Breaking news: this was just annouced through Club Carlson’s Twitter profile merely minutes ago:

It looks like Club Carlson has graced us with yet a fourth “stay one, get one” promotion – this time with Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts. Registration is limited to the first 20,000 registrants, and if you complete a stay during the promotional period (June 28, 2012 and August 28, 2012), you’ll receive an additional 50,000 bonus points! I’m thrilled that Club Carlson is going all out with these promotions!

While there is only one Park Plaza hotel in North America (in Minneapolis, MN), this promotion might be useful if you’re traveling to some parts of Asia or Europe during the promotional period because that’s where the bulk of the Park Plaza hotels seem to be. Kevin and I had a lovely stay at the Park Plaza Bangkok Soi 18 back in April, and rates seem to be in the $50 range. For those readers who live in the Minneapolis area, you all lucked out, and I’m jealous. Take a look at the map of Park Plaza hotel locations below:

I’ll be updating this post with more detailed information as I come across it, but for now don’t delay – go register!

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Poor Kevin; our last two weekends consisted of hotel-hopping and mattress-running because his crazy, points-obsessed fiance (aka yours truly) needed to collect her precious points. Last weekend we spent our Friday night at the Radisson in Piscataway, and then we spent Father’s Day road-tripping for hours to no-wheres-ville, NJ for yet another another mattress run at the Country Inn & Suites in Millville, NJ (related post).

This weekend was kind of the same story – we spent a whole 8 hours at the Radisson Newark-Carteret (in by 11 pm, out by 7 am kind of ordeal). At the time, little did Kevin know that this would be his last sight of any trace of this season’s Club Carlson promotions. Yes, I know there’s the Park Inn Plus One promotion that would get us another 44,000 points each, but after heavily considering it, I don’t think I have it in me to get myself to drive 3 hours one way to the nearest Park Inn in Harrisburg, PA. With that decision, I learned that yes, I do apparently have limits to this addiction hobby.

It’s definitely a wrap for me, and in the end, I’m 100% content that between the two of us, we racked up ~200,000 bonus points with an out-of-pocket expense of about $270. Those 200,000 points can get us between 4 and 22 free nights at any Club Carlson hotel worldwide, depending on the category. We’re pretty psyched about that because I’m sure that will inspire some impulsive weekend getaways (those are 3 of my favorite words together)!

And now on to a mini-review of our stay at the Radisson Newark-Carteret…

The hotel is located directly off of the NJ turnpike, which is great for a commuter, but definitely not the most scenic because it’s located in the heart of industrial-nothingness. I suppose the guests of use this hotel merely as a sleeping point for an overnight connection at EWR because there’s virtually nothing to do in the vicinity.

When we arrived at the hotel on a Friday night at around 10:30 pm, all we wanted to do was hurry up and get into the room to sleep because we were both exhausted from a long work week, and I had a 17 hour work day ahead of me starting at 9 am the next day. I became frustrated when I walked into the hotel and saw a massive amount of people crowding around the front desk. It ended up being that because of some bad weather earlier on, many flights experienced inevitable cancellations, and the hotel was booked to capacity with frustrated travelers. The worst part was that there was only one person simultaneously checking guests in/managing the front desk/taking calls/paging the shuttle driver, etc.; it was chaotic.

When it was my turn to check in… 25 minutes later… I was very cranky to say the least. In the past, I have never waited more than 10 minutes to check in, and having to wait for so long at such a late hour was not something I wanted to deal with. It was quite obvious that the hotel was understaffed that evening, and the woman who was checking guests in was not the most pleasant to begin with. In my opinion, that’s a poor way to set the tone of the stay.

We were relieved once we got up to the room – there weren’t any problems from there on, thank goodness. In fact, our room was quite comfortable, and we both got a great night’s sleep despite our short stay there. In addition, the hotel does offer complimentary breakfast and free airport transfers to EWR. Like I said earlier, I can’t imagine anyone choosing this hotel for anything other than an airport hotel, but it certainly was adequate for what it was.

