Club Carlson launched March 31, 2011 as the redesigned hotel loyalty program for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. The loyalty program includes over 1,100 hotels globally in the hotel brands of Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn and Country Inns & Suites. Hotel Missoni, a luxury brand with only two properties currently open in Edinburgh and Kuwait is not yet participating in Club Carlson.

Six competitive advantages of Club Carlson 

1. Members receive complimentary internet at all hotel brands in North America and all Radisson hotels worldwide.

2. Club Carlson offers the fastest earning standard free nights of any hotel loyalty program when compared to rate of base points earned per dollar in hotel spend. Top category 6 hotels at 50,000 points require $2,500 in hotel spend to earn 50,000 base points. Bonus points and elite status and online booking bonuses reduce this spend level. HHonors Points & Points earners need $3,333 to earn 50,000 points for a top tier category 7 reward. Marriott Rewards members need at least $4,000 in hotel spend to earn 40,000 points for a top tier category 8 hotel reward night.

Read More…

The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Global Business Conference 2012 last week in Nassau, Bahamas is the third annual conference I have attended. This is the annual conference bringing together hotel owners, managers and parent company executives for the hotel brands of Radisson, Country Inns & Suites, Park Inn and Park Plaza hotels.

The Radisson hotel chain has puzzled me for a decade as I tried to understand the difference between several different Radisson brand names like Radisson in the USA and Radisson SAS, then Radisson Blu in Europe and Radisson Edwardian in London.

The variability in earning points in goldpoints plus depending on whether your hotel stay was in the U.S., Asia, Europe or Africa was another confounding aspect of the hotel loyalty program. Goldpoints plus had the feel of IHG Priority Club and InterContinental Ambassador, another program where hotel brand acquisitions brought together a European/international program with a US based hotel loyalty program and an odd mix results.

This Loyalty Traveler post will attempt to share the basics of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group for readers who may have recently joined the Club Carlson program after the 2011 Q-4 Big Night Giveaway for 50,000 points with one hotel stay at a Radisson. This is an overview of the hotel chain and I will follow up with another post describing the Club Carlson loyalty program in detail.

Ambition 2015

In 2010 the Carlson Hotels company launched a five year initiative – Ambition 2015 – to create a stronger global presence as a major hotel company and hotel loyalty program.

Two years ago in Orlando the company executives pledged an investment of 1.5 billion dollars to support the five year improvement plan.

Read More…

Carlson Hotels has a critical mass of hotels for geographic coverage in the USA and Europe with about 900 hotels in these two regions. Carlson Hotels offers American frequent guests an earn/burn competitive edge as a good loyalty program choice for earning points from US hotel stays and burning points for European trips.

Geographic coverage is an important consideration for the international traveler. The big chains like Hilton, Marriott, and InterContinental Hotels Group blanket the USA in midscale hotels with each of these programs having over 2,000 hotels across the states. International travel is where the geographic limitations of loyalty programs can leave you seeking another hotel chain when your primary program does not have a hotel in the city where you need to stay.

Club Carlson has arguably the best mix of hotels for points earning opportunities in the USA with Country Inn & Suites and points burning midscale Park Inn and upscale Radisson hotels across Europe. Carlson Hotels offers over 300 Radisson and Park Inn hotels across Europe.

Spain has the new Marriott AC brand with 80 hotels and provides the best options in that country. Accor Hotels blanket Europe, but provide little USA opportunity for earning points. Nordic Choice is an option for Scandinavia rivaling Club Carlson. Hyatt has few European properties with only around 30 hotels. Starwood has high-end European properties and the points cost for reward nights remind you that luxury has a price in Euros and points. Hilton and InterContinental Hotels Group provide European coverage, but fewer properties than Club Carlson and generally at reward cost higher than Club Carlson.

Carlson Hotels in Each Reward Category = 1,070 Hotels

• Category 1 – 51 hotels  (5%)
• Category 2 – 168 hotels (16%)
• Category 3 – 370 hotels (35%)
• Category 4 – 260 hotels (24%)
• Category 5 – 162 hotels (15%)
• Category 6 – 59 hotels (6%) 

The hotel reward category distribution for Club Carlson has a nice bell curve shape. This is not common for hotel loyalty programs. Most programs have few properties in low categories. Hyatt and Marriott are two other programs with good distribution of hotels in lower reward categories. 

Carlson Hotels has 1,070 hotels globally.

• USA = 587 hotels (55%)
• Canada = 36 hotels (3%)
• Latin America = 41 hotels (4%)
• Europe = 310 hotels (29%)
• Middle East = 23 hotels (2%)
• Africa = 16 hotels (1.5%)
• Asia Pacific = 57 hotels (5%) 

Carlson Hotels has adequate coverage for the USA and good coverage in Europe. Other regions of the world are areas for growth and the company’s plan to grow by 400 hotels in the next four years should fill in many of these areas. 

