Radisson reviews following my VIP status upgrade

[TomNI]

Any experience recently in the Radisson RED Madrid?

[bthere79]

TomNI wrote:

Any experience recently in the Radisson RED Madrid?

stayed there one night earlier this year, booked the cheapest room and got upgraded to a suite

hotel, room and breakfast were all very very good, i’d definitely stay again

[travelersolo]

Rob Burgess wrote:

Radisson Blu Hamburg Airport

Membership was recognised at check in counter

Upgrades? Yes, booked Standard and upgraded up to top tier (Premium), albeit not to a suite

Lounge? No

Welcome gift? Had a card saying ‘enjoy your welcome gift’ but no gift was there! Checked in at 11pm so did not chase.

Breakfast – typical German buffet, would have cost €22 each for cash

Late check out? Not required

Was amused to receive 300 points for the stay (bill was only €33 as part paid on points) meaning I now have 45p to put towards my next stay 🙂

Price literally halved between booking and stay date (€280 to €140) as a note to all those people who think I’m mad for always booking refundable rates ….

i was recently given 120k points as compensation due to an issue with my room – approx worth £180?

[AnotherUser]

bthere79 wrote:

TomNI wrote:

Any experience recently in the Radisson RED Madrid?

stayed there one night earlier this year, booked the cheapest room and got upgraded to a suite

hotel, room and breakfast were all very very good, i’d definitely stay again

Stayed there when I had premium status – wasn’t expecting and didn’t get an upgrade, but agree it’s a nice hotel

[AnotherUser]

Any recent experience at the Radisson Blu Royal Dublin?

[Dave1895]

I was looking forward to updating you all on our stay booked at Radisson Blu Sydney CBD next week (family of four). However, without a word from Radisson, earlier this week I received an email from “Paradox Sydney” saying they looked forward to our stay next week. And sure enough when I log into my Radisson account “no upcoming stays”.

From googling, it turns out Radisson have sold the hotel as at 1-Jul-2025. A courtesy email from Radisson might have been nice!

So I’m guessing my VIP status won’t count for anything with Paradox.

It’s a real shame as one of the main reason we picked this hotel for our family was the VIP perks (Lounge access, free breakfast and guaranteed room upgrade). Clearly I’m going to try to get Paradox to honour these, but I sense my chances may be slim (especially arriving at 10pm) and frankly spending time haggling at the front desk isn’t an appealing start to the holiday (although I’ll still do it, much to the embarrassment of my wife and kids).

I guess I should at least be grateful that paradox are honouring the basics booking, so at least we have somewhere to stay, but pretty frustrating a week out from flying.

[Pangolin]

Dave1895 wrote:

I was looking forward to updating you all on our stay booked at Radisson Blu Sydney CBD next week (family of four). However, without a word from Radisson, earlier this week I received an email from “Paradox Sydney” saying they looked forward to our stay next week. And sure enough when I log into my Radisson account “no upcoming stays”.

From googling, it turns out Radisson have sold the hotel as at 1-Jul-2025. A courtesy email from Radisson might have been nice!

So I’m guessing my VIP status won’t count for anything with Paradox.

It’s a real shame as one of the main reason we picked this hotel for our family was the VIP perks (Lounge access, free breakfast and guaranteed room upgrade). Clearly I’m going to try to get Paradox to honour these, but I sense my chances may be slim (especially arriving at 10pm) and frankly spending time haggling at the front desk isn’t an appealing start to the holiday (although I’ll still do it, much to the embarrassment of my wife and kids).

I guess I should at least be grateful that paradox are honouring the basics booking, so at least we have somewhere to stay, but pretty frustrating a week out from flying.

Radisson will still be able to see the reservation number in their system if it’s booked Flex and you want to cancel it.

Someone from FlyerTalk just posted this: “As we’re now an independent hotel under the Paradox brand, Radisson Rewards benefits (such as earning or redeeming points) no longer apply to your upcoming stay with us. However, if you’re staying before the end of this year, we’ll continue to honour select* Radisson Rewards benefits as a gesture of goodwill.”