Inside the lobby of the Radisson Newark-Carteret hotel

The beds were SO comfortable - they were not Radisson's typical Sleep Number beds, which I'm not particularly a fan of.

A shot of the workspace and TV. The TV was definitely a bit outdated, but we didn't turn it on anyway.

I love when there's complimentary bottled water!

A shot of the bathroom sink vanity area

The shower/tub

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First off, Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads out there! Rather than buying Dad a cheesy neck tie or having dinner at an over-priced and crowded restaurant, my family decided to spend Dad’s day together a little differently than usual: by doing our very first mattress run. You see, this crazy points and miles lifestyle is really starting to get contagious. First it was Dad’s quirky obsession, then I got the itch… now Mom, my brother, and Kevin have all been sucked into the bizarre wonderful world of points and miles as well. With that all out on the table, it’s safe to say that my family has reached a new milestone together.

For those who are points and miles veterans, I’m sure you’re already familiar with the art of mattress running. For the more “normal” folks out there, mattress running is to hotels as mileage running is to air travel – simply booking a hotel room, checking in, and then leaving without actually spending the night. Usually the sole purpose of a mattress run is to take advantage of a significant hotel promotion (such as bonus points or free night certificates). Although the idea of sounds crazy, the benefits are usually substantial, making it “worth it”.

In our case, we hopped in one car for a two-hour drive to la la land, NJ, where all five of us each got our own room for $59.25 (we also used TopCashBack to get 10% back) at the Country Inn & Suites in Millville, NJ. That $59.25 room will get us close to 50,000 Club Carlson points each that we can redeem at any Radisson, Radisson Blu, Park Inn, Park Plaza, or Country Inn & Suites world-wide. That’s a pretty significant ROI if you ask me!

When we arrived at the hotel, we hung out for about an hour or so and then hit the road again. In all honesty, this property was the perfect choice for a mattress run because I’ve definitely seen better Country Inn & Suites before. Not that there was anything “wrong” with this place in particular, but it was very dated (at least 20+ years), stale, and lacked the “cozy-component”. Oh, and I was a bit turned off that 2 out of our 5 rooms were stocked with obviously-previously-used bath products… yuck. However, the staff were friendly, and this hotel could work as a good basic stay for those in need of one [and that's about it].

-Insert Awkward Family Photo Here-

Inside the lobby of the Country Inn & Suites in Millville, NJ

The bed

The desk and very outdated TV

The lotion in my room was clearly used already (the bottle was squeezed in, the product was half-full, and it had a sticky and messy cap).

Hey, at least I got a "pool view". LOL

After leaving the hotel, we made a quick stop in Philadelphia because it was [sorta] on the way back home. Dad was craving a famous Philly cheesesteak, so we headed on over to south Philly to grab a few. We couldn’t collectively agree as a family whether to go to Pat’s or Geno’s, so we decided to make it a little fun and have our own taste-test face-off. Since both rivals are located directly across the street from one another, we ordered steaks from both places.

We made a pit-stop in Philly for our very own Geno's vs. Pat's face-off.

Mom and I both agreed that Geno's made the better steak, but the guys all voted for Pat's.

Granted, I believe there are better cheesesteaks in Philly (especially the place inside the Amish market… yum), but I personally preferred Geno’s over Pat’s because I thought the meat was more tender, it was cheesier, and the onions were sweeter and tastier. Mom also has good taste and liked Geno’s better, but all 3 of the guys chose Pat’s as their favorite. So there you have it – the conclusion of our very scientific study proves that females prefer Geno’s and males prefer Pat’s. Anyone care to chime in? Or am I opening up a can of worms?

Can you tell which is from Geno's and which is from Pat's?

In the end, it’s safe to say that the Aucello family (plus Kevin) had a great Father’s day together. The best part about it all was that we collectively earned close to a quarter million points in one shot. Seeing the words “quarter million” and “points” in the same sentence excites me. =)

How did your family spend Father’s Day today? Did anyone else use this day to earn points and miles too? Please share!