Carlson Hotels brands: 

• Country Inn & Suites = 491 hotels (46%)
• Radisson Hotels = 417 hotels (39%)
• Park Inn Hotels = 119 Hotels (11%)
• Park Plaza Hotels = 41 hotels (4%)
• Regent Hotels = 5 hotels

* This tally of brands comes out at 1,073 hotels and 3 hotels higher than above totals. This is a small tabulation discrepancy that I failed to reconcile. 

Country Inn & Suites and Park Inn provide midscale hotels across the USA and Europe. Country Inn & Suites may or may not be comparable in price and quality to Marriott Courtyard or Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton Inns. That depends on the location and your preferences. The points earned from your stays will be as valuable as the other programs with the hotel reward night opportunities in Club Carlson. Four Points and Hyatt Place are the midscale brands of Starwood and Hyatt, but there are more Country Inn & Suites in the USA than these two brands combined. The price point may or may not be comparable. 

Radisson Hotels in the USA tend to be viewed as less upscale than Crowne Plaza, Sheraton, Marriott and Hilton. There is much less disparity between these brands in Europe.

Club Carlson’s low cost hotels in USA and numerous hotels around Europe provide a competitive edge for the American traveler who wants to earn points at midscale lower-price point Country Inn and Radisson hotels and redeem for hotels in Europe. Carlson Hotels have coverage in other regions of the world, but Europe is where you will find Club Carlson’s real competitive value for the traveler choosing a loyalty program for earn/burn opportunities.

Related Posts:

Club Carlson Hotel Rewards Category Reassignment Analysis – Overview and Category-1 (April 7)

Club Carlson Category 2 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 3 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 4 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 5 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 9)

Club Carlson Category 6 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 9)

Club Carlson Category 6 hotel rewards at 50,000 points per night includes 59 hotels, mostly in Europe and comprise the top level rewards.  Some of these hotels cost as much as 135,000 points in 2009 when the standard reward rate for category 6 hotels was 90,000 points and before goldpoints plus had no blackouts for reward nights and Flex night rewards required 50% more points.

Category 6 hotels require just $2,500 in hotel spend for a general member to earn 50,000 points. This is the fastest earning top level reward among all major hotel loyalty programs. In comparison, HHonors Points & Points members require $3,334 in spend to earn 50,000 points for a category-7 hotel reward night and HHonors Points & Miles earners require $5,000 in spend. Most hotel programs fall within this range with Priority Club (top-tier InterContinental Hotels) and Marriott Rewards (category-8 ) at $4,000 in spend to earn a 40,000 points reward night. Hyatt Gold Passport takes $4,400 in spend to earn 22,000 points for a category-6 reward night. Starwood Preferred Guest is otherworldly expensive with $15,000 in spend to earn a category-7 reward night, but even a category-5 in SPG at 12,000 points may take $6,000 in spend for a general member and $4,000 for SPG elites.

Club Carlson elite bonuses match or exceed other programs at the Gold (50% bonus) and Concierge (75% bonus) levels making the Club Carlson claim as the program for earning fastest free nights a legitimate consideration for the frequent guest wanting free nights with points.

USA Category-6 Hotels

• 3 hotels in 2 states (Boston 1, New York City 2).
• 3 Radisson Hotels.
• 1 hotel Radisson Boston formerly category-5 (50,000 points) is Club Carlson category-6 (50,000 points). Hotel reward cost is same.
• 2 hotels formerly category-6 (60,000 points) are now 50,000 points. Hotel reward cost 17% decrease.

Caribbean

• 1 Radisson Hotel (Aruba).
• 1 hotel (Aruba) formerly category-6 (60,000 points) is now 50,000 points. Hotel reward cost 17% decrease. Regent Hotel was not listed in February 2011 goldpoints plus hotel list.

Europe, Middle East and Africa

• 54 hotels in 21 countries in EMEA region.
• 46 hotels in 13 countries in Europe.
•  6 hotels in Middle East/Central Asia. Azerbaijan 1, Bahrain 1, Kazakhstan 1, Kuwait 1, Saudi Arabia 1, UAE 1.
• 2 hotels in Africa. Libya 1, South Africa 1.
• 7 Park Plaza hotels (Amsterdam 1, London 6).
• 2 Regent Hotels (Berlin, Bordeaux).
• 45 Radisson Hotels.
• 1 hotel, Radisson Astana Kazakhstan was formerly category-4 at 40,000 points increased to 50,000 points. Hotel reward cost increase of 25%.
• 18 hotels from goldpoints plus category-5 (50,000 points) remain the same reward price in Club Carlson category-6 (50,000 points). Hotel reward cost is unchanged.
• 34 hotels dropped from goldpoints plus category-6 (60,000 points) to Club Carlson category-6 (50,000 points). Hotel reward cost 17% decrease.

Asia-Pacific

• 1 hotel Radisson Blu Plaza Sydney, Australia was goldpoints plus category-5 (50,000 points) and remains at the same reward price in Club Carlson category-6 (50,000 points). Hotel reward cost is unchanged.

