Club Carlson offers 2-for-1 and 4-for-2 paid night weekend special rates at hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for members with Gold elite status (35 nights or 20 stays in a calendar year).

EMEA – 2 for 1 generally requires arrival Thursday, Friday or Saturday night.

http://www.clubcarlson.com/2for1

EMEA – 4 for 2 generally requires arrival Wednesday or Thursday night.

http://www.clubcarlson.com/4for2

Basic Rules for these discount rates:

• Must book 2 days in advance.
• Guest must present Club Carlson Gold Tier card at check-in.
• Maximum 2 rooms per ID and Gold member must be one of the guests.
• Rates earn Gold Points.
• Flexible hotel cancellation policies, up to day of arrival with no penalty.

Read More…

Club Carlson launches the best promotional offer so far in 2012 with triple points on all hotel stays worldwide from January 10 to March 16, 2012. Club Carlson members normally earn 20 points per dollar at all 1,070 Carlson Hotels worldwide in brands including Radisson and Radisson Blu, Country Inn & Suites, Park Plaza and Park Inn.

Club Carlson Triple Points promotion registration is required.

Two terms of this offer make the Club Carlson  triple points offer so much better than the current Starwood double and triple points promotion. The main problem with the SPG offer is there are no bonus points for one night Starwood Hotel stays and triple points applies only to stays of three nights or more at Starwood Hotels. There are also about 300 Starwood Hotels globally not participating in the SPG offer.

Club Carlson offers the triple points bonus on any paid stay at any hotel worldwide on any number of nights.

Kudos to Club Carlson promotion rollout

I want to commend the rollout of this offer compared to November’s Radisson 50,000 points promotion launch. This offer is announced with the registration page ready for member enrollment. Starwood Preferred Guest really screwed up their triple points promotion launch with the page being available for registration after it had been publicized across several blogs and then disappearing again without even a message on the website to state why the link didn’t work.

A global promotion with no excluded hotels is another reason to like this Club Carlson promotion. Since last year I feel like I am punished as a loyalty member of Hilton HHonors and Starwood Preferred Guest with the number of hotels in the San Francisco Bay Area opting out of global promotions.

And finally, it appears Club Carlson picked up a valuable customer service tactic with the promotion registration confirmation page appearing upon registration for this triple points offer.

Registration Confirmation for Club Carlson Triple Points promotion 2012

The future’s so bright, gotta wear shades.

Club Carlson is less than a year old as a hotel loyalty program. Carlson Hotels are about to start year 3 of a five year plan called Ambition 2015 with the goal of making Carlson Hotels a globally recognized major player in the hotel industry. Club Carlson loyalty program promotions have been one nice deal after another. Club Carlson may just fill the void while the other hotel loyalty programs appear to pull back in 2012 on their bonus offers for hotel stays. Double points with Priority Club or triple points with SPG or two free low category hotel nights with Marriott are not particularly lucrative bonuses. And Priority Club is about to raise the price of reward nights at 25% of its hotels around the world.

Club Carlson leading the way with hotel rewards

One measure to consider when comparing hotel loyalty programs is the cost of reward nights. Hotel loyalty programs earn points at different rates with SPG earning 2 points per dollar, Hyatt Gold Passport earns 5 points per dollar, Hilton HHonors, IHG Priority Club and Marriott Rewards earn 10 points per dollar and Club Carlson earns 20 points per dollar.

Club Carlson has the fastest earning rate for free nights when the amount of spend is compared to the cost of hotel reward nights across the major hotel loyalty programs. A good promotion makes that gap even more favorable for Club Carlson.

Club Carlson has a top category hotel reward of 50,000 points per night. This is equivalent to $2,500 in hotel spend to earn 50,000 points. Elite status, loyalty promotions like triple points, and Club Carlson’s online booking bonus lower the $2,500 in spend needed to earn a free category-6 reward night.

Hotel Spend needed to earn base points for high category reward night

• Club Carlson Category-6 = 50,000 points = $2,500 hotel spend.
• Hilton HHonors Category-7 = 50,000 points = $3,333 hotel spend.
• Marriott Rewards Category-8 = 40,000 points = $4,000 hotel spend.
• Hyatt Gold Passport Category-6 = 22,000 points = $4,400 hotel spend.
• IHG Priority Club InterContinental Hotel high tier = 50,000 points = $5,000 hotel spend.
• SPG Category-5 = 12,000 points = $6,000 hotel spend.
• SPG Category-6 = 20,000 points = $10,000 hotel spend.

Elite status and hotel loyalty promotions reduce these amounts of spend.

Comparison of SPG and Club Carlson triple points promotions

Starwood triple points is 6 points per dollar for hotel stays. Club Carlson triple points means 60 points per dollar.

The number of points earned in a hotel loyalty program is only relevant to the cost of reward nights in that program. SPG is a good earning program for the category 1, 2 and 3 hotels on reward nights using points and Cash & Points stays where the cost of hotel night is 1,200 to 7,000 points. A person spending $1,000 can expect to earn 7,000 points or more as a Gold member on a triple points stay.

