There are no longer any Club Carlson hotels in Atlantic Canada. The Radisson Suites in Halifax is now a Doubletree and the Country Inn & Suites in New Glasgow is a Travelodge. However, if you have any travel plans before October 31 where there is a Club Carlson property, you should take note of this promotion for earning bonus Gold Points.
For a check-in on Sunday through Thursday you’ll earn double points for your stay. If you check-in on a Friday or Saturday you’ll earn triple points. The regular earning rate is 20 points per US dollar. You get an additional bonus if you are a Club Carlson member with elite status. If you have status with another hotel loyalty program you can apply for a status match.
Club Carlson has a summer promotional rate for 2 night stays until September 21.
Stacking promotions
There are also opportunities to book rates at certain Radisson hotels that award an additional 10,000 points per night. It’s called the “Mega Points” promotional rate and you have to consider the value you’ll be able to get from those points before you pony up the extra cost.
First, consider the Club Carlson award chart. Category 1 hotels require only 9000 points per night but there are very few of them. The next category requires 15,000 points for a standard room and there aren’t too many of those either. However, here’s an example where it could be worth it to stack the Triple Points and Mega Points promotions:
4 nights at the Radisson Hotel Parliament Hill Aug. 19-23
$206.50 Mega Points rate (checking in on a Friday to get triple points)
$206.50 CAD = $156.68 USD
156.68 x 20 = 3133 Gold Points (x3 = 9400 Gold Points) x 4 nights = 37,603 Gold Points for Triple points promo
10,000 Gold Points per night for Mega Point rate x 4 = 40,000
1000 Gold Points for booking via the app
Total Gold Points = 78,603 Gold Points
Total Cost = $926.52 CAD with tax
The cheapest, non-refundable rate for those 4 nights is $149.20 for a total of $596.80 with tax.
So, in effect, one is purchasing the points for $329.72 CAD. Now the question is how to use those points to realize a good return on that investment. 78,603 points will get you 5 nights at a Category 2 hotel (15,000 per night). As I mentioned, there are not too many such hotels but here are a few possibilities. The rate listed for comparison purposes is the lowest non-refundable pre-tax rate currently available on those dates:
Jan. 22-27
Radisson Hotel Fort Worth – Fossil Creek $131 CAD per night ($655)
Feb. 12-17
Radisson Suites Tucson $250 CAD per night ($1250)
Mar. 12 – 17
Park Inn by Radisson Resort & Conference Center Orlando $110 CAD per night ($550)
Oct. 2 -7
Park Inn By Radisson Berlin City-West $130 CAD per night ($650 tax included)
Sept. 11-17
Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, Limerick $136 CAD per night ($680 tax included)
Conclusion
It’s worth considering these kinds of promos if you think they will work for your travel plans and save you money. Even if you have no immediate plans for the points, if you think you might be staying at a Club Carlson hotel before October 31, it’s a good idea to register for the double/triple points promotion just in case.
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