Link: Club Carlson Hotel Category 6

Club Carlson category-6 Hotels (March 31, 2011)

Related Posts:

Competitive Advantages of Club Carlson Hotel Rewards (April 10)

Club Carlson Hotel Rewards Category Reassignment Analysis – Overview and Category-1 (April 7)

Club Carlson Category 2 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 3 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 4 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 5 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 9)

Club Carlson Category 6 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 9)

There are 162 hotels in Club Carlson category 5 hotel rewards. This category is where the hotels in the USA dwindle to a handful and 9 of 10 hotels in category 5 in the USA increased in reward cost. The rest of the world, especially Europe, offer some of the finer hotels in the Carlson Hotels chain at reduced rates from the former goldpoints plus rewards.

USA

• 10 hotels in 7 states.
• 3 Country Inn & Suites Hotels.
• 7 Radisson Hotels.
• 2 hotels formerly category-3 (30,000 points) are Club Carlson category-5 (44,000 points). Hotel reward cost increase of 47%.
• 7 hotels formerly category-4 (40,000 points) are now 44,000 points. Hotel reward cost increase of 10%.
• 1 hotel remains at category-5 dropped from 50,000 points to 44,000 points. Hotel reward cost decrease of 12%.

Canada

• 7 hotels in 4 provinces.
• 1 Country Inn & Suites.
• 6 Radisson Hotels.
• 1 hotel formerly category-3 (30,000 points) at Club Carlson category-5 (44,000 points). Hotel reward cost 47% increase.
• 4 hotels formerly category-4 (40,000 points) are now 44,000 points. Hotel reward cost 10% increase.
• 2 hotels remain at category-5 and dropped from 50,000 points to 44,000 points. Hotel reward cost 12% decrease.

Caribbean, Mexico and South & Central America

• 10 hotels in six countries.
• 10 Radisson Hotels.
• 1 hotel formerly category-3 (30,000 points) at Club Carlson category-5 (44,000 points). Hotel reward cost increase of 47%.
• 3 hotels formerly category-4 (40,000 points) are now 44,000 points. Hotel reward cost 10% increase.
• 6 hotels remain at category-5 and dropped from 50,000 points to 44,000 points. Hotel reward cost 12% decrease.

Europe, Middle East and Africa

• 116 hotels in 34 countries in EMEA region.
• 103 hotels in 25 countries in Europe.
• 8 hotels in Middle East. Azerbaijan 1, Israel 1, Lebanon 1,  Oman 2, Saudi Arabia 1, UAE 2.
• 5 hotels in Africa. Mali 1, Senegal 1, and South Africa 3.
• 5 Park Plaza hotels.
• 15 Park Inn hotels.
• 95 Radisson Hotels.
• 1 Regent Hotel, Zagreb, Croatia.
• 2 hotels (Park Inns in Sweden) formerly goldpoints plus category-1 hotels (15,000 points) are Club Carlson category-5 (44,000 points). Hotel reward cost increase of 193%.
• 1 hotel, Park Inn Muscat, Oman formerly goldpoints plus category-2 hotels (25,000 points) at Club Carlson category-4 (44,000 points). Hotel reward cost increase of 76%.
• 18 hotels formerly category-4 hotels at 40,000 points increase to 44,000 points. Hotel reward cost increase of 10%.
• 76 hotels from goldpoints plus category-5 (50,000 points) remain in Club Carlson category-5 (44,000 points). Hotel reward cost decrease of 12%.
• 16 hotels dropped from goldpoints plus category-6 (60,000 points) to Club Carlson category-5 (44,000 points). Hotel reward cost decrease of 27%.

Asia-Pacific

• 19 hotels in seven countries.
• 1 Country Inn & Suites.
• 2 Park Plaza hotels.
• 14 Radisson Hotels.
• 2 Regent Hotels (Singapore and Taipei).
• 1 Country Inn & Suites Gurgaon, India was formerly category-2 (25,000 points). Hotel reward 76% increase.
• 6 hotels formerly category-4 hotels at 40,000 points increase to 44,000 points. Hotel reward cost increase of 10%.
• 6 hotels from goldpoints plus category-5 (50,000 points) remain in Club Carlson category-5 (44,000 points). Hotel reward cost decrease of 12%.
• 3 hotels dropped from goldpoints plus category-6 (60,000 points) to Club Carlson category-5 (44,000 points). Hotel reward cost decrease of 27%.

Link: Club Carlson Hotel Category 5

Club Carlson Category 5 Hotels (March 31, 2011)

Related Posts:

Competitive Advantages of Club Carlson Hotel Rewards (April 10)

Club Carlson Hotel Rewards Category Reassignment Analysis – Overview and Category-1 (April 7)

Club Carlson Category 2 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 3 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 4 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 5 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 9)

Club Carlson Category 6 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 9)

Club Carlson Category-4 has 260 hotels. There is an increase in reward cost for almost all the category-4 hotels in the USA and Canada. The majority of hotels in Europe and the Middle East are lower reward cost now and this region benefits most from Club Carlson category-4 reassignment.