The higher SPG reward categories make redemption options prohibitively expensive for most members earning points primarily through Starwood Hotel stays. Low season category-6 hotels at 20,000 points will require more than $3,000 in spend to earn the points for one free night even with triple points bonus.

Low-season SPG category-5 hotel rewards at 12,000 points comparison to Club Carlson Category-6 hotels at 50,000 points.

• 5-night stay at Starwood Hotel at $200/night earns 6,000 points (3x points) + 1,000 Gold elite bonus points = 7,000 points.
• 5-night stay at Radisson Hotel at $200/night earns 60,000 points (3x points) + 10,000 Gold elite bonus points = 70,000 points.

7,000 SPG points can buy:

• Category-4 hotel Cash & Points Reward night for $60 + 4,000 points.
• Category-3 hotel Cash & Points Reward night for $45 + 2,800 points.

or

• Category 3 reward night at 7,000 points.

These redemption options are likely around $300 rebate value for $1,000 in Starwood Hotel spend.

70,000 Club Carlson points can buy:

• Category 6 reward night (50,000 points) and one category 2 reward night (15,000 points). These redemptions are likely $300 to $500 value depending on hotels.

The difference in promotions is not that great for $1,000 in hotel spend on an extended stay at Starwood or Radisson Blu.

One Night Stays make a difference

A person making frequent one night stays has a lucrative Club Carlson option for earning points. Spend $1,000 on ten Club Carlson Hotel 1-night stays in the U.S. and earn 60,000 bonus points and 10,000 online booking bonus points and Silver elite status for 25% bonus points on all stays through 2013.

SPG members making ten 1-night stays earn Gold elite through 2013, but no promotional bonus points during the double/triple points promotion over the next three months. 2,000 Starpoints after $1,000 in spend is not too exciting and not all that valuable. SPG category-1 hotel weekend nights are a cheap 2,000 points, but really, are you in that neighborhood for a free Friday or Saturday night?

In general, I am not big on spend-based promotions for double points or triple points. My goal is to not spend a lot of money at hotels while staying frequently. Club Carlson’s triple points promotion is a good offer for someone seeking elite status for the next two years (Silver elite after 10 stays or 15 nights). There are good Radisson Blu hotels around the world and hundreds of Country Inn & Suites when road tripping around the USA. This is a good time to invest some stays in Club Carlson and earn more free nights while triple point bonuses combine with the fastest earning free nights among hotel loyalty programs.

Club Carlson Triple Points Registration Page.

Club Carlson Hotel Rewards.

Post-shower post script Jan 11 10:35am Pacific: I received a comment that my ratings are too lenient lately. Club Carlson Triple points is more of a 4-star promotion in and of itself. The 5-star aspect of Club Carlson for this time period is multiple high value promotions following one after another. Earning 50,000+ points in November-December with the Radisson Big Night Giveaway along with 50% off Europe hotel rewards in late 2011 and reward night 9,000 points redemption rebate per stay through the end of January 2012, easy elite status match when most hotel programs are getting more restrictive, and to top it off, members earn online booking bonuses of 1,000 to 3,000 points.

The Club Carlson credit card is coming so take advantage of the giveaways while the earning is good.

My wife started 16 days of holiday vacation Saturday and our first outing was a parent gift to see comedian Wayne Brady at the Improv in San Jose. No better excuse for a hotel stay and Kelley needed her Radisson Big Night Giveaway stay for 50,000 points with a Radisson hotel stay by December 30, 2011. I booked her into the Radisson San Jose Airport for Saturday night.

Rates at the airport were as low as $75.60 for AAA Sleep Number bed, but for $99 we could have a one bedroom suite and for $114 a one bedroom suite with jacuzzi tub.

So I went all in and booked the full suite with jacuzzi tub. We planned on meeting friends for the comedy show and space to let the teachers get loose seemed like a grand plan for an apres-theater party.

Radisson San Jose Airport SJC

Radisson San Jose Airport (SJC)

The hotel has free shuttle for the airport and is located along a stretch of road between Highway 101 and the airport with several other midscale hotel brands.

Read More…

Thanksgiving week I stayed at Radisson Santa Maria Airport for one night on a $107 AAA rate for an upgraded room.

Radisson Santa Maria Airport atrium lobby and cafe.

This was my qualifying stay for the RadissonBigNightGiveaway.com promotion offering 50,000 bonus points for one stay at a Radisson Hotel in U.S., Canada or Caribbean by December 30, 2011.

Radisson Santa Maria grand piano and wall fountain with lobby seating.

50,000 points posted to my Club Carlson account last week.

Radisson Santa Maria breakfast cafe in lobby.

Radisson Santa Maria Airport breakfast eggs.

Radisson Santa Maria Airport breakfast pancakes.

