The Deal Kids enjoy the view from Breakfast.
I just wanted to flag an amazing deal from my recent stay in New York City. I stayed at the Radisson Martinique, at an extremely competitive rate of $137.50/night. I could have paid as little as $125/night, but by paying the extra $12.50 for the “double points” rate I earned an bonus 2,750 points (or .004 per point, a giveaway price!).
Not only that, I earned my regular 20 points per dollar, my triple points, and my gold points 50% bonus all on the higher rate, earning an extra 875 points over the $125 rate. Add in the 2000 online booking bonus, and I earned 14,375 points on a $164.17 (including tax) stay. That’s not even mentioning the 3.5 rebate I’ll get from Ebates!
The purchase price of Club Carlson points is .7 cents each. I value them more like .5 based on how I will redeem them (as in I’ll redeem 20,000 for a $100 room on average), so in effect I got a $71.88 rebate, making my net cost for a lovely hotel room in New York City $92.29. AND I got free breakfast for being a Gold member!
How was the Martinique? I liked it very much. It’s historic but recently remodeled so the rooms were spotless. I especially enjoyed the details such as the original flooring and the boutique French Cafe that served breakfast dishes such as Duck Confit and Croque Madame.
The only downside I can report is the lack of a real club level. When I hear “club level”, I think “snacks”, but the 17th floor of the Radisson is like any other except for a large screen TV and couch.
So, to recap, The Martinique is definitely a DO for paid stays in NYC, especially with all of the amazing points promos going around! I’d skip it for an awards stay at 50k points and use the points elsewhere.
To recap, here’s what I have to say about the program:
Club Carlson has announced a new credit card and a triple points offer on their website. The credit card gets an A+ from me and I’ll definitely be getting one soon not only for the 85,000 bonus points, but for the ability to get a free points night every time you redeem one…potentially a HUGE benefit.
Lots of bloggers have posted good summaries about the program. I recommend this one by Frequent Miler who gives some good tips about how to maximize the triple points promotion. While it’s no where near as good as the “stay once, get 50k promotions” of last year, it’s still pretty good.
George over at Travel Blogger Buzz asked a good question: once you have all of these Club Carlson points, what should you do with them? Points, Miles, and Martinis started a good list, but I wanted to add a few I have either tested or am aspiring to myself.
Level 1: Radisson Orlando I Drive
Level 2: Park Inn Nottingham (as is Robin Hood), England
Level 3: Country Inn and Suites at the Panama Canal (Deal Mommy Tested…this view is CRAZY! You’re right at the edge of the Panama Canal! For sheer unique-ness this is a DO. )
Level 4: Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa, Galway Ireland
Level 6: Radisson Blu Champs Elysses, Paris
Radisson Blu, Gran Canaria
And I wanted to share my opinion on deals in general:
A question I’m often asked is “how do you decide which deals to do?” Many bloggers have different answers to this question, but I’ll share mine. Before I decide to go with any promotion I ask myself this question: “Will I have fun?”
For instance, before trekking with the kids to make pretzels and visit Hershey’s Chocolate World, I asked myself “will this trip be fun?” If the answer was no, I wouldn’t have done it, points or no points.
Other bloggers are perfectly willing to check in and check out of a hotel just to earn the points, and if I were the Deal Chick instead of the Deal Mommy I might be so inclined. However, with both time and funds limited, I pick and choose using the above rule. Having fun doesn’t usually steer me wrong!
Read about my Club Carlson Adventures
Dining at Hershey
The case of the lost slipper
Park Inn: An Unexpected Treat
Radisson Blu Paris Boulogne Review
Why Radisson is paying me $146 to stay at their hotel tonight
Embracing your inner Griswold
Now to the big question: how will I spend all of these points? Stay Tuned.
How are you using your Club Carlson points? Please share!
Thanks for the review. I will be staying there for a night after a Broadway show. I did the stay a night earn a night promotion in the fall. I did a mattress run to a local Radisson for $72.00 and my night in NYC would be $280.00 on a prepaid rate. I am gold so free breakfast also yeah.
I really enjoyed the hotel. I requested a double since I had the kids with me, but if you need a king bed, try to get upgraded to a king with sofa. As I mentioned, no need to ask for the “club” upgrade as there’s no club! Breakfast is only supposed to be for the member, so if you get a choice, be sure to get it at the “petit poulet” (in the back) as the 2nd breakfast will cost $15 as opposed to $25!
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