USA

• 128 hotels in 32 states.
• 80 Country Inn & Suites Hotels.
• 48 Radisson Hotels.
• 39 hotels former goldpoints plus category-2 hotels (25,000 points) are Club Carlson category-4 (38,000 points). Hotel reward cost increase of 52%.
• 78 hotels former category-3 (30,000 points) are Club Carlson category-4 (38,000 points). Hotel reward cost increase of 27%.
• 10 hotels remain in category-4 and drop to 38,000 points from 40,000 points. Hotel reward cost decrease of 5%.

Canada

• 20 hotels in 7 provinces.
• 7 Country Inn & Suites. 
• 1 Park Inn. 
• 12 Radisson Hotels.
• 7 hotels former goldpoints plus category-2 hotels (25,000 points) are Club Carlson category-4 (38,000 points). Hotel reward cost increase of 52%.
• 7 hotels former category-3 (30,000 points) are Club Carlson category-4 (38,000 points). Hotel reward cost increase of 27%.
• 6 hotels remain in category-4 and drop to 38,000 points from 40,000 points. Hotel reward cost decrease of 5%.

Caribbean, Mexico and South & Central America

• 13 hotels in six countries and Puerto Rico.
• 1 Country Inn & Suites (Panama City, Panama).
• 2 Park Suites (Brazil).
• 10 Radisson Hotels.
• 1 hotel (Radisson Royal Cali, Colombia) former goldpoints plus category-2 hotels (25,000 points) are Club Carlson category-4 (38,000 points). Hotel reward cost increase of 52%.
• 7 hotels former category-3 (30,000 points) are Club Carlson category-4 (38,000 points). Hotel reward cost increase of 27%.
•  5 hotels remain in category-4 and drop to 38,000 points from 40,000 points. Hotel reward cost decrease of 5%.

Europe, Middle East and Africa

• 90 hotels in EMEA region.
• 80 hotels in 20 countries in Europe.
• 8 hotels in Middle East. Jordan 1, Saudi Arabia 4, UAE 2, Uzbekistan 1.
• 2 hotels in Africa. South Africa 1, Tunisia 1.
• 1 Country Inn & Suites (Germany).
• 10 Park Plaza hotels.
• 36 Park Inn hotels.
• 43 Radisson Hotels.
• 1 hotel (Park Inn Uppsala, Sweden) formerly goldpoints plus category-1 hotels (15,000 points) are Club Carlson category-4 (38,000 points). Hotel reward cost increase of 153%.
• 2 hotels in Saudi Arabia formerly goldpoints plus category-2 hotels (25,000 points) are Club Carlson category-4 (38,000 points). Hotel reward cost increase of 52%.
• 22 hotels formerly category-3 (30,000 points) are Club Carlson category-4 (38,000 points). Hotel reward cost increase of 27%.
• 46 hotels remain in category-4 and drop to 38,000 points from 40,000 points. Hotel reward cost decrease of 5%.
• 15 hotels dropped from goldpoints plus category-5 (50,000 points) to Club Carlson category-4 (38,000 points). Hotel reward cost decrease of 24%.
• 2 hotels (Radisson Blu Resort, Golden Sands Malta and Radisson Blu Al Madinah, Saudi Arabia) dropped from goldpoints plus category-6 (60,000 points) to Club Carlson category-4 (38,000 points). Hotel reward cost decrease of 37%.

Asia-Pacific

• 9 hotels in six countries.
• 2 Park Plaza hotels.
• 7 Radisson Hotels.
• 7 hotels formerly category-3 (30,000 points) are Club Carlson category-4 (38,000 points). Hotel reward cost increase of 27%.
• 2 hotels remain in category-4 and drop to 38,000 points from 40,000 points. Hotel reward cost decrease of 5%.

Link: Club Carlson Hotel Category 4

Club Carlson category-4 Hotels (March 31, 2011)

Related Posts:

Competitive Advantages of Club Carlson Hotel Rewards (April 10)

Club Carlson Hotel Rewards Category Reassignment Analysis – Overview and Category-1 (April 7)

Club Carlson Category 2 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 3 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 4 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 5 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 9)

Club Carlson Category 6 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 9)

Club Carlson category-3 saw the largest growth of the six hotel reward categories with 370 hotels or about 35% of Carlson Hotels worldwide. There were 115 hotels in the USA in category-3 in GoldPoints Plus before Club Carlson and there are now 295 Category-3 hotels. A large number of formerly category-2 hotels at 25,000 points are now 28,000 points in Club Carlson category-3 for a 12% increase in reward cost. Link to Club Carlson Category-3 Hotels.

U.S. members may have seen some point devaluation on existing balances of goldpoints, but this increase in reward cost for all the new category-3 hotels is mitigated by the 33% increase in points with Country Inns & Suites and Park Inn stays now earning 20 points/$1, up from the former rate of 15 points/$1.

Europe is the points redemption reward playground where changes are rather favorable for many European hotels that decreased in reward cost with Club Carlson compared to the former goldpoints plus hotel loyalty program.