So maybe you could email back and ask them to specify which RR benefits they will be honouring for those that booked under Radisson.

[Dave1895]

Thanks Pangolin I’ve emailed them to ask

Pangolin wrote:

Dave1895 wrote:

I was looking forward to updating you all on our stay booked at Radisson Blu Sydney CBD next week (family of four). However, without a word from Radisson, earlier this week I received an email from “Paradox Sydney” saying they looked forward to our stay next week. And sure enough when I log into my Radisson account “no upcoming stays”.

Thanks Pangolin, I’ve emailed them to ask.

From googling, it turns out Radisson have sold the hotel as at 1-Jul-2025. A courtesy email from Radisson might have been nice!

So I’m guessing my VIP status won’t count for anything with Paradox.

It’s a real shame as one of the main reason we picked this hotel for our family was the VIP perks (Lounge access, free breakfast and guaranteed room upgrade). Clearly I’m going to try to get Paradox to honour these, but I sense my chances may be slim (especially arriving at 10pm) and frankly spending time haggling at the front desk isn’t an appealing start to the holiday (although I’ll still do it, much to the embarrassment of my wife and kids).

I guess I should at least be grateful that paradox are honouring the basics booking, so at least we have somewhere to stay, but pretty frustrating a week out from flying.

Radisson will still be able to see the reservation number in their system if it’s booked Flex and you want to cancel it.

Someone from FlyerTalk just posted this: “As we’re now an independent hotel under the Paradox brand, Radisson Rewards benefits (such as earning or redeeming points) no longer apply to your upcoming stay with us. However, if you’re staying before the end of this year, we’ll continue to honour select* Radisson Rewards benefits as a gesture of goodwill.”

So maybe you could email back and ask them to specify which RR benefits they will be honouring for those that booked under Radisson.

[Dave1895]

Just by way of an update, I emailed Paradox, and they have confirmed they are honouring all benefits for pre-existing bookings up to 31-Dec-2025 (other than points accrual and redemptions). So that’s good news for us. Thanks for the info Pangolin.

[kelcoll]

Morning all,

We’re staying in the Radisson Blu in Amsterdam City Centre at the start of August. Does anyone have any experience of the VIP rewards in this hotel and how soon before your trip did you notice the upgrade in the app?

Thanks in advance.

[GLADave]

Radisson Blu Nairobi Arboretum

Membership was recognised at check in counter

Upgrade? Yes, Superior room to Suite

Lounge? Yes on ground floor, food 10-10, happy hour 5.30 – 7.30

Welcome gift? Fruit and daily water

Breakfast – Yes, all you would expect

Late check out? Yes till 4pm

[Hertsman]

Hotel: Park Inn by Radisson Central Tallinn (4 nights – June)
Room Booked: Superior room with Balcony.
Upgraded? No.
Lounge Access: No lounge.
Welcome gift: Bar of Estonian chocolate & 2 bottles of mineral water handed over whilst checking in.
Service: excellent.
Breakfast: Average food offering. Size of area too small for number of guests with queue back up to near reception some days. Despite the free VIP breakfast, we didn’t bother most days.
Comments: Average hotel. 10-15 mins walk to central old town with restaurants & bars though plenty of Bolt/Ubers on hand to get around.
Would we stay again? Probably not – would choose a higher category hotel.

Hotel: Radisson Blu Elizabete Hotel, Riga (4 Nights- July)
Room Booked: Superior Room – Park View
Upgraded? No.
Lounge Access: No lounge
Welcome gift: 2 drinks vouchers.
Service: excellent.
Breakfast: OK.
Late Check out: Yes -3pm.
Comments: Nice hotel.10-15 mins walk through park to central old town with restaurants & bars. Plenty of Bolt/Ubers on hand to get around local area.
Would we stay again? Yes.

[meta]

@Hertsman Were the hotels full that you did not get an upgrade? And if not, did you ask?

