Apr 3, 2015, 12:41 pm
Last edit by: StartinSanDiego
On April 3, 2015 Club Carlson members with the US Bank Visa card received an email confirming that the "Bonus Award Night" feature is being withdrawn on June 1, 2015. Quoting from the email:
Beginning June 1, 2015, you can earn a Free Night, good at any Carlson Rezidor hotel in the U.S. This Free Night will replace the current Bonus Award Night benefit. Bonus Award Night stays may not be booked after June 1, 2015. You'll receive the new Free Night award upon renewal of your card after an annual spend of $10,000. Updated program terms and conditions will apply and be available on June 1, 2015.
Some recipients (but apparently not all, see below) also received a consolation offer in the same email:
[...] to thank you for your continued loyalty, you can earn 30,000 bonus Gold Points® on your next Eligible Stay at a Carlson Rezidor hotel worldwide when you pay with your Club CarlsonSM Visa®. Offer ends August 31, 2015. Terms and conditions apply.
ClubCarlson's Twitter feed claims the 30,000 bonus Gold Points offer for next stay is available to all cardholders. (source: https://twitter.com/clubcarlson/stat...92110149791744)
Complaints regarding this "enhancement" can be directed here:
+1 (888) 288 8889-- USA number
https://www.facebook.com/clubcarlson?fref=ts
or https://twitter.com/clubcarlson
Beginning June 1, 2015, you can earn a Free Night, good at any Carlson Rezidor hotel in the U.S. This Free Night will replace the current Bonus Award Night benefit. Bonus Award Night stays may not be booked after June 1, 2015. You'll receive the new Free Night award upon renewal of your card after an annual spend of $10,000. Updated program terms and conditions will apply and be available on June 1, 2015.
Some recipients (but apparently not all, see below) also received a consolation offer in the same email:
[...] to thank you for your continued loyalty, you can earn 30,000 bonus Gold Points® on your next Eligible Stay at a Carlson Rezidor hotel worldwide when you pay with your Club CarlsonSM Visa®. Offer ends August 31, 2015. Terms and conditions apply.
ClubCarlson's Twitter feed claims the 30,000 bonus Gold Points offer for next stay is available to all cardholders. (source: https://twitter.com/clubcarlson/stat...92110149791744)
Complaints regarding this "enhancement" can be directed here:
+1 (888) 288 8889-- USA number
https://www.facebook.com/clubcarlson?fref=ts
or https://twitter.com/clubcarlson
Is Bonus Award Night going away on June 1st, 2015?
Apr 3, 2015, 6:12 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4
Is Bonus Award Night going away on June 1st, 2015?
My April US Bank Club Carlson Visa statement has the following statement:
"Starting 6/1/2015 Cardmembers can earn a Free Night at a Carlson Rezidor hotel by spending $10,000 annually and paying the annual fee. Free Night replaces Bonus Award Night. terms and conditions apply. clubcarlsonvisa.com."
This sounds like the death knell of my favorite benefit. Does anyone know more (or hopefully) different news on this?
"Starting 6/1/2015 Cardmembers can earn a Free Night at a Carlson Rezidor hotel by spending $10,000 annually and paying the annual fee. Free Night replaces Bonus Award Night. terms and conditions apply. clubcarlsonvisa.com."
This sounds like the death knell of my favorite benefit. Does anyone know more (or hopefully) different news on this?
Apr 3, 2015, 6:17 am
#2
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: NYC/LA
Programs: DL Plat, AA Plat Pro, Marriott Titanium, IHG Diamond Amb
Posts: 7,486
The card and the free night benefit are what actually brought me to Club Carlson. Without it, I'll probably burn my points, cancel the card, and go back to the chains I used to stay with. I've already started getting frustrated with the lack of good properties in the US.
Apr 3, 2015, 6:44 am
#3
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Same for many here. Will start booking up things sooner than later, in case this benefit ends.
Apr 3, 2015, 7:32 am
#5
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: EUG,PDX
Posts: 482
My April US Bank Club Carlson Visa statement has the following statement:
"Starting 6/1/2015 Cardmembers can earn a Free Night at a Carlson Rezidor hotel by spending $10,000 annually and paying the annual fee. Free Night replaces Bonus Award Night. terms and conditions apply. clubcarlsonvisa.com."
This sounds like the death knell of my favorite benefit. Does anyone know more (or hopefully) different news on this?
"Starting 6/1/2015 Cardmembers can earn a Free Night at a Carlson Rezidor hotel by spending $10,000 annually and paying the annual fee. Free Night replaces Bonus Award Night. terms and conditions apply. clubcarlsonvisa.com."
