If you have an account with Radisson Americas, you no doubt have received an email telling you that you have until July 18th to redeem your points via current scheme. After that they will automatically be folded into Choice program.
First things first. Many folks are wondering whether they should transfer their points to the global Radisson program while they still can. I strongly recommend against it, as they will only be worth 0.2 cents per point there. That’s not great, and IMO you will be better off parking them in Choice program via 2:1 ratio even if you don’t have any idea on where to burn them right now.
Contrary to popular belief, there are actually quite a few decent Choice properties in the US, and if your travel plans align, you can do very well in Europe and Asia. I’ve just applied for Choice credit card, and look forward to burning my stash at a renovated property in London that costs 20k points per night.
I’ve also recently stayed in Comfort Inn Roppongi where you can get a fairly large room (by Tokyo standards) for only 16k Choice points per night. I’ll have a review later, but needless to say, you likely won’t find a better deal by liquidating your Radisson points at only 0.2 cents apiece. That’s just too low, and regular readers know I’m usually very conservative when assigning value to hotel points.
Of course, it’s impossible to predict what the future holds, as Choice program may be gutted tomorrow. Many decisions in this hobby involve a leap of faith. So, the decision is yours.
Can you burn Radisson Americas points on Radisson properties right now?
The email stated that until July 18th it’s business as usual. That means you can use your Radisson points at current rates, and your reservations will be honored. I’m not sure what will happen if you have to cancel your reservation after July 18th, though my assumption is that the refunded points will be converted automatically via 2:1 ratio. But I probably would not make too many speculative reservations, as you may end up with a mess on your hands.
Radisson doesn’t have a big footprint in US, and this has been a program in decline for the last six years or so. In fact, that’s why I cancelled my Radisson card a long time ago. Nevertheless, there are some niche redemptions that may work with your existing travel plans. I’ve recently stayed at Radisson Hotel Seattle Airport property after our flight from Tokyo, and it wasn’t too bad. The rooms were recently remodeled, and very clean. They also allowed us to check in at 10 AM, and for that I am very grateful.
My only two complaints are somewhat poor insulation between rooms, plus the fact that the website did not have a notice on the pool closure. Neither is a deal breaker, though. Originally, I planned to burn my leftover 60k Radisson points for one night at Radisson Miami Beach. However, I noticed that Radisson near Seattle airport was discounted to 30k points per night for my dates (usually costs 45k points). In fact, this rate is valid through July 16th.
Anyway, since I needed two rooms, I figured this would be a better use of my points. Plus, since it’s the closest hotel to Sea-Tac, it would be very convenient for our 7:30 AM flight to Orlando the following morning. I guess that’s why it’s so expensive.
There are quite a few Radisson properties in US located near airports, so this could be a good way to liquidate your stash once and for all. Sure, they likely won’t be fancy, but come on, it’s an airport hotel! Before our flight to Japan, we stayed in Holiday Inn Express LAX, and it looked like the wall in our room was smeared with blood. Or maybe it was ketchup.
Would I still recommend it? Sure. The room was otherwise clean, and the complimentary breakfast was much appreciated.
One hotel we’ve stayed at a few times is Radisson Suite Hotel Oceanfront in Melbourne (an hour from Orlando airport). Last time we got a remodeled suite with a tile floor.
It’s not perfect, but still a solid choice for families, since you get a bedroom with a separate door. It normally costs 60k Radisson points, though is discounted to 40k points for stays during the next two weeks. While 60k points per night is a lot, it’s not that bad if you plan to vacation in Florida during spring break.
So, my advice is to look at your upcoming plans and see if you can leverage Radisson stash to your advantage. If you can score a property for 15k points, that’s a tremendous win, as you would only be foregoing 7.5k Choice points. That’s almost nothing.
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
My experience with Radisson and Choice also shows that this will be a significant devaluation.
But why is Radisson global such a bad value? I’m seriously asking ) and don’t really know that program). I have 900,000 Radisson Americans points and need to decide, but I also have 500,000 Choice points already. Thanks for your help and advice!!!
@Tim The biggest issue with Radisson Global is that they had an unannounced devaluation last year. https://awardwallet.com/blog/radisson-rewards-worldwide-devaluation/ They did away with an award chart and all hotels are now priced dynamically. The value you can get is between 0.15 cents and 0.28 cents per point. Plus, don’t forget that you are foregoing cash back portal rewards etc. Imo, it’s quite low compared to what you can potentially get in Choice program. Emphasis on the word “potentially.” I would say each Choice point is speculatively worth at least 0.5 cents, and it’s not that hard to get 0.8 cents in value (or more) without looking too hard. You are absolutely right that Choice may devalue right after they absorb Radisson Americas, anything is possible. I can’t tell you what to do. You are in a unique situation because you already have a decent stash of Choice points. So it could make sense to hedge your bets and transfer to Radisson Global. If you see a specific Radisson hotel that you like, and you have firm plans to travel to that location, perhaps it makes sense to just transfer points and be done with it. As they say, a bird in a hand and all that. Some Radisson Global hotels can get you close to 0.3 cents per point, and that’s not terrible. Again, the decision is yours, as I have no idea what the future holds.
Nice post Leana! How’d you decide to stay at the Comfort Inn Roppongi instead of some of the other options in Tokyo? I’m looking at the Comfort Inns at Kanda and Nihombashi and it’s hard to decide!
@bc Thanks for reading! You are going to laugh, but I didn’t even use hotel points on that Comfort Inn. I used up Radisson points on our hotel in Seattle and didn’t yet get my bonus on Choice card. I felt so silly, as I had all kinds of non-chain options.
Fortunately, the price was good ($95 per night) and we needed two rooms. As to why I chose it: mainly location, but also the fact that we could get a large room (335 square feet) for a relatively low price. We were only going to be in Tokyo for two nights, and had plans in Odaiba, Shinjuku, Akihabara and Harajuku. Basically, all over the place. So that location in Roppongi made a lot of sense, though it may not be the best fit for you. I was happy with the hotel, especially considering the price paid. However, our room did face a busy street, so it was a bit noisy at night. Not too bad, though. Overall, I give this hotel two thumbs up if you are just looking for a place to sleep.
If you can get one of their large rooms for 16k Choice points per night, it’s a stellar deal, especially during high season. But it is a basic hotel, so make sure to have reasonable expectations. If you are looking for something special, go elsewhere. I’m not sure how it compares to other Comfort Inn options in Tokyo, so if you don’t care about Roppongi location, they may be just as good.
Thanks for the detailed response! Can’t beat a price like that and it sounds like it met your needs. Prices look to be higher when I go in April, so I bought some Choice points on Daily Getaways and it seems to be a great value. I’m hoping to see more Japan posts, I love your perspective on the trip!
No worries! There will be more Japan posts to come over the coming weeks.
I definitely think it’s a great deal for 16k Choice points, especially if you bought them via Daily Getaways. If you decide to get it, make sure to look for type of room that fits 5 and reserve it as soon as your dates open up. They only have 3 or 4 of them. I wish the program let you book beyond 100 days, but it is what it is. The Choice website doesn’t specify square footage, but that’s the type you want if you would like more space.