The points and miles Gods must have read my mind this morning. Yesterday, I was almost tempted to line up and book my stays for all 3 of Club Carlson’s promotions (Radisson’s Big Night Giveaway, Country Inn’s SOGO, and Park Inn’s One Plus One), but I decided to wait for the next coupon code to come out to bring down the rate.

Good thing I waited, I woke up to an email from Radisson with a 30% off code (30PCTOFF) that is valid at select Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, and Park Inn properties during select dates during the promotional period. Coupon code is valid until June 12, 2012.

Click on the brand names below for the complete list of specific hotels that are offering rooms on select dates at 30% off:

• Radisson
• Country Inn & Suites
• Park Inn

So far I booked myself a room at the Radisson Hotel Newark-Carteret, about 30 minutes away for the rate of $78.80 before tax.

What great rates have you found near you?

I’m hoping everyone had a chance to register for Radisson’s Big Night Getaway, Country Inn & Suites SOGO promotion, and Park Inn’s “One Plus One” promotion for the opportunity to earn a total of 138,000 bonus points (and that’s not even including base points from the stay, online booking bonus points, and elite % bonus) after completing a stay at each of those brands during the promotional period.

This is one of the most exciting hotel promotions to date and my personal favorite because it basically gives us the opportunity to redeem our points at any Club Carlson property worldwide (including some great and exclusive Radisson Blu properties).

Here are just some quick reminders about the promotions:

If you haven’t done so already, create a Club Carlson account here and receive 2,000 points just for joining.

Then be sure to register for each of the promotions at the following links:

• SOGOCountry.com: The first 35,000 people to register for the SO GO! (Stay One, Get One) Event will be eligible to receive 44,000 bonus Gold Points^® – enough for a night at any Country Inns & Suites By Carlson^SM hotel worldwide.
• RadissonBigNightGiveaway.com: The first 100,000 people to register for the Radisson Big Night Giveaway will be eligible to receive 50,000 bonus Gold Points^® – that’s enough for a night at any Radisson or Radisson Blu hotel worldwide.
• ParkInnOnePlusOne.com: The first 20,000 to register for Park Inn’s One Plus One Promotion will receive 44,000 bonus points after completing a stay at a Park Inn before July 22nd – enough for a Park Inn stay anywhere in the world.

If you have status with another hotel chain, simply send an email to goldpointsplus@carlson.com asking for a status match and providing a screen shot that shows your pre-existing status with another hotel chain.

Sample email I sent:

Hi there,

I am already a loyal Club Carlson member, but I am also a Platinum member with Hyatt GoldPassport  I was wondering if you could match my status. I have provided a screen shot showing my Platinum status with Hyatt. My Club Carlson account number is: 601***********.  I look forward to including Club Carlson in my future travel plans.

Thanks!!

Angelina A.

Next, be sure to create a MrRebates.com account, where you can receive 5% cash back on all Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, and Park Inn bookings (yes, you will still get the online booking bonus points as well). You can also use TopCashBack to get 10% back. Since TopCashBack is new and I have not been paid-out any rebates from them yet, I can not personally vouch for it at the moment. My MrRebates have been successfully paid to me in the past.

Once you complete your stay, and your points have posted, take a look at how you can redeem your points at Club Carlson properties worldwide. Free award nights start at just 9,000 points. There’s also great points+cash redemption options to consider.

Redeeming Club Carlson Points for British Airways miles (25% bonus bonus from now through June 20).

Say you’d love to take part of the promotion, but you’d rather use your points for airline miles and flights instead of free hotel award nights. The good news is, between now and June 20, you can transfer your Club Carlson points into your British Airways Avios Account and receive a 25% bonus.

Let’s take a look at the transfer-ratio chart:

As you can see from the chart above, 100,000 Club Carlson points would convert to 18,000 British Airways miles. With the 25% bonus, that becomes 22,500 miles. Since British Airways’ award flights are now distance-based, this option could be more valuable to some people, especially since last minute air travel can be extremely pricey. Aside from that, some destinations that are short distance tend to be very expensive to begin with (for example, a weekend flight at the end of June from JFK to Toronto on British Airways’ partner, American Airlines, prices out to be over $580 round trip – yikes).

