Radisson Rewards (formerly Club Carlson), the loyalty scheme for Radisson Blu, Radisson and Park Plaza hotels etc doesn’t get a huge amount of attention on Tricks of the Trade.
That’s probably something to do with the fact that, from an outsiders perspective, they don’t have a huge amount of aspirational properties where you might look to redeem your points.
However, they are an Amex Membership Rewards transfer partner, making it quite straightforward for UK-based readers to accumulate Radisson Rewards points.
All you need is something worthwhile to use them on.
Redeeming hotel points as a family – the issue
An email from a reader a while back got me thinking about the topic of trying to redeem hotel points when travelling as a family.
As someone with two kids myself, I’m reluctantly coming to the realisation that there will come a time when ‘getting away’ with one standard room will no longer be sufficient for us. The problem with needing to book two rooms or simply a larger room is that points redemptions can become alarmingly expensive.
This is one aspect of the Radisson Rewards scheme that I think is well worth highlighting.
Radisson Rewards Family Award redemptions
There isn’t much information about Family Award redemptions on the Radisson Rewards website.
But here’s what happens when you search for a room with 2 adults and 2 children in London:
As you can see the cheapest cash rate, is £302 per night. Alternatively, you can book the same Studio Double Room for 87,500 Radisson Rewards points per night – equivalent to 29,166 Amex Membership Rewards points.
It’s important to note that a standard room redemption at this hotel costs 70,000 Radisson Rewards points per night. In other words, for a small fixed premium – essentially an extra 5,800 Membership Rewards points per night – you’re able to secure a more comfortable, larger room while all the while still using your points.
Should you choose to convert your Membership Rewards points as per this example, you’d be getting more than 1p of value per Membership Rewards point, which is more than respectable.
And here’s an example of a stay in Dubai at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Waterfront:
A larger size Family Room would cost £224 per night or you can redeem 87,500 Radisson Rewards points, as above.
How to earn Radisson Rewards points
There are several ways for UK-based readers to accumulate Radisson Rewards points:
- Transferring UK Amex Membership Rewards points – points transfer at a 1:3 ratio
- Car rentals – Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, National and Sixt all have a tie-up that allows you to earn points on rentals.
- Shopping at Chic Outlet Villages such as Bicester Village – earn 10 Radisson Rewards points per £1/€1 spent.
- Buy points – Radisson runs semi-regular promotions offering a further discount on purchased points. There is currently a 50% bonus that expires today, for example. Details here.
Verdict
This is a useful trick to keep up your sleeve, particularly when cash rates are high and booking two interconnecting rooms would simply be too expensive.
Does anyone have any other tips for booking family travel on points?
Header image credit: Pavel L Photo and Video / Shutterstock.com