Club Carlson Hotel Reward Categories

USA Category 3 Hotels

• 295 hotels in 40 states.
• 18 hotels were formerly category-1 and increased in cost from 15,000 points per night to 28,000 points requiring 87% more points.
• 251 hotels were formerly category-2 hotels at 25,000 points and now are Club Carlson category-3 hotels at 28,000 points requiring 12% more points for a reward night.
• 23 hotels were category-3 before at 30,000 points and remain in category-3 at 28,000 points for a 7% decrease in reward night cost.
• 256 Country Inns & Suites hotels in USA.
• 39 Radisson Hotels in 25 states.

Canada Category-3 Hotels

• 7 hotels in 3 provinces.
• All were formerly category-2 at 25,000 points and are now 28,000 points.
• 5 Country Inns & Suites.
• 2 Radisson Hotels.

Mexico and South & Central America

• 6 hotels in 4 countries (Costa Rico, Mexico, Panama and Peru).
• 4 Radisson Hotels.
• 2 Country Inns & Suites (Costa Rica and Panama).
• 1 hotel formerly category-1 (Costa Rica) and increased from 15,000 to 28,000 points (87%).
• 2 hotels formerly category-2 and increased from 25,000 to 28,000 points (12%).
• 3 hotels remain at category-3 and decrease from 30,000 points to 28,000 points for a 7% decrease.

Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)

• 47 hotels in 17 countries in Europe.
• 1 Park Inn hotel Middle East (UAE).
• 3 hotels in Africa (Egypt and Tunisia).
• 3 Park Plaza hotels in Dublin, Berlin and Dresden.
• 28 Park Inn Hotels.
• 20 Radisson Blu Hotels.
• Radisson Sharm el Sheikh Egypt was formerly category-1 and increased from 15,000 to 28,000 points (87%).
• 6 Park Inn hotels in Europe rise from category-2 to category-3 and increase from 25,000 to 28,000 points (12%).
• 19 hotels were remain in category-3 and decrease from 30,000 points to 28,000 points for a 7% decrease.
• 22 hotels were formerly category-4 and dropped to category-3 for a reduction from 40,000 points to 28,000 points per night for a 30% decrease in reward cost.
• 3 hotels formerly category-5 at 50,000 points dropped to category-3 for a 44% decrease in reward cost.

Asia and Pacific

• 11 hotels in four countries (China, India, Philippines, Thailand)
• 3 Country Inns & Suites (India)
• 1 Park Inn (India)
• 1 Park Plaza (Bangkok Thailand)
• 6 Radisson Hotels.
• 1 hotel (Ghaziabad, India) was formerly category-1 and increased from 15,000 to 28,000 points (87%).
• 3 hotels were formerly category-2 to category-3 and increased from 25,000 to 28,000 points (12%).
• 22 hotels were formerly category-4 and dropped to category-3 for a reduction from 40,000 points to 28,000 points per night for a 30% decrease in reward cost.
• 1 hotel was formerly category-5 (Pune, India) and drops from 50,000 points to 28,000 points for a 44% decrease in reward cost.

Club Carlson Category-3 Hotels (March 31, 2011)

Related Posts:

Competitive Advantages of Club Carlson Hotel Rewards (April 10)

Club Carlson Hotel Rewards Category Reassignment Analysis – Overview and Category-1 (April 7)

Club Carlson Category 2 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 3 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 4 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 5 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 9)

Club Carlson Category 6 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 9)

There are 168 hotels in Club Carlson Category-2 hotel rewards list. Category-2 hotels were the largest segment of Carlson Hotels in Goldpoints Plus with 433 hotels or about 40% of 1,070 properties globally. One of the greatest shifts in Club Carlson hotel reward category assignment was the movement of hotels out of category 2 to higher categories. Club Carlson category 2 Hotels.

Of 377 hotels in the USA in category 2 prior to Club Carlson’s March 31 launch, there are 127 hotels remaining in category 2. Only 3 hotels dropped from category-2 to category-1 in Club Carlson. The other 247 hotels that were category-2 in goldpoints plus now cost more points for a reward night in Club Carlson. There are 2 hotels in Canada with Club Carlson category 2, down from 16 hotels in goldpoints plus.

The hotels currently in category 2 provide some of the best values in Club Carlson. Hotels formerly in category 2 that remain in Club Carlson category 2 have dropped in cost from 25,000 points to 15,000 points, a 40% reduction in reward night cost.

USA Category-2 Hotels

• 127 hotels in Club Carlson category-2 compared to 377 hotels in USA before Club Carlson changes.
• 28 states have category-2 hotels.
• 111 Country Inns and Suites
• 13 Radisson Hotels
• 1 Park Plaza (Bloomington, Minnesota)
• 2 Park Inns (Harrisburg West, Pennsylvania; Toledo, Ohio.)
• No hotels dropped to category-2 from a higher category. (See Europe changes.)
• 53 hotels were formerly category-1 at 15,000 points in goldpoints plus. Hotel reward cost remains the same at 15,000 points for category-2 hotel reward in Club Carlson.
• 74 hotels were formerly category-2 at 25,000 points in goldpoints plus. These hotels now require 40% fewer points as Club Carlson category-2 rewards at 15,000 points per night.

