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Radisson has recently announced that it will be changing the number of points that 140 of its hotels charge for an award night from 1 March 2019. This means that there’s a little over 3 weeks left in which to lock the lower rates at the 84 properties which will be going up in price and a little over 3 weeks before 56 properties will become a better deal.
I’ve picked out two hotels that are worth considering before the changes come into effect on 1 March and one property that will become a considerably better deal once the cost of an award night has come down.
This what the Radisson Rewards award chart look like and, as you should be able to see, one of the steeper award night price increases comes when you move from a Category 6 property (50,000 points/night) to a top-tier Category 7 property (70,000 points per night).
Two Properties To Consider
Six Radisson properties are moving up from Category 6 to Category 7 in this latest reshuffle but only two of these of these offer particularly good value at their current rate.
Both of the following properties can be booked for 50,000 points per night through 28 February 2019 but, from 1 March 2019, they’ll all cost 40% more.
Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Dublin
The Radisson Blu Royal hotel in Dublin is located in a prime area for exploring the city with the River Liffey, Dublin Castle and the night life at Temple Bar all within an easy walk.
On a randomly selected date in June this property will set you back over $350 but it can currently be booked of just 50,000 on the same night.
Using points to pay for a night like this would see you getting over 0.7 cents of value out of each Radisson Rewards point used and, for a currency most don’t value higher than 0.4 cents/point, that’s a fantastic return on your Radisson balance.
You won’t find many better located hotels in Dublin, it gets great TripAdvisor reviews and you can get fantastic value out of your Radisson Rewards points during busier times – definitely a property to consider before an award night costs 40% more.
Radisson Blu Azuri Resort & Spa, Mauritius
As far as tropical island properties go the Radisson Blu Azuri Resort in Mauritius isn’t actually that expensive but, during the Northern Hemisphere’s cooler months the property isn’t cheap….and at 50,000 points per night award bookings can be very good value.
paying 50,000 Radisson Rewards Points for a $339 room would see you get almost 0.7 cents of value out of each point you use….and that’s good going.
The property looks nice….
…the TripAdvisor reviews are excellent and the weather is not really going to be an issue….the only probably may be the airfare to get here.
One Property To Wait For
Just two properties are moving from Category 7 to Category 6 on 1 March 2019 and only one of these is really worth highlighting.
Radisson Blue Minneapolis Downtown
Radisson doesn’t have very many expensive properties in the US but the Radisson Blue Minneapolis Downtown is definitely a hotel where prices can get a bit out of control.
Right now an award night at this property will set you back a 70,000 points and a randomly selected night in July will cost $292 + taxes:
Once taxes are added in the cheapest cash rate for this night comes to over $330.
At 70,000 points per night this wouldn’t be a terrible redemption as you’d be getting ~0.47 cents out of each point spent (I value the points at 0.4 cents each) but, from 1 March 2019, this same reservation should be available for just 50,000 points.
At 50,000 points for a $332 reservation you would be getting ~0.66 cents of value out of each Radisson Rewards points and you would also be getting a flexible reservation which the lowest cash rate definitely doesn’t offer -that’s a very good deal indeed.
Bottom Line
It’s not usually good news when a hotel chain re-evaluates the number of points its properties should be charging for an award night but that doesn’t mean that these changes don’t bring with them opportunities.
Right now there’s an opportunity to lock in a very good award rate on two of Radisson’s properties that will soon cost considerably more (40% more!) while 1 March will bring an opportunity to book an expensive US Radisson property at a reasonable points cost per night.
Featured Image courtesy of Radisson
I’ll tag on one: Radisson Blu Beke in Budapest was just renovated and the rooms are great value for a cat 2 property. Near the metro, the river, and the big Nyugati station for day trips.
That’s very useful to know – I visited Budapest last summer and loved it so, when I return, I’ll probably try this property out.