Haven't we all been wondering about those room upgrades that don't show up when checking in at a Radisson SAS hotel?

Today I got the follwing from FlyingBlue:
It is quite wierd to see a KLM Air France communic� with an SAS logo in it. And how come we don't get this offer? Well, atleast there is no point in waiting for them upgrades no more.

As a sidenote; Flying Blue are actually quite good at these things, they partner with different other companies and manage to "match" you onto their status rather than having some poorly defined perks you should get based on your status in FB. Currently I have got a Sixt Platium card this way, and there are other options too which I haven't pursued as of yet.

And to SAS; your subsidiary is now in bed with the enemy. Might be the time to take that SAS logo off the hotel if other airlines' passengers get more benefits than SAS ones...

Radisson SAS offer this "first year gold" with other parners including my AIB company Visa card.

http://www.aib.ie/servlet/ContentSer...04&channel=MYB

Nice to have, but not recognised very often by the hotels themselves...

Aidan

Very weired indeed. The funny thing is that we actually proposed to EuroBonus at the meeting last fall that all EBG should have GoldPoint membership as part of the benefit. I will bring this up at our next meeting. Thanks for the tip

Yes very weiered! SAS gives more benefits to non SK customers! The value of the EBG status is now very low!! I was flying twice last week when the strike was going on. The service for EBG was zero!!!

I don't know how you do it but I normally just ask for the nicest room available upon handing over my EBG card that I also use to pay the hotel with, this has even got me all the way to a suite for three nights. ^

I think it's weird and totally out of line that Radisson SAS invites a competing airline's top tier members to get instant GPG.

When Rezidor SAS introduced their own program, I contacted them to try and get qualified for gold instantly. There was no way, even if I had 3 Radisson SAS hotels documentation on my spendings/stays the last year. Got the status the next year and I would say its close to useless anyways. Most hotels don't recognize it at all and only the hotels I stay at regularly, give me the welcome fruit and water.

I am scrapping Gold Points as of now and will put all my Radisson SAS stays on my EB card!

I usually get good recognition from my EBG and I have often got significantly better rates using the EBG "double room for single room price" than on the internet.

RZGP (or at least the implementation of it) seems a bit of a joke to me and I question Rezidor SAS' strategy in this matter...

Welcome back from your "rep", tommy. did you get caught up in the lovely weather up north?

How exactly you do that? Do you call the hotel directly or what? Or do you simply book for one person and show up and ask for a double room?

I call the Radisson SAS number in Norway (since that's where I live...) and ask them the price for a room for two and then how much it is with the "EBG-discount". Last time, in LIS, the "EBG-rate" was even 10% lower than the published single room rate(!), making it a very good deal indeed.

(In fact, considering that we then got an upgrade to a junior suite and ended up not paying (Hotel screw-up + 100% satisfaction guarantee) it was probably the best hotel deal I've had yet...)

Thanks for the info, Morradi. I�ll try that the next time when I am to about to book a hotel in a city where RadissonSAS has a hotel.

Great to be back! The weather was not so windy inland, but it was bad enough.

At least I didn't get caught in the cry baby SAS pilot strike

Just stayed at Radisson Berlin, quite new nice hotel, but EBG recognition was 0....**Also read in February Scanorama on the flight BRE-CPH, Mr Lindegaardards editorial,about Rezidor Sas hotels, and how good they are etc.., it was a very long advertising page with all details about each and every hotel. And also information about get more and goldpoints programmes, however nothing mentioned about eurobonus !!!???

I stopped staying at Radisson SAS quite a long time ago already because it was just useless for me. Today I was making a hotel reservation - hmmm, Radisson SAS with EBG or Hilton with Hilton Gold ... quite an easy decision

I used to think so too, but with Hilton soon requiring three times as many points to book an award room in the Scandinavian capitals things look a little different. Still just considering this latest move though.

Well, I have one problem with all of these frequent traveller programs - I do not basically use their points for anything. I am using EB points only for upgrades, Diners Club points only for when I am transferring them to EB. AMEX MR just stay in the account. Starwood and Hilton the same thing.

I am only looking for instant benefits (upgrades, better position on waiting lists etc.) on different programs.

That is the reason why Hilton Gold is superior compared to Radisson SAS + EBG. With Hilton I have received a recognization every time so far, with EBG I haven't received anything special for quite some time now (last straw was when they knew that we were SAS guests and they did nothing for us besides allowing us to use SAS fare for the stay during ARN DO).