Sample Flight Possibilities Using British Airways Avios on Partner Flights:

• NYC-Toronto or Boston: 4,500 Avios each way
• NYC-Miami or Chicago: 7,500 Avios each way
• NYC-Cancun: 10,000 Avios each way
• Miami-Lima, Peru: 12,500 Avios each way.

Feel free to play around with the British Airways Avios Calculator here to see what flight possibilities are available from your location.

Hungry for more British Airways Avios? Keep these time-sensitive reminders in mind:

May 31, 2012 (this Thursday) is the last day for the 50% bonus when transferring your American Express Membership Reward points to British Airways Avios points. Don’t have a American Express card with membership rewards yet? You might want to consider the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card:

American Express(R) Premier Rewards Gold Card: This is a great card with lots of flexibility, and the first year is free. You’ll earn 3x on airfare, 2x on gas and groceries, and 1x on everything else. Dad loves taking advantage of the Membership Rewards transfer bonuses when converting MR points to dozens of airline and hotel partners. For example, there is a 50% transfer bonus to British Airways Avios miles. Dad transferred 50,000 of his points to 75,000 British Airways miles, which are excellent for short-haul domestic travel (flights starting at 4,500 miles). Be sure to check out the complete offer details and application here.

The British Airways Visa Signature Card: my very first Chase card. I applied for an was approved for this card in May of 2011 when there was a 100,000 British Airways miles (now called Avios) sign-up bonus. If you’ve been following the blog recently, you probably know that Kevin and I recently traveled from NY to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific’s legendary first-class cabin (related post). Wow! What an experience that was; with tickets costing up to $10,000 each, I was THRILLED to be able to redeem British Airways miles (and about $300 in unavoidable pesky airline taxes) for that unforgettable experience. Here’s a little except about the card if this card has on your radar at all:

British Airways Visa Signature Card: Earn up to 100,000 bonus miles — 50,000 after first purchase, 25,000 after $10,000 in spend within 12 months, and 25,000 more after the second $10,000 in spend within 12 months. Earns 1.25 points per dollar, and if you spend $30,000 in a calendar year on the card, you earn a valuable free companion award ticket for use on British Airways, where the second passenger flies for no additional miles. $95 annual fee.

How do you plan on using your Club Carlson points? Personally, I lucked out and was able to earn tons of BA Avios during the February Nordstrom 36x promotion by treating myself to a designer bag (related post), so I’ll be saving my Club Carlson points for free award nights to hopefully use on a fall family trip to Istanbul!

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Earlier this week, I posted about my excitement that Radisson’s 50,000 bonus point Big Night Giveaway Promotion is returning. Country Inn & Suites and Park Inn are also running their own version of this promotion as well for 44,000 bonus points after registering and completing one stay. I’m counting down the days until 12:01 on May 15.

When I checked my email 2 days ago, I was thrilled that a 25% off 3-day-sale code came through for select Carlson hotel properties which is valid on select properties that are booked by May 11, 2012 for select nights through May 31, 2012. The promotional code is “LMD25OFF”.

After much wonder if stays booked prior to registering for the promotion, but completed during the promotional period would qualify, it looks like we have a solid answer from the Club Carlson Facebook page: YES (thanks to the hustle blog for pointing that out). With that said, I went ahead and made (refundable) bookings for everyone in the Aucello family at the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Absecon (Atlantic City), NJ. The discounted rate was only $52.49 for a “whirl-pool suite” (it sounds nice, but I think I’ll pass on any Atlantic-City-vicinity whirl-pool).

I have the room on week night, but I will at least make a beach day/night out in Atlantic City out of it (who’s down?). Unfortunately none of the Radisson hotels in NJ are participating in the 25% off sale this time around, so I’ll hold off on my Radisson booking until later (Club Carlson’s 25% off and 30% sales happen pretty frequently, so I’m not worried). As far as a Park Inn, there’s only a handful in the US, and the closest one to me is 3 hours away in PA, so I’ll have to think about that one.