This sounds like the death knell of my favorite benefit. Does anyone know more (or hopefully) different news on this?
Apr 3, 2015, 7:36 am
#6
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: AA Plat, WN CP, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Plat, Club Carlson Gold
Posts: 35
Just confirmed by Frequent Miler: http://frequentmiler.boardingarea.co...-award-nights/
This really sucks, I just got this card a month ago specifically for the 2nd Night Free feature...
This really sucks, I just got this card a month ago specifically for the 2nd Night Free feature...
Apr 3, 2015, 8:02 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,389
"Yeah, I know, and such SMALL portions!"
Not much of a surprise that a company doesn't want their loyalty program to be a way to bleed $300-400 a night hotel rooms in Europe for pennies on the dollar via MS/churning, which it appears it is for a lot of US-based FTers with the card.
I haven't minded stays at Country Inns and Suites (not a lot different than HGI/Fairfield Inns/Hampton/Residence Inns in the mid-low tier of properties), but I see where people are coming from, the Carlson footprint in the US is just tiny, and it's not like SPG/Hyatt, where you can see a reason to do it.
Apr 3, 2015, 8:24 am
#11
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: NYC/LA
Programs: DL Plat, AA Plat Pro, Marriott Titanium, IHG Diamond Amb
Posts: 7,486
But I really do think that Carlson is going to continue to have problems getting the traction they want here in the US. (Which I believe is greater engagement with their rewards program, leading to increased RevPar for their properties.) When the card was launched in the US back in 2012, it seemed to be in conjunction with an effort by Carlson to not only increase the visibility of the Club Carlson program but also to increase and improve its footprint here in the US.
The problem is, for many of us looking for a viable domestic US alternative to flags like Hilton, Hyatt and Sheraton/Westin, we are still waiting. We'd heard of grand plans by Carlson to develop Radisson Blu in the US, but there are still only four properties in three metropolitan areas (and IMHO, having stayed at the Philadelphia property twice, it's still a Radisson with some re-applied lipstick, so it barely counts for me). Radisson Red looked promising, but a year after the reveal of the brand, I hear that the first property will be in China (granted, Carlson does need to work on its footprint in Asia), and haven't heard of any firm locations domestically.
I loved the Bonus Award Nights and I do love the Chicago Aqua property... but with these new changes, in totality it's not going to be enough to keep me.
Apr 3, 2015, 8:27 am
#12
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 877
Is Bonus Award Night going away on 6/1/15?
The issue isn't the fact that the free night go away. The issue is there prices are highly inflated for a single free high & the lack of clear benefits for 'elites'. My 'benefit' in Aruba was a sippy cup
Apr 3, 2015, 8:33 am
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,389
Yeah, pretty much. Though you can't bulk up to Marriott/Hilton size overnight. The problem is they aren't even bulking up to SPG/Hyatt size in major markets...
Apr 3, 2015, 9:02 am
#15
Moderator: Travel Buzz
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sunny San Diego
Posts: 3,099
For family travel and, simply, lots of travel, this has been my favorite, most used perk. However, it has "too good to last" written all over it!
In travel to East Europe, with the 9000 point rooms/second night free/breakfast included, the hard costs to me have been simply unbelievable. Less than $10 a night through many options. It simply couldn't last.
However, I'll stick it out through the first shakedown. 10K spend will get you 50K points, plus the year end bonus (40K, If memory serves) and one free night. So 90K points for a 10K spend and the renewal fee. That would still get you 2 nights at the May Fair in London, or 11 nights in East Europe.
I think as long as the year-end bonus sticks around, so will I. That can still be leveraged into a night or many nights in many locations. If you have a biz and personal account, or a spouse with a card, you can leverage the pair of cards into 100K points, 2 free nights and the bonus 80K renewal points. I still prefer having points in my account over certs valid for a year.
In travel to East Europe, with the 9000 point rooms/second night free/breakfast included, the hard costs to me have been simply unbelievable. Less than $10 a night through many options. It simply couldn't last.
However, I'll stick it out through the first shakedown. 10K spend will get you 50K points, plus the year end bonus (40K, If memory serves) and one free night. So 90K points for a 10K spend and the renewal fee. That would still get you 2 nights at the May Fair in London, or 11 nights in East Europe.
I think as long as the year-end bonus sticks around, so will I. That can still be leveraged into a night or many nights in many locations. If you have a biz and personal account, or a spouse with a card, you can leverage the pair of cards into 100K points, 2 free nights and the bonus 80K renewal points. I still prefer having points in my account over certs valid for a year.