate Night Giveaway (ADDED June 28th) – The first 20,000 members to register  will earn 50,000 Gold Points after completing a one night stay at any Park Plaza hotel now through August 28th. After the first 20,000 spots are taken members will be provided the opportunity to earn 15,000 points instead.
  • Members can register for all four promotions for a total of 188,000 Club Carlson points. That’s almost four nights at Radisson’s top tier properties and up to 20 free nights at their lower tier hotels.  More on redemption options later.
  • Unlike the fall 2011 promotion, this is a GLOBAL promotion and open to members worldwide! 

FAQs (Check out this post for some post-registration surprises. )

  • I’m not a member of Club Carlson, how do I join and are there any current bonuses?  Join using the following link and you’ll earn 4,500 points just for signing up for the program. *A few have reported the link no longer working and expiring, although the T&Cs note that it’s valid through May 31st.  I’ve sent an email to customer care and am waiting to hear back.  Will update everyone when I do*   Update May 12th – Received a response that they are investigating the discrepancy between the dates in the terms and the expiration notice being provided.  In the meantime you can use the link provided above but change the promotion code at the bottom of the screen to NSB2K12, which awards 2,000 bonus points after your first stay.  HT to Scottrick.  UPDATE 5/14 – I’ve heard back from the Radisson Gold Points desk and was informed that they will honor the e-rewards 4500 sign-up bonus as long as there is evidence of signing up with the offer (ie a screen-shot showing the offer @ http://www.clubcarlson.com/privatePage.do?privateCode=EREWARDS including the terms and conditions on the left side displaying the valid through May 31st date. I can provide a copy of this response to any of the readers who want to go for the 4500 sign up bonus. However, if you want to forgo the hassle of emailing customer care and guarantee you receive some sign-up bonus points, I’d recommend using the NSB2K12 link above for 2,000 bonus miles. This is probably a safer bet considering the terms and conditions on the e-rewards offer clearly state “the name on the e-Rewards program account and Club Carlson account must be the same”.
  • Why do I want free Radisson nights, their hotels in the US are not up to par with Starwood, Marriott, Hyatt, etc?  I had the same negative perception until I started traveling internationally for work a few years ago.  Radisson hotels in Europe, Africa, and Asia are known as Radisson Blu (formerly Radisson SAS) and are some of the nicest and most modern properties that I’ve stayed at.  They also offer free internet and breakfast.  Additionally, Radisson has two very nice resort properties in the Caribbean, one in Aruba and one in the Bahamas.  Radisson Blu also has a great property in St. Martin. Finally, Radisson is working to transform several of their domestic properties into Radisson Blu hotels and opening new Radisson Blu properties in the US.  The Radisson Blu Aqua hotel opened in Chicago last fall.
  • Do I need to stay up all night to register?  During the same promotion last year, registration spots were available for weeks after the official registration period opened. However, it was a US only promotion and there wasn’t as much buzz and awareness as there is this time.  I’d recommend staying up and registering at 12:01am CDT.
  • I don’t plan on traveling during the promotion period, how can I participate?  During the promotion last fall I made a $99 reservation at a Radisson hotel just down the street from my apartment.  I walked into the hotel, checked in, and walked back out. In the past I had never had to do any “mattress runs” in order to re-qualify for elite status, so this was my first time making a hotel booking with no intention of actually sleeping in the room.  It was weird and I felt even more guilty when as a Club Carlson Gold member I was upgraded to a suite.  I proceeded upstairs, grabbed some fruit and water from the welcome platter that was left,  ruffled the towels a bit, and then headed back home.  The 30 minute and $99 +tax trip netted me 54,970 Club Carlson points.  UPDATE 5/14 – There has been speculation that guests may have to physically check out in order to qualify for the bonus.  In the day of automated check-outs and front desk bill drops I can’t see this materializing and it would be hard to enforce but we will have the full T&Cs tonight when the first two offers go live and I will update the blog accordingly with any updates.  Update 5/30 – Several readers have had success checking in and not physically checking out.  I have had the same.
  • Earn 10% back on all of your bookings bringing the cost down even further using topcashback.com. TopCashBack.com allows you to shop with several merchants and earn cash back.  You are still booking your reservation via the radisson site (topcashback sends you directly to it) so you earn both the online booking bonus and you are eligible for the big night giveaway points.  Essentially, all you need to do is register at topcashback.com, search for radisson in the top right hand corner of the site, you’ll be directed to radisson.com, and then go ahead and book your reservation as you normally would.  Feel free to use my referral link for TopCashBack or sign up and start your own referral link conga line in the comment section.