If you book using MrRebates, you’ll also get 5% cash back, so of course I went ahead and did that too. And yes, it still allows you to receive the 2,000 point bonus for booking online. I also recommend that you status match to Club Carlson elite to get more bonus points for your stay (related post).

Have you booked your stays for this promotion yet? Please feel free to share.

I’m so happy that my favorite hotel promotion is returning! Last fall, Radisson introduced the “Big Night Giveaway” promotion, allowing the first 50,000 registrants of the promotion to earn 50,000 Club Carlson bonus points simply by completing one stay at a Radisson hotel before December 31, 2011. I definitely made sure not to miss this promotion – 50,000 points can be worth up to 5, category-1 free night stays at any Club Carlson partner hotels. There are also several gorgeous Radisson Blu properties world-wide that redeem for 50,000 points (and cost several hundred dollars per night). You can read my experiences with this promotion here and here.

Based on the clues from their tweet yesterday saying, “Something ‘big’ is coming back Radisson. Tune in tomorrow and we’ll ‘give’ you the announcement.”, one can easily speculate and anticipate round 2 of this promotion.

Well, the countdown for the big announcement day has come! By visiting https://www.radissonbignightgiveaway.com/, it appears that the official announcement and registration will be open to the public on midnight of May 15!

The only information available on the main at the moment is: “Stay one night at a Radisson Blu or Radisson property, get one night free.”

I’m really excited to participate in this promotion again. After spending $89 to stay at the Radisson in Freehold, NJ and $81 at the Radisson in Piscataway, NJ last year, we netted over 100,000 Club Carlson points. Those points have been very valuable for me – in fact, it inspired my Texas Road Trip in January when Club Carlson had their awesome “Redeem Points. Earn Points.” promotion, which allowed me to stay at category 1 hotels completely free of charge. I also redeemed 30,000 of those points for 2 nights at the Park Plaza Sukhumvit during our recent trip to Bangkok.

If all goes well, I’ll stay at a Radisson hotel nearby, then use some of my bonus points towards a stay at a Radisson Blu in Istanbul.

Are you as excited for the return of this promotion as I am? Please feel free to share the details/strategies of how you plan on participating and redeeming your bonus points too!

If you’re new to this promotion and Club Carlson, keep this great offer in mind: New members who enroll in Club Carlson can receive a sign-up bonus of 4,500 Gold Points through the following link. Just be sure that the promo code ERWD2012 appears in the appropriate box.

Don’t forget to make sure you subscribe to the blog using the form on the right to receive an email when a new post is up. Tonight kicks off FTU weekend & the first event is the 2012 Freddie Awards! Make sure to follow me on Twitter for real-time updates as the winners are announced tonight. We can also connect on Facebook. Stay connected and never miss a post!

Marriott Summer Bonus Promotion:

Earn up to three free nights with Marriott Rewards^® Summer Bonus when you stay at any participating Marriott^® hotel worldwide. With the world’s most distinctive array of hotel brands, you’re always on the road to something amazing.

Register Here

To earn your free nights:

Register by June 30, 2012
Stay twice at any participating hotel between June 1 and August 31, 2012
Earn one free night after every second paid stay, up to three free nights

Enjoy your free nights at any of 2,900+ category 1-4 hotels.

Club Carlson “Stay 2 Nights, Get 35% Off” Sale:

Save 35% on your stay when you book select hotels at radisson.com, countryinns.com or parkinn.com by May 8, 2012, and stay at least two or more consecutive nights during specific dates between May 18 and July 28, 2012.

Check out the hotels participating in your favorite locations or view a complete list of the select Radisson^®, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson^SM and Park Inn by Radisson hotels.

40% Off Second Night at Four Points by Sheraton:

When you stay two nights at Four Points by Sheraton properties and pay the regular rate for the first night, you’ll get a 40 percent discount on the second night of your stay, and every second night thereafter. This offer is valid at properties throughout North and South America. Use promo code ZB4.

For more information and reservations, visit the Starwood Hotels Web site.

