darthbimmer

As a newcomer to FT I'm curious about the relatively low traffic in the Radisson forum relative to forums for other hotels. It parallels a trend I've noticed in real life -- that Radisson properties fill up more slowly than their business class competitors, especially those in the Marriott and Hilton families. When I'm booking at the last moment I often find that the CY, RI, DT, and Hampton are all sold out (or quoting only ridiculously high rates), yet the Radisson and Country Inn still have rooms at good rates. Is there something wrong with Radisson that's keeping people away?

freeflyin

In my experience,Radisson properties can be more inconsistent than some of the other chains.Their Goldpoints program is not as lucrative as many others either-so I think those of us who are on the road all the time tend to steer our business elsewhere. Personally,the only Radisson I consistently use is the Portland property because it is convenient for my business purposes.

rrz518

Try doing a search on Hilton.com for properties in Houston, for example. Then compare it to Radisson. Radisson is outnumbered by a gigantic margin.

Hilton, Marriott, etc. just simply have much more saturation, more consistency, etc, hence more demand, and more loyalty.

Nothing really wrong with Radisson; as a matter of fact, a lot of good things, esp since they have upgraded to the Sleep Number Bed program. Country Inns are OK also. Just not a lot of either, esp. Radissons.

Thunderroad

Also, the Goldpoints program is not honored by many international Radissons, the company's misleading website nothwithstanding. So unless points are not a consideration for FTers who travel abroad--almost a contradiction in terms--Radisson is less likely to get their business and you're less likely to find discussion of the chain here.

loomis

I agree with all of the other posters: GP is an extremely weak frquency program, poor consistency at the Radisson brand, and poor distribution of Radisson and Country Inns in the places where you need to stay.

I will add a couple of other disappointments: Carlson does not have a wide variety of brands, like Hilton and Marriott has. They don't have an extended stay or budget brand. Also, they don't have any awesome hotels in the Americas where you would want to burn your points. They lost the Radisson on Kauai (to Hilton, go figure) and now they are losing one in the Bahamas.

Are you listening, GP corp.?

darthbimmer

I agree that GP is not as lucrative as HH or MR. I do steer my business toward those other brands when prices are comparable. But when the Country Inn is $129 and the Courtyard is $189, I have a hard time justifying to myself why I should stick my employer with the significantly higher bill.

(Or if I am going to stick my employer, I'd rather spend an extra $25 "upgrading" my dinner than spend twice that or more booking a hotel with sweeter points.)

Re: consistency, I've had very uniform, positive experiences at Country Inns. Their consistency across properties is similar to Courtyard's. At Radissons I've only had one disappointing experience, and that was in Manhattan. Sheratons have been more hit-or-miss than Radissons.

Re: budget brands, Carlson does have Park Plaza and Park Inn. With what, like 10 of each? it doesn't make much difference. But I don't think adding more will help brand loyalty. PP and PI are below the level of anything in the Hilton, Marriott, or Starwood portfolios. They play down in budget leagues with the likes of Best Western. Carlson would be splitting their energies courting two different populations of travelers by expanding them.

PhillyPhlyer40

I was "forced" to stay at ONE radissson and ONE country inn in the last year. I will tell you, when I think of Radisson, I think somewhere my GRANDPARENTS thought was classy...in the 60's!

I hated both stays. Radisson was OLD and grungy...c/i&s catered to kids and was impossible to sleep. Breakfast in the am was horrible/crowded and packed! I stay 200 nights + a year and will make my life easy/happy when traveling, and will never stay at a Radisson/C/I&S unless forced to again!

Oh, and the goldpoints STINKS!

KiwiMatt77

The Radison is ok for a 3 Star hotel, but Marriott is 4 Star, and the standards are much higher. It's easy to see why Marriott fills up faster. Marriott is like McDonalds, they have standards, and no matter where you are in the world, you know what you are going to get, and if you don't get it, they will pay you for your troubles. I would recommend Marriott over any other chain as you can always feel safe. It's like the American Embassy.. they will take care of you.

BearX220

I agree that the GoldPoints program is useless, but the real problem for me is: you never know what an unfamiliar property is going to be like. It could be horrific, it could be okay, but who wants to gamble? I stayed at a Radisson in Ft. Myers a couple of years ago that was bad beyond description: a sort of derelict, mildewed motel near the airport, stocked with miserable airline crews on layover and staffed with evil, incompetent employees. It was very embarrassing because I had booked a whole go team from work in there on the strength of the brand name (e.g., "It can't be that bad, it's a Radisson") and they were furious with me.

OTOH I was setting up some conference room work in JAX on short notice last year and none of the Hilton and Marriott properties in the zone could free up space for me... with HUGE misgivings I tried the Radisson (a referral from a very nice Marriott planner), booked in sight unseen, and it turned out to very nice indeed.

But on the whole I just can't stand this kind of hit-and-miss record. Property quality varies so widely, the Radisson brand umbrella doesn't really mean anything in my opinion.