[Hertsman]

Hotel: Radisson Beach Resort Larnaca (Apr-May 6 Nts)
Rooms Booked: Superior Room – Balcony – Sea View.
Upgraded? Yes: – upgraded to swim up pool room for 2 nights & then Junior Suite for 4 nights (Junior suite was offered for 7 nights but had to come home early).
Lounge Access: No lounge
Welcome gift: Tray with various teas (Asian) in room.
Service: Excellent.
Breakfast: Excellent with various choices to suit all.
Comments: Nice hotel but location means you will need to use local buses (stop outside front of hotel) or have hire care (which we did). Parking in front of hotel free of charge. There are a Pizza hut, Indian restaurant and a large Café Nero very close if that’s your thing.
Would we stay again? Yes.

[Hertsman]

meta wrote:

@Hertsman Were the hotels full that you did not get an upgrade? And if not, did you ask?

Yes, hotels both full!

[LeeG]

Hotel: Park Inn by Radisson Central Tallinn (4 nights – June)
Room Booked: Superior room with Balcony.
Upgraded? No.
Lounge Access: No lounge.
Welcome gift: Bar of Estonian chocolate & 2 bottles of mineral water handed over whilst checking in.
Service: excellent.
Breakfast: Average food offering. Size of area too small for number of guests with queue back up to near reception some days. Despite the free VIP breakfast, we didn’t bother most days.
Comments: Average hotel. 10-15 mins walk to central old town with restaurants & bars though plenty of Bolt/Ubers on hand to get around.
Would we stay again? Probably not – would choose a higher category hotel.

Hotel: Radisson Blu Manchester Airport (1 Night – July)
Room Booked: 2 Standard Rooms booked by 2 VIP members
Upgraded? Yes – 1 Executive with runway view, 1 Executive
Lounge Access: Yes, small hot items, cold meats and cheese till 7pm, beer, wine and basic spirits till 9pm. Arived at 5.30pm and both were already being served.
Welcome gift: 2 187ml red wine bottles in both rooms.
Service: Limited interactions, but all good.
Breakfast: Good buffet.
Late Check out: Not needed.
Comments: Nice hotel, a step up from the Crowne Plaza.
Would we stay again? Yes.

[Pebbles]

A few recent ones from me…

Name: Radisson Hotel & Conference Heathrow
City: Heathrow, London
Upgraded? Paid for a “cosy room”, got upgraded to one that was definitely bigger and had a superb view of the car park.
Breakfast: Yes, eventually; was told I had free breakfast when checking in. When I went down to breakfast the lady on the desk definitely did not know about this. But all got sorted out in the end.
Welcome gift: I got two bottles of water in my room. Slightly disappointed as last time I stayed I got a cupcake! Also got two free drinks vouchers for the bar.
Stay duration: 1 night

Name: Radisson Red Gatwick
City: Gatwick airport, London
Upgraded? No, paid for a basic room and that’s what I got.
Breakfast: Yes. I didn’t get any acknowledgement of status at check-in – although in fairness I think this was because the staff on the desk didn’t speak very much English – but I decided to chance breakfast and I was on the list.
Welcome gift: Nope
Stay duration: 1 night

Name: Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel, Jersey
City: St Helier, Jersey
Upgraded? Yes, paid for the cheapest room and got upgraded to a premier one with a sea view. Was honestly very surprised and impressed by this as I was staying over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend and the hotel seemed very busy.
Breakfast: Yes, and it was a really good breakfast 🙂
Welcome gift: Two free drinks vouchers for the bar
Stay duration: 3 nights

[Waffles1]

Pebbles wrote:

A few recent ones from me…

Name: Radisson Hotel & Conference Heathrow
City: Heathrow, London
Upgraded? Paid for a “cosy room”, got upgraded to one that was definitely bigger and had a superb view of the car park.
Breakfast: Yes, eventually; was told I had free breakfast when checking in. When I went down to breakfast the lady on the desk definitely did not know about this. But all got sorted out in the end.
Welcome gift: I got two bottles of water in my room. Slightly disappointed as last time I stayed I got a cupcake! Also got two free drinks vouchers for the bar.
Stay duration: 1 night

I stay here for at least 2 nights a month for work – they never “officially” add breakfast to your room on VIP, but I find just showing them your app on your phone and they’ll let you through with no issues.
In terms of the welcome gift, it used to be a cupcake, small coke and a bar of chocolate, then they moved to a small (3 unit) bag of fizzy strawberries with the free water now front and centre. On my last trip I didn’t get anything.