a screenshot of a computer

  • Why would you spend $99 + tax to earn 54,970 points?  Here is where this promotion gets exciting.  I spent $99 in the NYC area, but I had lots of friends who were able to take advantage of this promotion throughout the country at rates as low as $52 a night! $52 for 50,000 points is well worth it. With Country Inns & Suites and Park Inns now part of the promotion this year, there will be several choices at lower price points. I’ve found several of these properties in the $50-$75 range.  I still don’t get it, why spend money to get the 50,000 points?  Here are some visual examples:

London during the Olympics – $646 a night or 50,000 points…well worth $99
a screenshot of a website
Paris during busy July – $579.40 a night or 50,000 points…well worth $99
a screenshot of a website
Aruba Resort, Casino, & Spa – $679-$742 a night during Christmas Week or 50,000 points…well worth $99
a screenshot of a web page
a white rectangular object with a pointy top
Radisson Blu in Stockholm during July – $369.88 a night or 44,000 points…well worth $99
a screenshot of a flight schedule
Radisson New York $599 pre-paid for Summer 2012 or 50,000 points…well worth $99
a screenshot of a flight ticket
Radisson Blu Cape Town, South Africa – $359.97 during December 2012 or 50,000 points…well worth $99
a screenshot of a flight information

  •  I don’t plan on traveling outside the US or to expensive cities like New York, is the promotion still worth it for me?  Yes, let’s say you are planning a family vacation to Orlando.  If you stay at the Radisson Hotel Orlando, the rate is $74.25 a night, or 9,000 points per night.  Let’s say you only participate in the Radisson Promotion and earn 50,000 points, that’s almost 5 nights at the hotel for free valued at $371.25.  The value is even higher when I looked at the hotel during during school holidays when the rate goes over $100 and the gold points required remain at 9,000.

a screenshot of a flight ticket

  • I already have some Radisson/Country Inns & Suites/Park Inn stays booked, will they count towards the promotion? Yes, as per Radisson’s Facebook page, stays previously booked will count as long as they are during the promotion period and you register for the applicable promotions as per the terms above.  Check out this post for some post-registration surprises, including Radisson reversing their original decision. 
  • Are there cities where I can triple dip and easily participate in all three promotions?  Yes, though in the US they are few and far between as Park Inn has very few US locations.  The ability to triple dip in Europe is much easier, with several cities having all three properties in a somewhat close proximity.  In the US, Dallas is one of the easiest and cheapest options.  During a random day in June you can stay at the Radisson for $83.20, Country Inn & Suites for $75.65, and Park Inn for $66.75.  The triple dip is also easy to accomplish in Fresno, CA.  Western PA and Eastern OH residents can make the triple dip with a little bit of a drive, staying at the Park Inn in Sharon, PA, the Country Inn & Suites in Youngstown West, and the Radisson in Akron.  All three properties are under $100 as well.

a screenshot of a flight ticket

a screenshot of a price list

a screenshot of a flight ticket

  • Anything else to be aware of?  Keep an eye on the T.G.I. Friday’s “Give Me More Stripes” program page.  They are a Carlson brand and sometimes run promotions where you can earn 1,000 Club Carlson points for signing up for the program.  Wait to sign up until after a promotion is announced as it is for new members only.  They ran this promotion twice last year.

a screenshot of a computer

  • Do corporate rates apply? The official, T&Cs won’t be released until the program goes live, however during the prior promotion, corporate rates that normally earned points also qualified you for the promotion. I’ll update this bullet once the full T&Cs are released.
  • Can I use the points for airline miles? Yes, but the value proposition is pretty poor.  I would not spend $99 for 8000 miles.

