Club Carlson “Work Hard Play Hard” – Double & Triple Points Q3 Promotion

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Club Carlson is the loyalty program for the Carlson Rezidor hotels group which includes the like of Radisson Blu, Park Plaza and Park Inn brands and it has just opened up its Q3 2016 promotion called “Work Hard, Play Hard”.

The Club Carlson loyalty program was a lot more interesting up until the beginning of June last year when a series of devaluations really crushed the life out of one of the more rewarding programs around. Still, outside of the US there are some pretty decent Carlson properties (I’ve reviewed the May Fair in London and the Radisson Blu Plaza in Helsinki) and, because Carlson regularly offer discounts on its room rates, its properties can still be of quite a bit of interest.

the-may-fair-hotel-london - 06The May Fair hotel in central London

Club Carlson Work Hard, Play Hard Promotion

An Overview Of The Terms & Conditions:

  • The promotion runs from 1 August through 31 October 2016
  • Open to all Club Carlson members
  • Registration (here) is required to participate in this promotion.
  • Double Gold Points awarded for stays commencing Sunday – Thursday
  • Triple Gold Points awarded for stays commencing Friday or Saturday
  • 1,000 bonus Gold points awarded for each stay booked via the Club Carlson mobile app
  • Maximum of 50,000 Gold points can be earned in this promotion

There are a few exceptions to the rules on when double and triple points are awarded and these are down to the fact that the definition of “weekend” differs in some parts of the globe.

For properties located in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia double Gold Points will be awarded for stays commencing Saturday though Wednesday and triple points will be earned for stays commencing Thursday or Friday.

Note: The terms and conditions clearly state that “Both the check-in and checkout dates of the Eligible Stay must take place within the Promotion Period” so bear that in mind if you’re making a booking.

radisson-blu-plaza-helsinki - 24Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel in Helsinki

How Good Is This Promotion?

Club Carlson awards 20 Gold Points per US Dollar spent on stays at any of its worldwide properties:

Screen Shot 2016-08-01 at 14.49.48So:

  • A stay earning Double Gold points would earn an extra 20 Gold Points per US Dollar spent and
  • A stay earning Triple Gold Points would earn and extra 40 Gold Points per US Dollar spent.

What all that means is that, to maximise this promotion in which you can earn, at most, 50,000 bonus Gold Points, you would have to spend:

  • $2,500 on stays checking in Sunday – Thursday or
  • $1,250 on stays checking in on Friday or Saturday
  • A combination of the two

I value Club Carlson Gold Points at around $0.004 each which would mean that, if I maximised this promotion, I’d be earning an effective rebate of $200 on my stays….which isn’t too bad on a spend of $1,250 (it’s a 16% rebate).

There is, however, an issue.

The big devaluations that Carlson put through its loyalty program last year saw a very large number of properties increase in award night cost – specifically from 50,000 to 70,000 Gold Points per night.

This means that, even if you max out this promotion, you still will be quite a long way short of a free night at most good Carlson properties.

Bottom Line

If you’re a traveler that regularly used Carlson properties then this could be a nice bonus for you but I’m not sure its a tempting enough promotion to make many people change their bookings or their plans.

A $200 rebate sounds very nice but it comes in the form of 50,000 Gold Points which aren’t nearly as useful as they were in the past.

Central London, for example, has an astonishing 17 Carlson Rezidor properties but only 2 of those properties cost less than 70,000 Gold Points for an award night….and that gives a little insight into how devalued the currency is.

If you have any Carlson Rezidor bookings already made then make sure you register for the Work Hard, Play Hard promotion before you stay. If you have a trip coming up for which you have yet to make reservations, make sure that the Gold Points you earn will actually be of use to you before you decide to book a Carlson Rezidor property.