Why Radisson Rewards points are suddenly a decent option for New York hotel redemptions
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On Friday we wrote about the insanely generous (if it fits your stay patterns) promotion that Radisson Rewards is running this Spring. Our article is here. You can register here.
By coincidence, I got an email on Friday announcing the opening of the brand new Radisson Hotel New York Times Square.
Historically, if you had a pot of Radisson Rewards points from your Radisson, Park Inn and Park Plaza stays, New York was a poor place to use them.
The main option was the Radisson Martinique on Broadway. Unfortunately (for Radisson members) it joined Hilton’s Curio Collection. Sinead stayed at what is now the Martinique New York on Broadway, Curio Collection by Hilton a couple of weeks ago and we will be reviewing it soon.
If I’d written this article a year ago, your only Radisson option in New York would have been the hotel at JFK Airport.
Radisson has now three options in New York
The newest hotel, which officially opened last week, is Radisson Hotel New York Times Square. This is on 8th Avenue.
(EDIT, August 2021: This hotel is no longer a Radisson. In record time it deflagged and became Hub Hotel Times Square.)
It is a new build, not a conversion, which is generally a good sign in terms of build quality. It is two blocks from both Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, in what is known as Midtown West. It has 320 rooms, of which 70 have Empire State Building views.
There is also a seasonal rooftop cocktail bar which takes in the Empire State Building, the Hudson Yards development including The Edge observation deck and the Hudson River.
Radisson has opened two other New York hotels in the last 12 months:
Radisson Hotel New York Wall Street
Radisson Hotel New York Midtown – 5th Avenue
Both of these were previously operating under the ‘Club Quarters’ brand.
What does it cost to redeem at these hotels?
All three of these hotels cost 70,000 Radisson Rewards points per night. This is the maximum that Radisson Rewards will charge for a standard room.
The Radisson Rewards website is here if you want to learn more about how the scheme works.
As you can convert American Express Membership Rewards points at 1:3 into Radisson Rewards, you are looking at 23,333 Amex points per night. This is not a bad deal at peak times, with the new Times Square property selling for over $400 in June. That said, at off peak times you are better paying cash.
Remember that Radisson Rewards has one great feature – ‘premium room redemptions’. Hotels are encouraged to make larger rooms available for a slightly higher reward price.
(The most extreme example of this is the Radisson Blu Waterfront Cape Town hotel, which – for 87,500 points per night – will give you a two bedroom suite.)
Your options for ‘premium room redemptions’ in NYC are:
Times Square offers a ‘Business Class room’ for 105,000 points per night, but it is simply a standard room with additional benefits included
Wall Street offers a ‘Studio Suite’ for 105,000 points per night
Midtown offers a ‘Studio Suite’ for 105,000 points per night – which looks huge looking at the website picture
Radisson Rewards has never been a key programme for me, to be honest, even though I get Radisson Rewards Gold status via my American Express Platinum card. These new hotels do offer good options for anyone with a lot of American Express points, or indeed planning 15 stays for the current Radisson promotion to bag 150,000 bonus points.
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How to earn Radisson Rewards points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)
Radisson Rewards does not have a dedicated UK credit card. However, you can earn Radisson Rewards points by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.
These cards earn Membership Rewards points:
- American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 60,000 Radisson Rewards points. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
- The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 150,000 Radisson Rewards points
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
- American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 30,000 Radisson Rewards points. This card is FREE for life.
Membership Rewards points convert at 1:3 into Radisson Rewards points which is a very attractive rate. The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 3 Radisson Rewards points.
Even better, holders of The Platinum Card receive free Radisson Rewards Premium status for as long as they hold the card. It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status.
We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here. You can apply here.
Got a small business?
You can get free top-tier Radisson Rewards VIP status with the new Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card for small business. Clck here to apply.
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
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