a number of points and points

  • What are my next steps?  Well, the promotion is only valuable if you have a plan for where you want to use these points. Do you want to use the points to stay at a hotel that would otherwise be too expensive or to book multiple nights in one of the lower category properties?  I plan to use my points in Europe this summer.  Keep in mind that points do not have an expiration date as long as your account remains active by earning or redeeming within a 24 month period. Take a look at Radisson’s locations worldwide, decide where you want to go and when, determine the rates if you paid, and then see how much it will cost you to fulfill the promotion.  If you have upcoming trips, switching to a nearby Radisson property may make sense.  If you don’t, evaluate the properties in your area to see how much you would need to spend in order to qualify.  For example, there are few nights in New York City that are under $200 a night.  However, there are properties that are about an hours drive into NJ that will qualify and are under $100 on select dates.  Additionally, think of places you may be passing by.  For those on the East Coast, there is a Radisson next to Six Flags Great Adventure that is $99.20 a night during a large bulk of the promotion period. Remember too that each family member can sign up for an account and register for the promotion. UPDATE 5/14 – Earn 10% back on all of your bookings bringing the cost down even further using topcashback.com. TopCashBack.com allows you to shop with several merchants and earn cash back.  You are still booking your reservation via the radisson site (topcashback sends you directly to it) so you earn both the online booking bonus and you are eligible for the big night giveaway points.  Essentially, all you need to do is register at topcashback.com, search for radisson in the top right hand corner of the site, you’ll be directed to radisson.com, and then go ahead and book your reservation as you normally would.  Feel free to use my referral link for TopCashBack or sign up and start your own referral link conga line in the comment section.

a screenshot of a website

a table with numbers and points

Check out this post for some post-registration surprises.

a screenshot of a advertisement

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Related Articles

16 comments

eponymous_coward May 14, 2012 - 2:56 pm

“Can I use the points for airline miles? Yes, but the value proposition is pretty poor. I would not spend $99 for 8000 miles.”

How about for 12,000 miles? US regularly runs promotions for 50% bonuses for hotel->air mile transfers.

http://www.usairways.com/en-US/dividendmiles/promotions/points_to_miles.html

Also, I’ve gotten Radisson rooms for around $60 all-in with the right discount. (In this case, the Crystal City Radisson near DCA. The LAX Radisson is pretty good for decent rates, too.

Also, the conversion rate is better for 100,000 points (18,000).

So what you might be looking at is something like close to 40,000 miles for less than $200 in spending, if you do it right. If you can show me where to do mileage runs at half a cent a mile, I’m all ears.

(In my case, I am not all that interested in über-expensive hotel rooms compared to business/first class longhaul tickets.)

Reply
adam May 14, 2012 - 3:19 pm

@coward – Totally agree that the 100,000 airline redemption rate is not bad, especially with a bonus promotion from one of the airlines. The majority of the readers will most likely only be able to participate in two of these promotions for a total of 94,000 points and may have no previous points. Let’s figure they get to 100,000 with their sign-up bonus of 4500 plus their stay credits (though they would most likely fall just short at the rates you quote). That’s 18,000 miles plus an additional 9,000 when an airline transfer promotion returns. 27,000 miles for under $200 is a nice deal, but I’d probably still go for two nights at one of the expensive category 5/6 European hotels during the summer (valued in the $350-$600 range) or up to 11 nights at one of the category 1 lower priced hotels. It’s really all about how you value the points, how many of these promotions you can complete, and how many Gold Points you may have previously had. If 27,000 miles gets you over the hump for that business class or first class ticket than of course the value is different. Good Luck!

Reply
MJ May 14, 2012 - 3:04 pm

I’ll pay somebody to check into rooms for me & get the 138,000 points. Email if interested: kgona [at] felicenews [dot com].

Reply
eponymous_coward May 14, 2012 - 5:08 pm

“Let’s figure they get to 100,000 with their sign-up bonus of 4500 plus their stay credits (though they would most likely fall just short at the rates you quote).”

They will also get 1000 points for each stay booking online with clubcarlson.com. So:

94000 points promo bonus
4500 signup bonus
2000 online booking bonus

100500 points. Then add the points for the stays. 🙂

(In my case, I am paying $185 for rooms over Memorial Day Weekend for my 100K+ points and I’m taking a drive down to Portland, so it will actually be a vacation- plus I am aiming for a status match + stay credits…)

If they triple-dip…

138000 points promo bonus
4500 signup bonus
3000 online booking bonus

145500 points before we get to the rates. Getting up to 150000 points would require just over $60 a night room rates (assuming 30 points per dollar)- $61.11.