50,000 points are sufficient for one night at any Carlson Hotel globally. We still need to have another stay for my wife to earn her 50,000 points. My parents completed a stay over Thanksgiving week also at the Radisson Suites Buena Park near Disneyland. We both enjoyed our hotel stays.

Radisson Santa Maria Airport is truly at the airport. I didn’t hear any plane noise from our room, but the fitness center windows look directly out to small aircraft beside the hotel. The fitness room is kind of small, yet there is a sauna room.

Radisson Santa Maria Airport view.

Our hotel room was on the top 4th floor and had an outside balcony with chairs overlooking the pool area.

Radisson Santa Maria Airport pool view at night.

Radisson Santa Maria Airport pool area.

The room at Santa Maria was basic and comfortable. There was a chaise lounge and desk chair and two deck chairs on the outdoor balcony. The Best Available Rate (BAR) for Radisson Santa Maria Airport was $119 and I booked a AAA 10% discount rate for $107.10. There was a lower rate at $102, but for an extra $5 I received a top floor room with a Sleep Number bed and balcony. That was a good upgrade choice for this hotel.

Radisson Sleep Number bed.

Radisson Sleep Number bed control.

When I hit the bed I was ready for sleep. Kelley complained the bed was too hard and the Sleep Number remote was on my side of the bed. I didn’t bother to study the control options. I just reached over and pressed buttons until Kelley said the bed felt good and then I passed out.

The hotel room seemed to be comparable to a Four Points by Sheraton or Hilton Garden Inn style room. There was a desk with coffee maker for work space.

Radisson Santa Maria Airport desk area.

Radisson Santa Maria Airport chaise lounge.

Kelley and I arrived too late and left too early to try out the fine dining restaurant and bar at Vintner’s Grill. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by the accommodations and facilities at Radisson Santa Maria Airport. I highly recommend this hotel for travelers needing a hotel midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles a couple of miles off Highway 101.

Radisson signs in USA are typically underlined with green streak.

[Update Dec 8 10:11am Pacific - Note to all my readers  - I am colorblind. The photo above stated the Radisson sign has a yellow streak. The fine people at Carlson Hotels pointed out to me the color is actually green. I really am colorblind. I see color, just not the same way as most people see it. So help me out please with my disability when I mislabel colors. Thanks.]

In my post yesterday on transferring hotel points between members is the statement that Club Carlson currently has the most liberal points transfer rules of any hotel loyalty program. Basically points can be transferred between any two members.

I could spell out the possibilities for you. But I won’t. I don’t want the Club Carlson transfer rules to change.

Carlson Hotels has a 30% discount offer code 30PCTOFF for hotels in the Americas booked by December 13 for stays from December 23 through March 3, 2012.

This offer is valid for Radisson Hotels, Country Inns & Suites and Park Inn hotels in US and Mexico.

This offer has overlap with the Radisson Big Night Giveaway 50,000 points bonus for a stay at a Radisson Hotel by December 30. The Park Inn promotion for 15,000 points ends December 31 and overlaps a week when these discount rates are in effect.

[LT update Dec 2: Club Carlson extended this offer from end-date Dec 15 to December 31. Thanks to reader Kumar for pointing out the change to the promotion period in the comments of this post.]

These discount rates earn Club Carlson points and are eligible for the Radisson Big Night Giveaway bonus during the one week promotion overlap from December 23-30, 2011. The 30% discount rate only applies to standard rooms, so don’t expect big suite discounts.

Radisson Hotels 30% discount page and list of participating hotels in Americas.

Park Inn Hotels 30% discount page and list of participating hotels in US and Mexico.

Country Inns & Suites 30% discount page and list of participating hotels in Americas.

T.G.I. Friday’s loyalty program enrollment earns 1,000 Club Carlson points and 100 bonus Stripes credits.

Carlson is a family owned global company that consists of more than 900 T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants in 60 countries in addition to 1,100 Carlson Hotels.

T.G.I. Friday’s has its own loyalty program – Stripes. Enroll now and you will receive 1,000 Club Carlson Gold Points in addition to 100 Stripes credits. This offer expires December 18, 2011.

T.G.I. Fridays Stripes enrollment bonus for 1,000 Club Carlson Gold Points.

Radisson Big Night Giveaway is one of the best value hotel loyalty promotions of 2011.

The Club Carlson loyalty program offer is 50,000 Gold Points for one stay at a Radisson hotel in the U.S., Canada or Caribbean by December 30, 2011. The first 50,000 people to register for Radisson Big Night Giveaway qualify for 50,000 points. Promotion registration has been live since Thursday, November 10 and the first 50,000 registrants threshold apparently has not been reached yet since the sign-up page is supposed to change once the 50,000 points offer changes to 15,000 points for one Radisson stay.

Loyalty Traveler advice

Sign up for the Radisson Big Night Giveaway now and get in on one of the best hotel deals of the year.