Recommendation though, if the RED isn’t too much more and you have VIP, then you’ll get Lounge access on the 5th floor with free drinks and nibbles between 6 and 8.

[alex256]

Hotel: Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, Daugava Riga
Room Booked: Superior room.
Upgraded? Yes – to Junior Suite – River and Old Town View.
Lounge Access: No lounge.
Welcome gift: Local beer and some snack.
Breakfast: Yes, and I liked it.
Late Check out: Not needed
Comments: Hotel itself looks a little bit old but room was renovated and modern.
Would we stay again? Yes.

[RonnieB]

Can anyone offer a preference for either Park Plaza Riverbank or Waterloo in London?
Both same price

Thanks

[Wilfo]

A few recent ones from me

Name: Radisson RED Hotel, London Heathrow
City: London
VIP Acknowledged at check in? Yes
Upgraded? Yes, Standard room to Executive room
Lounge Access: Yes, good selection of snacks and drinks
Welcome gift: A bag of gummies and water
Breakfast: Yes, 7.5/10. The breakfast selection was solid but nothing extraordinary.
Late Check out: Not needed.
Comments: £108 paid for 1 night. My room was clean, modern and comfortable. Gym and pool are also pretty good.
Overall rating: 8.5/10. Would definitely stay again.

Name: Radisson Blu Hotel, London Heathrow
City: London
VIP Acknowledged at check in? Yes
Upgraded? Yes, Standard room to Premium room
Lounge Access: No
Welcome gift: No
Breakfast: Yes, 8/10. The buffet and my a la carte eggs were both pretty good.
Late Check out: Reluctantly given till 12pm. My initial request was denied by the staff member without even asking for my room number. I was a bit confused since the Radisson website was showing plenty of room availability for the night. I pressed further and was reluctantly given a 12pm checkout time. Did a manager tell the staff that no late checkouts were to be granted? I’m not sure why it was such an issue.
Comments: £111 paid for 1 night. The bed was comfortable but the room was showing signs of wear and a bit tired looking. The gym was very modern and spacious though.
Overall rating: 7.5/10. Hard to choose this over the Radisson Red. I hope they offer better upgrades in the future because the premium room and standard room seem identical.

Name: Name: Stanhill Court Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals
City/ Town: Horley, near Gatwick Airport
VIP Acknowledged at check in? Yes
Upgraded? Yes, Standard room to Junior Suite
Lounge Access: No
Welcome gift: Water
Breakfast: Yes, 6.5/10. The buffet selection was a bit on the smaller side
Late Check out: Not needed.
Comments: £90 paid for 1 night. The Junior Suite was on the smaller side but the room was beautiful and stylish.
Overall rating: 8/10. Would definitely stay again if upgraded to Junior Suite.

Name: Radisson Blu Hotel, London Canary Wharf East
City: London
VIP Acknowledged at check in? Yes
Upgraded? Yes, Standard room to One Bedroom Suite
Lounge Access: No
Welcome gift: No
Breakfast: Yes, 9.5/10. Excellent buffet and a la carte options. The scrambled eggs were incredible as well. Fantastic river views from the restaurant as well.
Late Check out: Asked for 1pm checkout but only given till 12pm. I was told to pay £25 per hour after 12pm.
Comments: £130 paid for 1 night. The suite, breakfast and hotel gym were all excellent.
Overall rating: 9/10, very good stay.

[Tomacat2]

RonnieB wrote:

Can anyone offer a preference for either Park Plaza Riverbank or Waterloo in London?
Both same price

Thanks

Haven’t tried waterloo but park plaza is okay with a tesco not too far and there is a lounge but not accessible for vip as there is a charge. breakfast can get busy and ideally if getting upgraded aim for a room with a balcony for the views.

