Double Elite Nights, Stays & Points With Radisson (This May Be Lucrative)

November 14, 2018

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Update 15 November 2018: The following statement in Radisson’s text for this promotion would appear to confirm that ALL points are doubled (i.e if you earn 35 points/dollar normally because you have top-tier status you’ll now earn 70 points/dollar)

“The Radisson Rewards Member Exclusive offer awards members double points for every U.S dollar spent”

Radisson Rewards has launched a promotion offering members double elite qualifying nights and double redeemable points though the end of the year. The offer is available on “premium” rooms only so guess will not be able to book the very cheapest rates if they want to accelerate their progress to elite status.

Double Elite Nights & Points With Radisson

The offer is quite simple (T&C are summarised below) – book a premium room using the promotion code RRDBLDBL to earn double elite nights, stays and points on your next Radisson stay.

The number of bonus nights you can earn is capped at 10 but there’s no limit to the number of bonus points and stays a Radisson Rewards member can earn through 28 December 2018.

The promotion may require a premium room booking but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to pay a fortune to qualify for double points/nights/stays.

On a random night in November the cheapest room I found at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago (one of the better Radisson properties in the US) was $227….

…while the rate you’d have to pay to qualify for the promotion was $250:

That’s actually not at all bad considering you’re booking a better room and the reservation at the higher rate is also flexible (you can cancel without penalty).

Personally I’d happily pay an extra $23/night for a room upgrade, a flexible reservation and double points, stays and elite nights.

Earning Double Points

There’s an interesting omission from the terms and conditions which could make this a lucrative promotion for those with existing status with Radisson Rewards

The number of points a Radisson Rewards member earns is based on the amount spent and the status level held and this is what each level looks like:

Club – 20 points per dollar spent
Silver – 22 points per dollar spent
Gold – 25 points per dollar spent
Platinum – 35 points per dollar spent

Usually, with hotel loyalty programs, the number of points earned is a “base” number + an “elite bonus”. In the case of Radisson Rewards this would mean that the earnings shown above can be split out to look like this:

Club – 20 base points per dollar spent
Silver – 20 base points + 2 elite bonus points per dollar spent
Gold – 20 base points + 5 elite bonus per dollar spent
Platinum – 20 base points + 15 elite bonus points per dollar spent

In most hotel loyalty points promotion it’s only the “base” points that are doubled but this isn’t mentioned anywhere in the terms and conditions of this Radisson promotion.

It is therefore possible (but by no means definite) that this promotion doubles all the points a Radisson Rewards members earns which would look like this:

Club – 40 points per dollar spent
Silver – 44 points per dollar spent
Gold – 50 points per dollar spent
Platinum – 70 points per dollar spent

If this is the case, and assuming a valuation of Radisson Points at $0.005 each, the effective rebate on offer through 28 December ranges from 20 cents/dollar (20%) to 35 cents/dollar (35%)….and that’s pretty fantastic if you have top-tier status.

If this is not what Radisson Rewards intends and it’s only the base points that are doubled the effective rebate range is 20 cents/dollar (20%) to 27.5 cents/dollar (27.5%)….which is still pretty good.

Earning Double Nights & Stays

These are the elite qualifying criteria for Radisson Rewards:

If you visit Radisson properties with any great frequency you probably already have Gold status through one of the Radisson Rewards credit cards so this promotion is really only useful if you’re looking to hit Platinum status before the end of the year.

The number of bonus elite nights you can earn is capped at 10 but the number of bonus elite stays isn’t capped at all….and that makes the path to top-tier status a whole lot easier.

A stay can be a single night so, essentially, you can earn Radisson Rewards top-tier status with 15 separate 1-night stays before 28 December 2018.

If you already have a number of stays under your belt then that number comes down so it’s hard to see how Radisson loyalist wouldn’t be able to hit top-tier status using this promotion.

Bottom Line

It will be interesting to see if Radisson is really offering double points or if it’s just double base points that are on offer – I’ve sent a message to the Radisson Rewards twitter team and I’ll update this post once I have an answer.

Overall, regardless of which points are doubled, this is a very nice promotion if you’re a fan of Radisson Rewards. There are some good effective rebates on offer and if you’re chasing top-tier status your target just became a lot easier to reach.

Terms & Conditions

Offer is valid on eligible bookings made and consumed from October 24, 2018 through December 28, 2018 (“Promotion Period”) at all Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson hotels worldwide (collectively, “Participating Properties”).
To be eligible for the Offer, you must:
- (i) be a Radisson Rewards^® (formerly Club CarlsonSM) member;
- (ii) book an upcoming stay using the exclusive Double Points, Double Elite rate and;
- (iii) provide your Radisson Rewards member number at the time of reservation or at check-in for the Double Points, Double Elite rate stay.
When booking online, the Double Points, Double Elite rate can be selected from the list of available rates or by searching using the ‘More Options’ promotion code: RRDBLDBL (“Promotional Code”).
“Eligible Stay(s)” means one or more consecutive Eligible Nights at the same hotel, regardless of the number of check-ins or check-outs that occur during that stay.
“Eligible Nights” means a night at a Radisson Hotel Group property that is booked at an Eligible Rate, identified in the hotel’s reservation system as eligible for points.
All stay(s) and night(s) must be booked via the Radisson Rewards Mobile App, the Radisson Rewards Customer Service Center, radissonhotels.com/rewards or any Radisson Hotel Group brand website.
Both the check-in and checkout dates of the Eligible Stay(s) must take place during the Promotion Period.
Only one Radisson Rewards account may earn double points and double qualifying nights & stays for an Eligible Booking.
Individual accounts only.
Bonus Elite Qualifying Nights will be capped at ten (10) nights per eligible stay.
Bonus Elite Qualifying Stays will be unlimited.
Double Points, Double Elite bonuses are credited for the eligible stay when the standard earnings are credited for the eligible stay, usually within 5 days after the eligible stay has been completed but may take longer to post.
A member cannot earn greater than double Elite Qualifying Nights and Stays. If a member has already registered for another promotional offer which also includes Bonus Elite Qualifying Nights and Stays, the member will earn Bonus Elite Qualifying Nights and Stays based on the promotion they are registered for and not part of the Double Points, Double Elite rate.