50,000 points is good for one night at the highest Club Carlson hotel tier for category 6 properties around the world. Some of these hotels regularly run standard room rates over $300 per night. For example, Paris, France is one of the most expensive cities globally for an upper upscale hotel in the central city zones. There are five Radisson Blu hotels in central Paris and one hotel at each of the major airports Charles De Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY).

Radisson Blu Ambassador Hotel, Paris Opera room rate is 470 EUR on June 6, 2012.

50,000 points from this promotion can be used to stay in downtown Paris at a hotel where the lowest room rate for June 6, 2012 is 470€ or US$622 per night. One hotel night in Paris isn’t going to make much of a vacation so if you have a spouse or friend to accompany you, then both persons can sign up and earn 50,000 points from the Radisson Big Night Giveaway and earn the points for two free nights. You can even have friends sign up and pay for their $100 room night at a U.S. Radisson hotel and have them gift you free nights with their point bonuses.

Radisson Blu Ambassador Paris Opera category 6 award night = 50,000 points.

Four nights at the Radisson Blu Paris Opera for $400 is a $2,000 discount on the prevailing rates and truly makes a luxury vacation stay. And your two friends get two free hotel nights in the U.S. at your expense.

I urged my extended family to sign up for this offer. And you don’t need to be in Paris to get good value from this offer.

Since this offer is 50,000 points and not a free night, Club Carlson members also have the option to use points for longer stays with more free nights at lower category hotels or conserve points with Club Carlson Cash & Points awards.

A Category 1 hotel at 9,000 points per night will provide five free hotel nights after your one Radisson hotel stay. Radisson Hotel Orlando, Florida is a Category 1 hotel and you can get a five night stay for 45,000 points.

Radisson Hotel Orlando 5-night award stay for 45,000 points April 11-16, 2012.

Radisson Hotel Orlando may not be an aspirational hotel destination, but the ability to stay five nights in Orlando for $50 as you tour the area is certainly a great hotel option for a family budget more interested in saving money for park admission fees for the family.

Radisson Hotel Orlando 5-night paid rate is $485.38 for April 11-16, 2012.

This rate comparison for Radisson Orlando shows you can stay five nights for 45,000 points + $50 in fees or five nights for $485.38. The ability to earn 50,000 Gold Points with the current Radisson Big Night Giveaway promotion shows the points are worth over $435 for this hotel stay. You can certainly earn the 50,000 points for far less spend.

Radisson Santa Maria, California was my $107.10 qualifying stay for 50,000 points.

Review of Radisson Santa Maria Airport (link will be added once I complete this hotel review post)

The high value of the Radisson Big Night Giveaway is a combination of the ability to earn 50,000 points with a Radisson stay of just one night and the flexibility of redemption options from earning a large points bonus rather than a free night credit.

Sign up quickly. I am surprised to see the offer has not reached 50,000 registrants yet. This is a great hotel loyalty program opportunity for big hotel savings with Club Carlson.

Related Loyalty Traveler posts:

Radisson 50,000 points promotion revisited and clarified (November 7, 2011)

www.radissonbignightgiveaway.com registration page for 50,000 points

Update: Sunday, November 27 – 9:00am California time. 

Just as I posted this piece I see from several BoardingArea posts there is a new Club Carlson offer for 9,000 points for each award stay redeemed from December 1, 2011 to January 31, 2012 at any Carlson Hotel worldwide. The bonus may be earned up to five times for 45,000 bonus points. This is valid at all brands including Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn and Country Inn & Suites. I’ll write up a full post on this new offer in the next 24 hours.

All the more reason to sign up for the 50,000 bonus points Radisson stay offer ASAP. This offer won’t last much longer now before it changes to 15,000 bonus points.

Earn 9,000 bonus points with a Club Carlson award stay Dec 1-Jan 31, 2012

Club Carlson for Business recently launched for small to medium size businesses. This hotel loyalty program for businesses offers the ability to register with Club Carlson as a business partner and receive a 5% discount on standard rates at Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn and Country Inns & Suites hotels globally. In addition to discount rates the business account bookings earn 10 points per dollar when made through Carlson Hotels websites.

The best part of Club Carlson for Business is the employee guest staying in the hotel room still earns 20 points/US$1 in a personal Club Carlson account for stays booked through Club Carlson Business account.

Club Carlson Business Qualification

Must be a company with a government issued Tax ID number from one of the following countries:

• US
• Canada
• Australia
• Brazil
• China
• Denmark
• France
• Germany
• India
• Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Russia
• Singapore
• Sweden
• UK

More countries are anticipated to join in the future.

The Club Carlson for Business program is open to companies that do not currently have an existing Preferred Corporate Rate (PCR) with Carlson Hotels.

Club Carlson for Business Enrollment Request form.

Frequently Asked Questions.