You want to leave some points behind, though, to be able to get a hit on US Airways Grand Slam 2012, though. 🙂

Reply
Faster Club Carlson Log In With AwardWallet + 138k Bonus Points - Points Miles and Martinis May 14, 2012 - 8:11 pm

[…] out the what other’s are saying with analysis from Loyalty Traveler, View From The Wing, Point Me To The Plane, Frequent Miler, MommyPoints, New Girl In The Air and […]

Reply
Radisson & Country Inns & Suites Promos Live – Two Surprises in the T&Cs - Point Me To The Plane May 15, 2012 - 12:20 am

[…] UPDATED – 138,000 Radisson Gold Points GO LIVE LATE TONIGHT – How to get them, what&#821… […]

Reply
Say What? Overheard on the Plane Edition 5 – More Reader Submissions - Point Me To The Plane May 19, 2012 - 11:09 am

[…] REMINDER: Park Inn 1 + 1, Stay One Get 1 Promotion goes live late night Monday.  Check out all the details here. […]

Reply
Park Inn by Radisson 1+1 Stay One, Get One – Promo LIVE - Point Me To The Plane May 21, 2012 - 4:12 pm

[…] full details on this promotion and the Radisson & Country Inn & Suite promotions that are still active check out this […]

Reply
$99 Radisson Rooms in NYC Tonight – Radisson Big Night Giveaway Eligible - Point Me To The Plane May 29, 2012 - 10:01 am

[…] For those of us in New York, Radisson rooms below the $99 mark usually mean a short trip to New Jersey, however the Radisson Lexington Hotel in Manhattan has room rates for $99 tonight!  With tax the total comes to $117.11, however you’ll earn 10% off the pre-tax rate using topcashback.com bringing the effective total to $107.12 (note using the link will earn me a referral bonus, feel free to start a conga line in the comments section with your links) .  Not an amazing rate to qualify for the Big Night Givewaway promotion, but definitely a respectable and convenient alternative here in New York City. There are also decent rates in the $129-$149 range on May 30th, June 1st, and June 3rd.  For full details on the promotion check out this previous entry. […]

Reply
138,000 Radisson Gold Points – How to get them, what’s their value, and what are they good for? - Point Me To The Plane June 6, 2012 - 11:09 am

[…] SEE THE UPDATED VERSION OF THIS POST HERE WITH ALL NEW DETAILS […]

Reply
$89 & $99 Special Radisson Big Night Giveaway Eligible Rates & New Club Carlson Promo - Point Me To The Plane June 28, 2012 - 8:26 am

[…] alternative here in New York City. Why is it worth spending $105.39 to qualify for this promotion? Check out this previous entry for full details on the value of this promotion, the potential redempt… Remember, Radisson and Country Inn stays must be completed by July […]

Reply
Reasonable Hotels in London During the Olympics Paying or Redeeming – My Experience - Point Me To The Plane August 7, 2012 - 7:33 am

[…] the most amount of points with them and elite status.  I began with Radisson, expecting to use my 2012 / 2011 Big Night Giveaway (and sister promotion) points for at least four free nights at one of their properties.  Here’s what I […]

Reply
Getting Cash Back on Starwood, Marriott, Radisson, IHG, & Other Hotel Stays - Point Me To The Plane August 21, 2012 - 2:14 pm

[…] blog readers became familiar with TopCashBack as a result of the Club Carlson promotions this summer, where the site was offering 10% cash back (thanks to FrequentMiler) on the total bill for all […]

Reply
Radisson’s Buy One Get One Promo – Qualifying Rates as Low as $69 This Weekend - Point Me To The Plane October 5, 2012 - 11:08 am

[…] between October 1st and December 31st. Like everyone else, I was a much bigger fan of their Big Night Giveaway promotion earlier this year, as you received 50,000 points that could be used at any property […]

Reply
AA December 18, 2012 - 10:07 pm

So I tried to sign up using the 4500 bonus and the submit wouldn’t go through – said the promo code was invalid. Used the 2000 bonus code but don’t see any points yet. How long would it take? Do I need to write to them?

Reply
adam December 18, 2012 - 10:23 pm

@AA – You signed up in May using the 2000 bonus code but the points haven’t posted yet?

Reply

Leave a Comment