Canada Category-2 Hotels

• 2 hotels in Club Carlson category-2 compared to 16 hotels in Canada before changes.
• 2 Park Inns
• Both hotels were category-1 before and there is no change in reward cost.

Mexico, Central & South America Category-2 Hotels

• 8 hotels in Club Carlson category 2 compared to 8 hotels before changes, but only 4 hotels are same. 
• 6 different countries. 
• 3 hotels were formerly category 1 and see no change in reward points.
• Radisson Colon 2000 Resort & Casino Panama City was formerly category-3 at 30,000 points and dropped 50% to Club Carlson category-2 at 15,000 points.

Europe, Middle East and Africa Category-2 Hotels

• 21 hotels in Club Carlson category-2 and there were 22 hotels formerly.
• 19 of the 21 hotels were higher category hotels in goldpoints plus.
• 10 different countries in Europe plus Egypt.
• 12 hotels dropped from goldpoints category-3 (30,000 points) to Club Carlson category-2 (15,000 points) for a 50% reduction in reward cost.
• 6 hotels dropped from goldpoints category-4 (40,000 points) to Club Carlson category-2 (15,000 points) for a 63% reduction in reward cost.
• 1 hotel, Park Inn Island Reykjavik, dropped from goldpoints category-5 (50,000 points) to Club Carlson category-2 (15,000 points) for a 70% reduction in reward cost.

Asia-Pacific Category-2 Hotels

• 10 hotels in China, India, Nepal and Thailand
• 3 hotels were formerly category-1 and no change in reward cost at 15,000 points.
• 5 hotels were formerly category-2 (25,000 points) and reward cost dropped 40%.
• 2 hotels were formerly category-3 (30,000 points) and reward cost dropped 50%.

Related Loyalty traveler posts:

Competitive Advantages of Club Carlson Hotel Rewards (April 10)

Club Carlson Hotel Rewards Category Reassignment Analysis – Overview and Category-1 (April 7)

Club Carlson Category 2 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 3 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 4 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 5 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 9)

Club Carlson Category 6 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 9)

Club Carlson replaced goldpoints plus on March 31, 2011 as the hotel loyalty program for Carlson Hotels which consists of Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn and Country Inns & Suites hotel brands.

There was a significant shift in the hotel reward category assignments for U.S. properties. Most U.S. hotels were reassigned to a higher category and increased in points cost for a free night reward despite a reduction in the points required for a free night in each of the six categories of hotel rewards. 395 of 587 hotels in U.S. cost more for a reward night while 134 hotels decreased in reward night cost. 

In Europe and internationally the changes are substantially more favorable with a number of hotels decreasing in category and points cost per night in the new Club Carlson hotel reward category assignments. Europe, Middle East and Africa saw 271 hotels of 349 hotels dropping in cost and only 54 hotels rising in reward night cost.

Asia and Pacific hotels overall saw a decrease in hotel reward night cost.

Loyalty Traveler presents a detailed analysis of the hotel reward category changes in Club Carlson from the former goldpoints plus program and the impact on the cost in points for a free night in different regions of the world.

These reward category hotel assignment changes will be covered in a series of posts due to the length of this analysis.

Club Carlson unifies the Earn Rate Differentials

Goldpoints plus was often called the Radisson Hotel program (FlyerTalk) when in fact midscale hotel brand Country Inns & Suites is the largest brand by number of hotels in the Carlson Hotels family. Country Inns & Suites are predominantly in the U.S. and Canada (475 hotels) along with about 120 upscale Radisson Hotels. USA hotels comprise about 55% of the global properties of 1,070 Carlson Hotels in 77 countries. Carlson Hotels plans to grow to 1,500 hotels by 2015.

Club Carlson has a globally uniform earn rate at 20 points per U.S. dollar for all hotel brands in the 1,070 properties of Carlson Hotels. This program change eliminates the split personality aspect of the former goldpoints plus loyalty program where hotel stays had different earn rates depending on the location and brand of the Carlson hotel.

In the former goldpoints plus loyalty program, hotels in Europe, Africa and the Middle East earned 20 points per Euro for Radisson and Park Plaza hotels stays and 15 points per Euro at Park Inn and Country Inns & Suites . Hotel stays in the Americas and Asia-Pacific earned 20 points per U.S. dollar for Radisson and Park Plaza and 15 points per dollar for Country Inns & Suites and Park Inn.

The change in earn rate to 20 points/US$1 for all hotel stays globally benefits members in all areas.

Currently over 95% of the 500+ Country Inns & Suites are located in North America. Club Carlson members now earn 33% more points per US dollar in hotel spend at Country Inn and Park Inn brands. A Club Carlson member who earned 1,500 points for a $100 Country Inn stay last week earns 2,000 points for the same spend this week.