This seems to be a great deal for a small business with frequent travelers. A company with $10,000 in hotel travel among a few employees staying at Carlson Hotels can pull in 100,000 points for a company account. That is 2 to 10 nights worth of points with Club Carlson Hotel rewards.

And if you are a frequent traveler for your own business then Club Carlson for Business can mean a potential 30 points per dollar for Carlson Hotel stays. You will find that to be the fastest earning free hotel nights of any hotel loyalty program.

You need to spend only  $1,667 to earn 50,000 points when earning 30 points per US$1. Promotion bonus points and elite status reduce that spend even more. Club Carlson for Business looks like a rewarding way to faster points.

The Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago sponsored a press tour of the hotel facilities and rooms for U.S. journalists on November 14-15, 2011 two weeks after opening to the public on November 1. I had the opportunity to stay three nights at the hotel and eat at Filini Restaurant one evening. This post offers photos and commentary on the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel. My stay was sponsored by the Radisson Blu Aqua hotel and Carlson Hotels.

Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago location

Radisson Blu Aqua is located at 221 North Columbus Drive, Chicago. The Fairmont Millennium Hotel is across the street. Hyatt Regency Chicago, Swissotel Chicago and Sheraton Chicago Towers are other hotels in the vicinity.

The hotel is conveniently located for walking access to Navy Pier, the Chicago River and Michigan Avenue Magnificent Mile to the north and the Art Institue of Chicago, Millennium Park and Grant Park, and the Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium and Soldier Field, the Chicago Bears football stadium two miles south of the hotel via lakeshore park paths.

Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago Rooms

There are 334 guest rooms, 15 King Suites and two specialty suites with Lakeshore and Millennium Park Suites. I visited six or so rooms at the hotel during my stay. Every room had some different features with some rooms having a balcony patio, bathtub, or couch while other rooms did not have one or more of these features.

Swedish designer Christian Lundwall created two distinct room styles with “Naturally Cool” and “Mansion House”.

The room I stayed was the Naturally Cool design and there are detailed photos of a corner room with balcony in my post “Guest Room #604 at Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago“.

Mansion House room style

The main difference I saw with the Mansion House room is blue carpeting. The Naturally Cool room where I stayed had no carpeting.

Mansion House style rooms have blue carpeting.

Desk in Mansion House style double bed room.

There are 15 King Suites and the Naturally Cool style King Suite room #508 offered a couch and balcony.

King Suite 508 Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago.

King Suite #508 - bed with dramatic paper art.

The King Suite had a fancier coffee maker than the standard room where I stayed.

The fancy coffee machine in the King Suite Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago.

Loyalty Traveler Tip: I learned the hotel offers a complimentary  espresso bar from 5:30-6:30 am in the lobby at the Martini bar for early rising guests who need to leave the hotel prior to the Filini Restaurant opening. There were granola bars and fruit for quick munchies to go with your morning jolt of caffeine.

Complimentary breakfast bar 5:30-6:30am at Martini Bar in lobby.

Lakeshore Suite

I had the opportunity to see the unfinished southeast corner Lakeshore Suite room #1424. My photos show a large leather couch, bar, dining table and bedroom with a full bathroom and a toilet/sink room. The room was under construction so my photos are not published here. I had one photo of a wall hanging and lighting fixture the hotel managers probably don’t mind me revealing.

Lakeshore Suite wall photo - Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago.

The views from the 14th floor Lakeshore Suite balcony offered glimpses of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River.

Lakeshore Suite view of Chicago River, Navy Pier and Lake Michigan.

There is a large green space with the 80,000 square feet 3rd floor green roof terrace of the Aqua Tower where there is an outdoor pool, BBQ grills, jogging path and garden. Adjacent to the Aqua Tower is a large park surrounded by residential and business units. There are several fine dining restaurants and a newly opened Marioano’s Fresh Market grocery store surrounding this urban green space.

Park View from Lakeshore Suite 1424 balcony Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago.

The Business Class club lounge is located on Floor 17 of the hotel. The top two floors of the hotel (17-18) are the Business Class floors. I was allowed to visit the Business Class lounge, but it was under feverish construction and dusty so no photos of the space. I can tell you it is on the south facing wall and has a view from the lounge similar to the views in the previous photo and the next photo.

Millennium Park view from Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago.

Indoor Pool and Outdoor Terrace on 3rd Floor

Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel has outdoor pools and 25 meter indoor lap pool and spa tub. The outdoor pools on the 3rd floor terrace are closed for the winter months.

Indoor lap pool Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago.

Indoor spa tub in 3rd floor pool area Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago.

Outdoor Terrace

There are men’s and women’s locker rooms with showers between the indoor pool area and the door access to the outside pools. The 3rd floor terrace has a padded jogging path that winds entirely around the circumference of the hotel property.

Outdoor pool deck at Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago.

The running/walking path is 1/5 mile in length and circles the hotel building on the 3rd floor outdoor terrace.

Padded path encircles Radisson Blu Aqua Tower with 1/5 mile loop.

