Massive Club Carlson devaluation decimates European redemptions

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

• Fred says:

  5 May5 May 13:34

  This hotel group’s programme management is incapable, probably it’s full of useless people.

  They never make any announcement on important changes to members, not even to Concierge/Gold. Giving out too many points and they start several devaluations. I will never consider staying at Carlson properties though I have been Concierge due to business since it’s introduced.

• Lloyd says:

  5 May5 May 15:19

  When I saw the post I got that sinking feeling as I was planning to redeem today! Although the changes to not apply for a while, luckily I’m not affected in any case.

  I’ve always placed a far lower valuation to Raffles (£5/1,000).
  I’ve just booked 4 nights redemption in Athens for 152,000. Lowest cash price (albeit prepaid rate so more restrictive) is £372 so I would value at about £2.50 a point (rising to £3.00 on the same booking basis). Sure, there are far better redemptions out there, but the above is a real world example of somewhere I want to go rather than extracting maximum value out of my points.

  • Rob says:

    5 May5 May 15:51

    I agree. The ‘£5 per 1000’ is what is achievable at the top or bottom end on an expensive day. I am at a Radisson in Stockholm on Sunday and Monday and am paying cash because the 44,000 points required is a bad deal compared to the cash price – especially given the current ‘triple points’ offer.

• Stephen says:

  5 May5 May 15:31

  I take it you could book today at 50k for Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, for example, and move it after June 1st if you don’t yet know when you want it and still retain the 50k price?

  • Rob says:

    5 May5 May 15:49

    Not certain, but it might work and is certainly worth a punt given that redemptions can be cancelled with no fees.

    • Alan says:

      6 May6 May 01:08

      Although it didn’t work last time with the devaluation – I had a Mayfair booking at 50k and if although I was free to cancel it, if I changed the date it would go up to 70k.

• The_Real_A says:

  6 May6 May 00:13

  I nearly fell off my seat when i saw the Raddison Blu in Bergen at Cat 7. My current Ibis is more comfortable. I can only think the hotels must be full with cash bookings. This cannot be a true reflection of value.

  • Alan says:

    6 May6 May 01:10

    Indeed – could be interesting if hotels then find redemptions falling off a cliff. I know some properties in NYC had issues following the Hilton deval where they were too highly priced (as under most points schemes the properties get recompensed quite nicely on redemption bookings made when they’re already quite busy).

• RIccati says:

  8 May8 May 01:11

  Definitely represents devaluation and creep up, as all city centre properties are moving into Category 7 — they look at other central holels and are saying “we want it too”. This is so transparent.

  • JamesWag says:

    10 May10 May 11:17

    I have only just triggered the 20,000 points on my new Amex Gold card and was intending to exchange for 60,000 CC points. This added to about 20,000 CCpoints I’ve just earned was going to be the start of my saving up for a few days away somewhere nice.
    Now having seen this AND the article Raffles recently ran on Etihad Guest, I’m tossing up between sticking with CC or transferring all of these to Etihad Guest (which I’m not a member of yet).

    I’ve been into Avios for 15+ years and have had some stunningly good redemptions, and some pretty average but useful ones along the way but CC was going to be my first foray into hotel points in a serious way.
    I probably don’t stay enough to make it seriously worthwhile but directing the (less than) 6/7 nights a year I could stay in a CC hotel their way could have added up over time.

    Hmmm… If I am going to go the Etihad route I’ll have to do it soon to take advantage of the current 25% bonus Raffles wrote about.

    Grrr…

    Not going to get to use any Etihad points this year for a holiday flight mind you as already have three holidays booked with Qatar thanks to their Globetrotter promotion 🙂

    Should get myself Platinim Privilege this year (Emerald One World) and a couple of hundred thousand QMiles which’ll be nice. Plus a few glasses of Krug for breakfast 🙂

    What are peoples’ thoughts on me sticking with CC or transferring to Etihad ? A first class one way does sound like quite a treat but perhaps the CC points will prove more useful in the long run.

    By the way, I haven’t seen this mentioned here (or any blogs); I have gained CC Gold elite status by purchasing 200 Rezidor shares (CC hotels’ umbrella company) and emailing their customer services with a copy of the invoice / statement.
    Bit of a gamble of course but my shares are up so far, easily covering my dealing costs and more.
    Have enjoyed the welcome gift & a room upgrade (to business – with club lounge acces) on my first Radisson Blu stay already 🙂

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.