• Travel Dates: Through January 1, 2013.
• Advance Purchase Requirements: May apply.
• Expiration: 05-06-12
• Minimum/Maximum Stay: A two-night minimum stay is required.
• Blackout Dates: May apply.
• Additional Fees: Additional fees may apply.
• Further Restrictions: This offer is valid for Thursday through Saturday arrivals. Rates are prepaid and nonrefundable. This offer is subject to availability and may change at any time. Further restrictions may apply.

While I was in Chicago with some of my girlfriends in the beginning of March, we were given the opportunity to visit and take a tour of the Radisson Aqua Blu Chicago. For those of you have been following Club Carlson’s recent promotions for some time, the Radisson Aqua Blu Chicago might actually already ring a bell for you, as it was the inspiration behind Radisson’s awesome 50,000-Point “Big Night Getaway Promotion” (related post) last November.

The Radisson Blu Chicago is currently the only Radisson Blu hotel in the United States (it just opened its doors on November 1, 2011), and is skillfully located in the heart of picturesque-downtown Chicago. This new addition to the Radisson Blu family is home to 334 guest rooms, including 15 junior suites, 2 grand suites, and a presidential suite, all which are spread across the first 18 floors of the 4-year old Aqua Tower.

Upon entering the building, my girlfriends and I were immediately impressed with the design and ambiance all around. What blew us away even more were the stories behind the inspiration and design, which truly brought this hotel to life. We were given our tour of the property by the lovely Noemi Lopez, the hotel’s on-site catering manager, who was extremely knowledgeable, passionate, and proud of what the Radisson Blu Chicago has become. She explained to us that the property’s interior designer, Jim Hamilton, not only wanted to emphasize the brands motif, “inspired by design, driven by function”, but he also wanted to be sure that his design served as a very special, unique, and relevant tribute to the city of Chicago.

As you can see below, I took a lot of pictures during the 1-hour tour; the more I learned about the inspiration behind the brand, the more I appreciated all of the little details about the design and how amazingly-relevant and special it was to the city of Chicago. I’ll let some of the pictures do the talking now.

Upon entering the building, you are immediately greeted by the sophisticated design of the lobby.

The check-in desk and concierge desks were simplistic and chic.

Another shot of the lobby/entrance area, which gives us a glimpse of their in-house upscale Italian restaurant, Filini.

Looking deeper into the hotel's lobby, we see a modern lounge area and a cozy fireplace wall.

The designer, Jim Hamilton, incorporated some of Chicago's reclaimed-steel into the flooring design.

Another peek at the large and spacious lobby and lounge area.

The lobby is home to a huge 50-foot cozy (and warm!) fireplace built into the wall.

This rug might look like a simple, modern design, but it's actually an aerial view of the city of Chicago - how fun and relevant!

A shot of the lobby's "Blu Bar"

The hallway connecting the lobby to the business centers/ballrooms served as a mini art gallery/gathering area. There are some pretty great works of art here - my favorite was the optical-illusion 3D painting!

The signage throughout the hotel is made with recycled Chicago printing press components - how neat!

Fully-mirrored common area bathrooms for conference center & ballroom guests.

The hallway leading us to the corporate center had a bright, modern, and welcoming feel.

I was a fan of the simplistic and modern feel of the corporate center floor.

A sample set-up of a corporate meeting/conference. These rooms were fully-equipped with state of the art technology and sound.

A sample set-up of a private corporate dinner. The Radisson Blu keeps it modern by offering a "linenless" look with their IHS tables and chairs. Each event room's wall art showcases a local artist's interpretation of Chicago's different areas.

The Radisson Blu has two distinct designs of their guest rooms. Here is a sample "Naturally Cool" room, which has a Scandinavian/European vibe. This was my personal favorite of the two. I loved the hardwood flooring and crisp color-scheme.

The desk and sitting area of the "Naturally Cool" room. I loved that it smelled so new!

A close up of the king bed in the "Naturally Cool" room. The unique headboard design is a motif throughout the property (we later noticed that the ceiling of Filini was made with this design as well).

The "Naturally Cool" bathroom featured an awesome door-less/open-floor plan.