There was little activity on the outdoor deck when I took these photos while the morning temperature was in the 30s. Nice weather probably brings more action.

Third floor outdoor terrace has grills, firepit, gardens and space to move.

Outdoor terrace firepit on 3rd floor Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago.

A stairway connects the outdoor terrace to the second floor fitness room. The fitness room is a shared facility between hotel guests and the Aqua Tower residents living above the 18th floor. This is the largest fitness center I recall seeing in a hotel.

Fitness Center Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago.

Basketball court in Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago fitness center.

Fitness Center in Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago.

Sauna, steam room and game room

Adjacent to the fitness center are locker rooms with showers, steam room and sauna room and two private massage rooms.

Sauna and steam rooms at Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago.

The game room contained a pool table and card table with TV.

2nd floor game room pool table.

Game room card table 2nd floor Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel.

There is also a public space with microwave and seating between the game room and fitness center. A media room was used for small group presentations during my press tour.

Community space on 2nd floor between game room and fitness center.

Two presentations were provided to the U.S. press invited on the media tour and I had two visits to the media room; a nice place to have a glass of champagne and watch a slideshow or film.

Media Room 2nd floor Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago.

I’ll end this post with two photos from Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago press kit of the Filini Bar space and the Aqua Tower. I’ll follow-up with a separate post on the Radisson Blu Aqua to cover convention public spaces and Filini Restaurant and anything else.

Filini Bistro & Bar, Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago

Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago

Aqua Tower, Chicago - Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Floors 1-18.

Radisson Big Night Giveaway

Be sure to check out the Radisson Big Night Giveaway for an opportunity to earn 50,000 points with a stay at any Radisson Hotel in the U.S. Canada or Caribbean by December 30, 2011. This is one of the highest value loyalty promotion offers of 2011. A paid stay of one night at a Radisson Hotel will qualify and 50,000 points in Club Carlson is sufficient for a free night at any Carlson hotel property worldwide or even 5 free nights at a category 1 Club Carlson hotel.

The guest rooms at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago come in two basic design styles with “Naturally Cool” and “Mansion House”. I could go all detailed with adjectives pulled from the hotel press release, but I’ll keep it simple with Naturally Cool being light colors and light wood and Mansion House being darker colors and dark wood. The pictures provide the best descriptions of the rooms.

Naturally Cool room style

Naturally Cool style guest room - photo courtesy of Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago

Mansion House Room Style

Mansion House guest room style - photo courtesy of Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago

Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel guest rooms are located on Floors 4-18 of the building. I had not looked over the hotel website prior to hotel arrival so everything I saw offered a first impression to me.

I stayed in corner room 604 for three nights. The rest of the photos here are my own pictures taken during the hotel stay. My first impression of the guest room was highly positive. I particularly liked the space and angles of my corner room  which was different from any other room I saw at the hotel when touring with a group of journalists.

Room 604 Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago

Guest room floor cityscapes as wall design for Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago.

Long narrow entry hall to room 604 contains small room closet and large safe.

The mini-bar and coffee maker in room 604 Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago.

Room 604 bathroom sliding door on right.

Room 604 bathtub at Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago.

Sliding glass door encloses either shower or toilet - not both.

Fluorescent lighting embedded in bathroom mirror.

Anne Semonin bath products at Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago.

The Bedroom

Bed in Room 604 Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago

As I have gotten older I am more fond of simplicity. The Radisson Blu Aqua room 604 had simple design with plenty of function. This bed was firm and the pillows comfortable. I am a bed snob and this bed passed the test for me.

Being the only occupant of the room made this one chair adequate. There was also a desk chair. Other rooms I saw at the hotel had a small couch. You might want to request a room with more seating if that is important for your stay.

Room 604 seating area at Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago hotel.

First thing I did was move the glass vase to the floor for my stay. The patio door leading to a wraparound balcony was behind the table and I could envision myself bumping that table and crashing the vase on the hard wood floor.

Desk and TV area of room 604 Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago.

I arrived on Sunday and I didn’t even turn on the TV until Wednesday when I thought I should see if it worked. The reception was great HDTV. There are also many guest services available through the interactive TV set. The TV allows guests to make maintenance requests, housekeeping requests, spa services, enroll in Club Carlson, check weather, shopping, entertainment, dining and other options.

The hotel tour stated there was an effort to reduce the paperwork around the hotel and information is available through the TV rather than through a traditional print guide to the hotel on the desk. The hotel is seeking LEED Silver certification as a an environmentally green building.

Interactive TV reduces printed products at Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago.

I arrived at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago at 10pm on a Sunday night. Big city lights excite me still since I have spent most of my life living in small towns like Monterey, California. Here is the night view from Room 604.

Chicago city view to Art institute of Chicago from Room 604 balcony.

One of my favorite features of the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago are balconies on many of the rooms. Once again, I suggest you request a room with a balcony if this is an important feature since not all rooms have balconies. Room 604 on the corner of the hotel had a wraparound balcony.

