But unlike the HHonors scheme, where you pay much more for practically nothing in return (e.g., deluxe room 50k vs deluxe room high floor 183k), the CC scheme can be genuinely beneficial. Look at what you're getting at the hotel you mentioned:

Club Carlson - Standard Award-Classic Room (50k)
- 20 square metres
- Room type / Bed type / Smoking preference confirmed
- Free broadband

Club Carlson-Premium Award-Business Class (75k)
- 28 square metres
- English breakfast, premium movies, newspaper, bathrobe and slippers
- Room type / Bed type / Smoking preference confirmed
- Free broadband and in-room NESPRESSO coffee machine

The 75k rate includes a significantly larger room and breakfast. It's debatable whether this upgrade is worth 25k points (it would probably be to me; breakfast in Paris is pricey, and 28sqm seems much better then 20sqm), but I believe CC genuinely wanted to offer an improved redemption option to its customers. Note that there are some hotels where the premium room rewards can be amazing, junior suites, oceanview, etc, while at others there's no noticeable difference between standard and premium rooms. It's clearly a situation of buyer beware, but imo, there are no similarities between HHonors' premium room scam and the CC offer.