The majority of Park Inn locations are in Europe and the change to 20 points per dollar is a 33% increase along with a present-day currency factor of 1.40 US dollars per Euro. A member staying at a 100€ per night Park Inn last week earned 1,500 goldpoints in the former program and now with Club Carlson the same 100€ stay earns about 2,800 points, dependent on currency conversion rates. That is an 87% increase, so international members should keep this in mind if feeling slighted about the Club Carlson CWT Vacation rewards and Club Med options being restricted to U.S. and Canada residents at the present time.

Hotels in some countries, specifically the USA, see rises in the number of points required for a free night and hotels in other countries, particularly places in Europe see the cost of a free night fall to new lows.

Category 1 Hotels

There were 131 hotels assigned to Category-1 in goldpoints plus. Club Carlson reduced the cost of a reward night in Category-1 from 15,000 points per night down to 9,000 points per night, a 40% reduction in reward cost, yet also reduced the number of hotels assigned to category-1 from 131 to 51 hotels.

Category-1 hotel global distribution of 51 hotels.

• USA = 24 hotels
• Canada = 0 hotels
• Mexico = 3 hotels
• Europe = 14 hotels
• Egypt = 3 hotels
• China = 1 hotel
• India = 6 hotels

Earning 9,000 points for a category-1 hotel reward night takes only $450 in hotel spend for a general member, making Club Carlson the lowest spend to standard reward cost ratio among hotel loyalty programs. Club Carlson Concierge level members earn a 75% elite bonus and the cost of a free night requires only $257 in spend. Concierge elite requires 75 nights or 30 stays in a calendar year.

For comparison, HHonors Points & Points is the next lowest program with an earn rate at 15 points/$1 requiring $500 in spend to earn a 7,500 points category 1 reward night. Marriott Rewards requires $750 in spend for a category 1 reward night at 7,500 points. Keep in mind that the cost of a reward does not have a correlation to the number of hotels assigned to that reward category. For example, Hilton has about 40 hotels or only around 1% of its 3,600 hotels in category 1, whereas Club Carlson has 51 hotels in category 1 for nearly 5% of its global hotels. Marriott Rewards has about 250 hotels in category 1 or about 7% of its global hotels.

USA Hotels overwhelmingly reassigned to higher reward category in Club Carlson.

USA Category 1 Hotels

• 24 hotels in USA are Club Carlson category 1 hotels.
• Only 19 hotels of 107 hotels in the U.S. in category 1 last week remain in category 1.
• Only 3 hotels in the USA dropped from goldpoints plus category-2 to Club Carlson category-1.
• Over 50 hotels formerly category-1 increased to Club Carlson Category 2 and are still 15,000 points for a reward night in Club Carlson for no change in points required for a free night.
• About 20 hotels that were goldpoints plus category 1 increased to category 3 and currently cost 28,000 points compared to 15,000 points last week; an 87% increase in reward night cost.

Europe, Africa and Middle East (EMEA) Category 1 Hotels

• There are 17 hotels in Club Carlson hotel reward category-1. Europe sees a rise from 3 hotels formerly in category-1 to 14 hotels. Europe only had three category-1 hotels before Club Carlson and all were in Sweden. 
• Two of the Sweden hotels are now category-5 hotels and increased from 15,000 points to 44,000 points per night (193% increase) and one hotel is category-4 at 38,000 points (153% increase).
• The other three former category-1 hotels were in Egypt and two of these hotels remain at category-1 and Radisson Blu Resort Sharm el Sheikh was reassigned to category 3 and increased from 15,000 to 28,000 points per night.
• 14 hotels in Europe and one in Egypt were reassigned to category 1 in Club Carlson from the former Goldpoints Plus category-2 (7), Category-3 (6), and Category-4 (2). This is a dramatic reduction in the cost for a hotel reward night at these hotels.
• Park Inn Pribaltiyskaya St. Petersburg and Radisson Blu Alexandria Egypt dropped from category-4 at 40,000 points per night to category-1 at 9,000 points per night for a 72% reduction in cost. Four nights at these hotels are less than the cost of one night last week.
• 6 hotels in Europe dropped from category-3 (30,000 points per night in goldpoints plus) to Club Carlson category-1 at 9,000 points for a 70% decrease in reward night cost.

Club Carlson Category 1 Hotels and Former Category Assignment

Yellow-fill cells with no 2010 category were not listed on the Goldpoints Plus website in February 2011 when data was acquired.  (Click on image to open full size in separate window).

Links will be added to this post as more analyses are added to the Club Carlson hotel reward category reassignments.

Related Posts:

Club Carlson Hotel Rewards Category Reassignment Analysis – Overview and Category-1 (April 7)

Club Carlson Category 2 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 3 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 4 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 8 )

Club Carlson Category 5 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 9)

Club Carlson Category 6 Hotel Rewards Analysis (April 9)

Competitive Advantages of Club Carlson Hotel Rewards (April 10)

Club Carlson launches March 31, 2011 and celebrates with a new promotion: ‘Stay Twice, Earn a Free Night’ for hotel stays from April 15 - June 15. There is a limit of one free night earned during promotion period. Free night may be redeemed worldwide through December 31, 2011.