Room 604 balcony looking to Jay Pritzker Pavilion and Art Institute of Chicago.

I loved this balcony for room 604. Millennium Park with the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (Hyatt Hotels family) where concerts are held in summer and the Art Institute of Chicago just two blocks away. The location of the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago is great for a tourist interested in the museums and parks.

[Loyalty Traveler note: There was actually text in between all the pictures when I created this post, but the text was deleted in the final post. There is a way to get it back by finding an earlier version of this post. Perhaps I'll try and figure that out later. Enjoy the pictures.]

Loyalty Traveler disclosure: My stay at the Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago included three complimentary hotel nights and free meals while attending a Nov 14-15 U.S. media press tour of the hotel. Airfare from San Francisco to Chicago was also provided complimentary for the trip.

The opening of Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago on November 1, 2011 marks the debut of the Radisson Blu brand in the U.S. Loyalty Traveler was invited to attend the U.S. press media tour November 14-15, 2011 with complimentary airfare from San Francisco to Chicago and a three night stay at the hotel.

Take the CTA Blu Train from O’Hare to downtown Chicago (when you don’t have a car service waiting for you).

On top of paying for my flight and hotel room, this trip included airport transportation from O’Hare directly to the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel. Being the investigative hotel blogger that I am, and the fact that I overlooked the email last week notifying me there would be a car waiting at the airport, I rushed through the airport terminal and directly onto the CTA – Chicago Transit Authority -Blue Line train that runs between O’Hare Airport to downtown Chicago for a $2.25 ticket.

I love that airport transportation deal. Some things in the midwest are really inexpensive compared to California.

Hearing from hotel reception, Carlson PR and communications people, Radisson Blu hotel managers and my wife who said a driver at O’Hare was looking for me, I had the distinction of being reminded repeatedly over the next 24 hours as the guy who took the CTA train into downtown Chicago and walked to the hotel rather than use the private car service.

Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel on the CTA Blue Line

The advantage of traveling into Chicago by train was the opportunity to see an amazingly substantive advertisement presence throughout the CTA train and stations in Chicago.

Radisson Blu ads on the CTA Blue Line train from O'Hare to downtown Chicago.

I thought it was rather cool to see the train plastered with advertisements for the Radisson Blu hotel opening. That kind of built up my suspense to see the hotel more than having ridden into the city in a private car. I did take the private car on my return to O’Hare Airport and it was definitely a nicer transportation option.

Arriving in downtown Chicago at Clark/Lake station meant a changeover from the Blue Line to the Orange or Green lines to get just a little closer to the hotel at State/Lake station. Changing platforms revealed the extent of the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel ad campaign in the Clark/Lake station downtown Chicago.

Feel Blu – Smile. 360⁰ Chicago Smile.

Wall-to-wall advertising in CTA station for Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago.

I arrived at the hotel after about a ten minute walk from the CTA station. I had seen the Aqua building in October 2010 when I stayed at the Sheraton Chicago and I knew approximately where to find the hotel on foot.

The Radisson Blu hotel sign was a welcome sight after 10 hours of travel to get there from Monterey, California.

Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Lobby

The hotel has a blue glass covered entryway outside and doormen were always present during my stay. The reception desk is to the right inside the front door entrance.

Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago Reception Desk.

The lobby seating is directly in front of the blue entrance to the hotel. The story I heard is the hotel interior designer Jim Hamilton liked a brass metal piece he saw in Egypt and commissioned the craftsperson to build a wall of brass lattice.

Bronze lattice wall in lobby of Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago.

Here is another view of the bronze wall with 40 ft. fireplace (not on in the photo). Hotel lobby elevators are to the left of the bronze lattice near the hotel entrance.

Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago - bronze wall lattice in lobby.

The guest floors at Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago are 4-18. The indoor lap pool and a couple of meeting rooms are on Floor 3 and also access to the large outdoor deck with a pool, gardens, barbecues and a 1/5 mile jogging path circling the hotel building. Floor 2 holds one of the largest fitness rooms I’ve seen in a hotel which includes a basketball court. There are also a sauna and steam room, two private massage rooms, game room with pool table and card table, media room and business center on Floor 2.

Fitness room of Radisson Blu Aqua includes a basketball court.

The Aqua Tower is a mixed use complex with the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel on the first 18 floors and CVS Pharmacy on the ground floor adjacent to the hotel. The remaining floors in the Aqua Tower are residential and the large 80,000 square feet of outdoor deck with pool, gardens, fire pit and jogging path are the rooftop over the Radisson Blu Aqua conference center and CVS pharmacy.

The outdoor deck provides urban green views for Aqua tower hotel guests and residents.

80,000 sq ft. outdoor deck of Aqua Tower/Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel.

Here is what the property looks like from street level.

Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago showing lower 18 floors Aqua Tower.

