Originally Posted by
littlewinglet
You know, I don't want to turn this into a hotel loyalist argument, and I have no special affinity with Club Carlson, but I think your continued insistence that they're somehow low quality crap, and barely a roof over your head, is total stupidity, or ignorance.
I don't know how any sane person who has stayed at various Radisson Blus in Europe, and elsewhere, can claim that. They may not have a butler or free caviar in the lounge, but the quality of the beds, showers, interior finishouts and service was on the par with any other so called 5-star hotel.
Sure, there might be one or two of those that suck, but I've also stayed at supposedly high-end Starwood, IHG and Hilton properties that left me unimpressed.
If you're just being ignorant on purpose, I suggest you go stay at some of the better Radisson Blus, it'll change your mind. Or maybe you're a hotel snob and nothing short of a St Regis is good enough, in which I case I pity you since you miss the point of travel.
I agree. Not only have I found the Radissons overseas to be excellent properties, my Radisson card is the only hotel card I MS with, solely as a result of the Martinique in NYC. I am flexible with my dates, so I choose dates that the 50,000 points for two nights is available. Everyone's MSing costs are a little different, but at 1.2% per $1, that equates to a large hotel room in a prime midtown location at $60 a night. I have always been upgraded to one of the two upper floors they call Penthouse 1 and 2.
I have run the numbers with other hotel cards and I just can't justify MSing with them except to get sign-up bonuses. The effective cost per night is too high; Priceline (or as you pointed out, using Arrival card points) would be better. But the potential deal on the Radisson Martinique is very good.