None of the fall hotel promotions have been lucrative enough to make me really alter my planned hotel stays. However, the new Radisson promotion is worthy of a mattress run in some cases. For those wondering what a mattress run is, it means a hotel stay that is planned solely or primarily for the purposes of earning points/free night certificates. Often on mattress runs, people just check-in and don’t even actually spend the night at the hotel. It sounds crazy, and it is, but it can make total sense in some cases.
The new Radisson “One for One” Promotion provides a free night award that can be used at any Radisson Blu or Radisson Hotel in the US, Canada, or the Caribbean when you register and book a qualified stay before October 31. Your qualified stay must take place between October 1st and December 31st at a Radisson or Radisson Blue in the US, Canada, or the Caribbean. Your free night must be used by December 31, 2013.
I certainly liked their “Big Night Giveaway” promotion that happened earlier in the year much better as it awarded 50,000 points that could be used however you wished after a qualifying stay, but this promotion is still pretty good compared to other promotions that are out there. Let’s say that you can stay at a Radisson for around $80 (or less), which is not unheard of in some areas.
You can then turn around and use the free night earned from your $80 stay at an expensive Radisson like the Radisson Martinique on Broadway in New York City. That hotel often goes for $250 – $350 and up per night, so this deal could save you a few hundred bucks just by checking into a hotel.
Of course you do have the risk of reward nights not being available when you want to use your free stay, but that is always the case with miles and points. I need to do some research/thinking about when or where it would make sense for me to participate in this promo. There isn’t a Radisson in Houston, but there will be in some other cities I visit before the end of the year. Update: Since I wrote this I actually found a very reasonably priced Radisson in a city I am visiting, and found a lower price on another website. I have submitted for a Best Rate Guarantee to save 25% off the lower rate I found. We’ll see how it plays out – worked fine for the last promotion!
I recommend looking at your travel plans for the next few months to see if it makes sense to arrange your hotel stays around this promotion. There is a limit of one free award night per person. Even if you aren’t 100% sure if you will participate I would register for the promotion since it is limited to the first 50,000 that register (of course don’t register if you know for sure you won’t be using your slot).
While you are at it, you can also register for another Club Carlson promotion that awards points based on the number of stays you have October 1 – December 31. You can earn an extra:
- 2,000 bonus points per night when you stay one to five nights
- 4,000 bonus points per night when you stay six to nine nights
- 6,000 bonus points per night when you stay 10 to 20 nights
Your total award will be calculated and credited to your account early in January 2013. Maximum award of 120,000 Bonus Points per member. Happy point and free night earning!
I actually moved my Chicago Seminar stay to the Radisson O’hare b/c of this promo.
Do you know if no shows count?
I wish that you could earn a Free Night Certificate that was valid at any Radisson Blu worldwide : (
@The Deal Mommy, you may not be the only one.
@Maury, you have to check-in in person. I am sure there is some Radisson somewhere that bends the rules, but typically you have to check-in yourself.
@FFU, I know. Me too.
Yes I also wonder if no show counts or I have to at least check in then leave the room empty
I am doing my stay during the Chicago Seminars at the Radisson location…was able to get a BRG at 62$..used Chase Freedom card for 5% cashback and topcashback for 8% cashback…only booked one night so far though
Typically on these you need to check-in in person.
Looks like the Lexington in NYC is no longer a Radisson. Was my favorite one.
Just booked a night in Austin downtown on the government rate, and they honored it for the promotion. Not bad at $108.
@Gavin, I have a BRG in play as well….though hasn’t been honored yet. Sounds like we have the same plan.
You are limited to know per account/person.
@Tasso, I noticed that too. Must be a pretty recent change.
@Karen, perfect!
@Gavin. I was going to mention the topcashback offer. Do you think there’s any risk that booking “through” that site won’t count?
@mommypoints I received a response from them in less than 2 hours…
I’m assuming this does not work for Radisson’s other brands, like Country Inn and Suites?
I got mine now – took about 1/2 a day, but not bad. Though apparently they aren’t seeing the rate I am seeing – but close enough to still be a very good deal.
Radisson in town here has a few $50/night midweeks during Oct… too bad I don’t have any plans that make this promo make sense for me.
….but the free night is good for all of 2013, so think long and hard.
Mommy, based on you listing the second promo on this post, it sort of sounds like they’re stackable, correct?
Thanks,
That is my best guess.
Can you use it on a multi-nights stay, like 7-night stays = 7 free nights?
@ql, you are limited to one free night via this promotion.
Does anybody know if cash&points count again?
Nobody..?
also wondering if cash and points count?
I would imagine they do as they have in past similar promotions.
You think I can make a reso for me and my wife (she links me to reso) Then just I check in for both of us and we both get free nights?
I’m wondering the same thing as Steve. I just booked two rooms, one for my husband, one for me – at Chicago O’Hare $73 / 5k points and cash in December. I wonder if I can check us both in… otherwise I will have to drag him to DesPlaines with me. He is not convinced all this point-chasing is worth it yet. He’ll see one day when we go on an awesome trip!
[...] You can read all about the promotion in this post. The main point I want to get across in this post is that the deadline to register to book your qualifying stay is tomorrow (Halloween)! Your stay doesn’t have to actually happen until the end of the year, but the terms state that you have to register and book your stay by the end of October. [...]