I checked into my “Naturally Cool” room and felt like I had stepped into a Scandinavian designed room. My press kit states the room design was developed by Swedish designer Christian Lundwall. The room decor had an upscale IKEA look. I saw about six hotel rooms during my stay and they all looked different in layout with some common pieces of interior furnishing.

I’ll cover the rooms in a separate post to follow.

Room 604 Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago

I felt like a beer after ten hours of travel and a quick self-guided tour of the hotel. Since I did not know yet I could have bought a 12 pack of Stella Artois at CVS for $14, I headed to Filini Bistro bar where I found Italian Peroni draft beer. The Filini bar area has colorful non-blue lighting.

Filini Bistro table lighting and tile floor, Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago.

I like Peroni beer and the price wasn’t too bad at $6.50 a glass.

This couldn’t be a Loyalty Traveler hotel review without one comment of something I didn’t like. The bar at the Filini Bistro is a cool pattern of pyramids.

Filini Bar stools. Watch your knees!

After hitting my knee for the third time before being half-way through my first beer I moved to a table seat.

Aqua Tower (center background) seen from Millennium Park Chicago

There were be several follow-up posts on Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel and Chicago tourism. I figure this whole three day trip was about $1,000 in free travel for me so I’ll give my sponsors some coverage. I am unclear how the whole operation works, but I believe this was a joint venture between Carlson Hotels, the Rezidor Group, Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago and the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau to bring US and international media to Chicago for this debut tour of the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel and some city attractions and fine dining. My thanks to everyone who made my trip possible.

I’ll add links as other articles are posted on Loyalty Traveler. Here is the outline I have in mind.

• Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago – Naturally Cool Room 604 and Mansion House style rooms.
• Guest Room #604 at Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago. (November 19, 2011)
• Tour of the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago. (November 20, 2011)
• (update Dec 7: final 3 pieces are not published yet.)
• Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago – Public Spaces, hotel and conference facilities, Filini Restaurant and Bar
• Touring Chicago – Art Institute of Chicago, Shedd Aquarium, Chicago Segway tour, First Lady architectural boat tour, Naha and Sepia Restaurants.
• Blogging the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago FAM Trip

Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago is an 18-story hotel in the 81-story Aqua Tower skyscraper centered in the Lakeshore East District of Chicago. Not being from Chicago, the Lakeshore East district has no meaning to me. Millennium Park is a large green zone area and there is open space with paved paths nearby the hotel when you need a break from the airspace filled with skyscrapers in downtown Chicago.

Last year I toured about 20 hotels in downtown Chicago and along the Magnificent Mile of Michigan Avenue.  As a tourist I like the location of the Aqua Tower with its proximity and easy walking access to the Art Institute of Chicago, the second largest art museum in the U.S.

Chicago Skyline with Millennium Park green spaces

All the photos in this piece are courtesy of Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago.

The Aqua Tower Chicago was completed in 2009 and has the distinction of being one of the largest skyscrapers in the world built by a lead female architect, Chicago-based Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects.

The Aqua Tower includes 80,000 square feet of rooftop space adjacent to the building.

The green space around the building includes a jogging path, fire pits and outdoor pools.

PETA Proggy Award 2009

In a list of architectural awards for the Aqua Tower from various architectural design organizations was one particular standout award that caught my attention.

Why would a skyscraper win an award from PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals?

Turns out the Aqua Tower was recognized for bird-friendly design in a skyscraper. Apparently some 34 million birds are killed each year flying into North America urban skyscrapers. PETA honored Jeanne Gang and Studio Gang Architects for designing a skyscraper with bird-deflecting elements. The visually attractive exterior form for humans apparently is more visible to birds flying through the city than the typical glass exterior common to skyscrapers, including many of the skyscrapers surrounding the Aqua Tower.

Aqua Tower Chicago exterior form with bird-friendly function.

There will be detailed posts of the Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago hotel rooms, facilities and restaurant to follow. I am on a three day press media FAM trip at the hotel and they have a 14-hour schedule planned for us today.

Yeah, life is tough hanging out in Chicago drinking and eating with the Radisson Blu Aqua managers and touring the city with Carlson Hotels managers and Chicago tourism representatives along with a group of journalists.

This job is for the birds.

Aqua Tower Chicago - Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel is lowest 18 floors.

Loyalty Traveler Disclosure

The past two nights I have stayed at the Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago. This is my first press trip to a hotel, known as FAM trips (familiarization trips) in the travel and tourism industry. I will have more to say about FAM trips when there is time to reflect on my quick three day trip to Chicago. I know there are other bloggers who want to know how this side of the industry works.

The main point to disclose here is the Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago is a sponsored trip for Loyalty Traveler and there were plenty of free perks with this trip like guided tours of Shedd Aquarium and the Art Institute of Chicago in addition to restaurant dinners with the General Manager of the hotel and Carlson Hotels managers and about a dozen other journalists. Certainly not my typical hotel stay experience.