[saracco.giorgio]

Name: Radisson Collection Hotel, Warsaw
City: Warsaw
VIP Acknowledged at check in? Went to priority check-in, was told nothing in particular regarding my status.
Upgraded? Yes at check-in but was not told anything in particular; had to look for rooms on the website to figure out which one we were given. “Collection room” with no breakfast (standard room) to “Executive Room with Lounge Access – City Center View” with breakfast. Room was on the second-to-last floor, the 9th, which is dubbed “Member’s floor”. Lounge was on the same floor.
Lounge Access: Yes 6 am to 10 pm. Snacks throughout the day, selection of cheese, vegetables, and hot food from 5pm to 8pm (alcoholic beverages from 6pm to 8pm)
Welcome gift: Three bottles of still water and two Lindt chocolates
Breakfast: Yes, 9.5/10.
Early Check in: Not granted at arrival (showed up at 1:30pm, but did not ask beforehand).
Late Check out: Not needed.
Comments: 130 euros per night (3 nights stay). Upgraded room w/breakfast (for 2 persons) would have costed around 150 euros more per night.
My room was clean, modern and comfortable. Gym and pool are also pretty good.
Overall rating: 9/10. Would stay again.

Points, nights, and stay were immediately credited after check-out on the RH app.

[Pangolin]

saracco.giorgio wrote:

Name: Radisson Collection Hotel, Warsaw
City: Warsaw
VIP Acknowledged at check in? Went to priority check-in, was told nothing in particular regarding my status.
Upgraded? Yes at check-in but was not told anything in particular; had to look for rooms on the website to figure out which one we were given. “Collection room” with no breakfast (standard room) to “Executive Room with Lounge Access – City Center View” with breakfast. Room was on the second-to-last floor, the 9th, which is dubbed “Member’s floor”. Lounge was on the same floor.
Lounge Access: Yes 6 am to 10 pm. Snacks throughout the day, selection of cheese, vegetables, and hot food from 5pm to 8pm (alcoholic beverages from 6pm to 8pm)
Welcome gift: Three bottles of still water and two Lindt chocolates
Breakfast: Yes, 9.5/10.
Early Check in: Not granted at arrival (showed up at 1:30pm, but did not ask beforehand).
Late Check out: Not needed.
Comments: 130 euros per night (3 nights stay). Upgraded room w/breakfast (for 2 persons) would have costed around 150 euros more per night.
My room was clean, modern and comfortable. Gym and pool are also pretty good.
Overall rating: 9/10. Would stay again.

Points, nights, and stay were immediately credited after check-out on the RH app.

The lounge is open from 0600 now? I was there in the spring and it wasn’t open until 1100. They said they don’t serve breakfast there. That wasn’t an issue for me as the breakfast in the main restaurant is really good.

[AnotherUser]

Name: Radisson Blu Royal
City: Dublin
VIP Acknowledged at check in? Yes
Upgraded? Yes, Standard room to a big junior suite with balcony
Lounge Access: no lounge
Welcome gift: a fruit bowl
Breakfast: very good. Good made to order pancakes and omelettes. Warm pastries. Nice overnight oats. Cooked breakfast selection mostly decent. Nice room to eat it in, and not overcrowded.
Late Check out: 3pm granted no problem
Comments:
– lovely spa with hydrotherapy pool, but charges 20 euros per person per visit if booked at same time as room. Worth at least one visit in my opinion!
– excellent location. Central, but the streets by the hotel are quiet.
– room would have felt very luxurious (very big, lots of marble, includes a balcony) but there were maintenance issues. Air con wasn’t working well, one of three sinks didn’t work.
– staff keen to be helpful, but not always the most organised. Several issues with billing, which still may not have been resolved (not major – I might end up charged 30 euros more than expected – but frustrating).
– comfy bed, good linen.
– I’d go back if it wasn’t due to be hot (most of the time in Dublin!) With discount booster the room ended up costing about the same as a sub-20 square meter room in many other central 4* places, so was excellent value. Overall, was a v nice place to stay.