Book qualifying stays beginning March 31 through June 15.

Promotion registration is required at www.clubcarlson.com/freenight.

Club Carlson has 1,070 hotels in 77 countries. Club Carlson hotel brands include Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn and Country Inns & Suites.

To support the launch of Club Carlson, Carlson is offering a “Stay Twice, Earn a Free Night” offer at any of its more than 1,000 branded hotels worldwide – including Radisson®, Country Inns & Suites by CarlsonSM, Park Inn by Radisson and Park Plaza® hotels. Existing and newly enrolled members who register and then stay twice at a Carlson property during the promotional period between April 15 and June 15 can earn a free night’s stay to use by December 31, 2011..

For more information about the new Club Carlson program or the Stay Twice, Earn a Free Night offer, visit www.clubcarlson.com, and its new social sites, clubcarlson/facebook and clubcarlson/twitter, beginning March 31, 2011. To qualify for the offer, members must register at www.clubcarlson.com/freenight and book qualifying stays between March 31 and June 15, 2011, for stays between April 15 and June 15, 2011. 

Club Carlson Press Release

I am disappointed Club Carlson did not release the hotel reward category assignment changes prior to these changes taking effect tomorrow. The changes do not impact the high category rewards all that much, but many low category hotels today will require more points in the new system with the reassignments.

Club Carlson would have been the trump card in this 2011-Q2 round of hotel loyalty promotions if this promotion were not limited to just one free night.

The main question on my mind is whether there is an earning limit on free nights? Tomorrow we’ll know the promotion details.

Related Posts:

Club Carlson new loyalty program replaces goldpoints plus on March 31.

These Loyalty Traveler posts describe changes with Club Carlson: 

 Club Carlson Loyalty program Launches March 31 – Replaces goldpoints plus (Feb 14)

 Club Carlson Reward Category Changes March 31, 2011 (Feb 18)

 Club Carlson Hotel Reward Category Analysis (Feb 28) This post shows the number of hotels in each category and changes from 2010 level for different global regions.

Club Med resort credit for goldpoints. $100, $250 and $500 credit. Loyalty Traveler analysis March 10.

Carlson Hotels goldpoints may be used for Club Med credit by US and Canada resident members for 80 ClubMed resorts worldwide. There are three redemption options and only one credit may be applied to a single reservation from March 1, 2011 to February 29, 2012.

Link: http://www.goldpointsplus.com/clubmed

• $100 credit = 38,000 points (requires 2 night minimum stay)
• $250 credit = 94,000 points (requires 3 night minimum stay)
• $500 credit = 188,000 points (requires 4 night minimum stay)

This transaction cannot be done online.

Booking a Club Med package with goldpoints credit

• Find package at ClubMed.com
• Book your reservation at 800-250-3964.
• Receive a ClubMed file number.
• Call goldpoints plus Member Service Center at 888-288-8889 to redeem goldpoints toward your Club Med reservation.
• You will receive an email from ClubMed within 5 days showing the credit adjustment to your reservation cost.

Cancellation policy for goldpoints:

If a cancellation for a Club Med vacation purchase occurs 60 days or more prior to departure, 100% of the Gold Points redeemed will be refunded to the member’s account. 

If cancellation occurs 30-59 days prior to departure, 50% of the Gold Points redeemed will be refunded. 

Gold Points will not be refunded for cancellations made 0-29 days prior to departure. 

Refunded Gold Points will appear in Member’s account within seven days of the reservation cancellation. 

The other term that may limit the goldpoints redemption credit value is eligible rates for using the credit: “The Club Med credit may not be combined or used in conjunction with other credits, certificates, other promotional offers, travel industry discounts, tour rates, or any other special discounts or promotional rates.”

Goldpoints plus ClubMed FAQ

Loyalty Traveler Analysis:

$500 credit for 188,000 points is a good chunk of change. In my opinion the points are more valuable when used for Carlson Hotels free nights.

For example, Radisson Aruba Resort is a category 6 hotel reward. This hotel will be only 50,000 points per night when the Club Carlson changes take effect at the end of March.

A 4-night stay at the Aruba Resort from April 4 to April 8 using the 2011 Winter 50% off Sale rate for a garden view room is $1,436 value after tax. This is the likely room category for a nonelite member redeeming 200,000 points on a four night stay at the Radisson Aruba.

Category 6 Radisson Aruba Resort is a $7.18 per 1,000 points value using 200,000 points compared to $2.66 per 1,000 points value for a $500 Club Med credit using 188,000 points.

Bottom line: You will generally get significantly higher value using your goldpoints for hotel rewards at Radisson, Regent, Park Plaza, Park Inn and Country Inn & Suites properties rather than Club Med credit.