Originally Posted by
mnCO
Is this a big devaluation? Yes. Do I think it warrants the label of "gutted"? No. This card is still on par with the benefits of other hotel cards. Actually I think there is a major benefit to the CC Card over other hotel cards, in that the annual bonus is paid in points vs vouchers that expire in 12 or even 6 months. So yeah, it took a big hit, but even when I first read about this card people were saying the last night free benefit was unsustainable. You're still getting more than the value of your annual fee every year just for having the card.
They have much fewer high quality properties than other chains. They also have very few properties in Asia outside India. If not for the bonus free night, there are hardly any people would pay attention to the Club Carlson program, truth be told.
What they should have done is to modify an overly generous program to make it sustainable by other ways such as raising point levels, limited free nights per year, things like that. Instead, they chose to gut the program because the replacement value of the $10K spend a year for a free night limited in US and Peurto Rico is very very lame when comparing to other cards such as Citi's HHonors, Chase' Hyatt. Heck, Chase' IHG your annual fee is only $49 and you get a free night good for 12 months ANYWHERE in the World in ANY property, plus no forex fee.
This card has become worthless overnight in many people's book for good reasons because it simply is not competitive.
Even their top brand Radisson Blu have many very old and very mediocre properties in Europe where the brand concentration is.
In short, their points worth LESS than other chains at redemption in terms of locations and quality of the properties.