The second style of room found in the Radisson Blu Chicago is the "Mansion House" design, which has a darker "blu" fashion-forward appeal.

The "Mansion House" room is decorated with lots of deep aqua blues, mirrors, and sparkly-black elements.

The amenities are from Anne Semonin, which I don't know much about, but it seems to be a high-end French line of products.

This is a sample Junior Suite, which combines efficiency and style with the design. This room was especially appealing to me because I loved how it felt cozy like a hip downtown apartment with the sliding-glass doors leading to a mini balcony.

The living area of the Junior Suite features a modern pullout couch. Bonus: the coffee table was designed so that it doesn't need to be moved when utilizing the pull-out feature on the couch (pull-out bed rests perfectly above the table).

The bathroom in the Junior Suite also had a door-less/open floor plan.

A quick shot of the desk/work area within a Junior Suite.

The business lounge was huge! Fully loaded with plenty of lounge areas, work stations, complimentary newspapers/reading material, snacks, and beverages. The business lounge is available to all those staying on the business floors (17 & 18).

A shot of some relaxing couches within the business lounge.

I was impressed with the chic, sophisticated, trendy design of the business lounge at this property.

A glimpse of some of the snacks and beverages available to those in the business lounge

Some tables to enjoy some snacks and drinks inside the business lounge.

An array of some of the complimentary hot and cold beverages available to those guests staying on the business floors (17 & 18).

After the tour, my girlfriends and I dined at Filini, the Italian restaurant located in the Radisson Blu.

Dessert anyone? Delicious tiramisu.

Additional Tips/Facts I’ve Gathered Along The Tour:

• The hotel is fully ADA compliant.
• Parking is $24 to Valet for the day/$41 for overnight.
• There is free WiFi throughout the hotel.
• The fitness center is HUGE, complete with a basketball court, large cardio section, free weights/machines, swimming pool, sauna, steam room etc. There is also a gorgeous jogging track on the outside deck.
• To book this property with points, it’ll cost you 50,000 Club Carlson gold points for a one-night stay.

That’s all for now! I really did enjoy exploring the Radisson Blu Chicago during my visit to the city. A huge thank you goes out to Club Carlson for inviting me out to visit and letting us dine at Filini.

Blogger disclosure: Club Carlson contacted me via email when they learned I was visiting Chicago to take advantage of Public Chicago’s $1 Sale promotion to invite me to visit the Radisson Blu Chicago. I did not stay at the Radisson Blu Chicago, and I was not compensated for the tour or this blog post. However, we did dine at Filini immediately following the tour compliments of the hotel’s management.

While my girlfriends and I are enjoying our first night in Chicago, I’ll leave you with some quickies and save the fun stuff and stories for the later posts to come. In related news, I take back all of my apprehension about Spirit Airlines – we ended up having a fantastic and pleasant flight here! Best of all, it was only $98 ai round trip from LGA to ORD.

Carlson Hotels: I received a targeted offer to save 35% off your stay [of at least 2 consecutive nights] when you book select hotels at radisson.com, countryinns.com, parkplaza.com or parkinn.com by March 13, 2012. The coupon/offer code is: S2G35OFF. This offer is available during specific dates between March 23 and June 2, 21012. Plus, you’ll receive 1,000 bonus Club Carlson points if you book your stay directly on the Radisson, Country Inns, or Park Inn website.

• Participating Radisson properties could be found here.
• Here’s a list of participating Country Inn & Suites location.
• These are the participating Park Inn by Radisson properties.
• Last but not least, you can see the list of participating Park Plaza hotels here.

Amtrak New-Member Bonus: Amtrak is offering new Amtrak Guest Rewards members 500 Boarding Bonus Points for free after registering and purchasing a ticket for a qualifying trip. Registration for Amtrak Guest Rewards is free, and this offer is valid until April 14. Terms and conditions apply. Personally, I have never had the opportunity to travel with Amtrak (I’m more of a plane person than train person), but I’m thinking now would be a good time for me to set up an account and try a new mode of transportation… Spontaneous train ride somewhere? Hm…