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Any experiences with the Radisson Blu Edinburgh?
I was just there 2 weeks ago for a long weekend, booked basic and received a free upgrade to premium room with a nice view of the Royal Mile and Arthur’s Seat – best non-suite room available at the property) – also got cupcakes and yummy things in the room as a welcome gift.
Free breakfast for my GF and I – it was one of the best hotel brekkies I’ve had in a long time. Morning service was top notch.
On my last morning I asked for late check-out, was given a ‘slightly reluctant’ 1400 latest possible check-out time which was fine but I feel that this should’ve been offered upon check-in by the system recognising me as VIP rather than me chasing it afterwards and having to ‘invoke’ my right to it as VIP member – offering it at check-in would even allow the hotel better planning – but that’s ok, it was given and it was the only very minor hiccup in an otherwise excellent stay.
Very happy with the service and the benefits of this upgrade, not sure if all Radisson Blu properties are this good, but will be staying at Radisson hotels whenever possible if this level is kept up.
Upgrades and late check outs are not a VIP “right” but subject to availability. It is the same with all other hotel membership benefits. I suspect this was why you were offered a slightly reluctant 14:00. It is depending on whether the room would be required on the day.
Yes it amazes me sometimes how people expect the earth from their free status!!
On the same subject, heading to STockholm Radisson Blu Waterfront next week, any experiences of that property? It looks appealing.
Recently completed a three night stay at Radisson Blu Sydney, one of only two Radissons in Australia the other is in Melbourne.
Booked an entry level room and was upgraded to a higher floor with it seemed a larger bathroom. In addition, club access. The club appeared to have three major F&B offerings throughout the day and whilst you probably couldn’t make a comprehensive lunch or dinner out of what is provided, the breakfast is essentially the same as that offered to all guests at the main buffet. You can ask for ala carte breakfast items to be delivered to the club.
Checkout time is 12pm as standard at RBS and that suited me.
Staff very friendly and it appeared to be a well run property. The room aesthetics are a little “sterile” imo and it gave me the vibe of a very nice private hospital room! Nothing wrong with this, but it seemed to be targeted at business travellers. There were a lot of cruise ship passengers passing through as well. The hotel is a few minutes walk from Sydney harbour but is set back into the CBD so no harbour views.
Yes it amazes me sometimes how people expect the earth from their free status!!
On the same subject, heading to STockholm Radisson Blu Waterfront next week, any experiences of that property? It looks appealing.
Excellent hotel.
VIP welcome gift should be some chocolates and a personalised welcome card. The breakfast is excellent. The kitchen will make gluten free pancakes on request. Late checkout should not be an issue if needed to 3-4pm. Always upgraded to a spacious room on high floor. The staff are incredibly friendly and helpful.The location is ideal if coming in from Arlanda on train or bus.
I’ve earned by vip via stays/nights and would rate this as one of my favourite radisson hotels.
Radisson Lyon probably the worst.
Manchester Airport Radisson Blu
Booked a standard room, upgraded to Executive Room with Lounge Access.
Lounge access – yes
Gifts- 2 small bottle of Red Wine
People who wants to use the gym or swim, it’s available but size is small. It is part of a health club for the public. Swimming pool is tinyyy.Overall, it was great for overnight stay for flight
Looking at Radisson properties currently in London.
How do you know if they have lounges? I cannot see this indicated anywhere on any of the properties..
When on a hotel or choice. I click the “discover services” button but there’s no icon or anything to suggest otherwise.
In the Radisson Rewards app, select ‘filter/sort’ when searching for stays- you can filter by services which includes ‘Executive Business Lounge’…. select apply then the serach results are updated and onlh hotels with an ‘Executive Business Lounge’ will be displayed
Radisson Blu Hotel, London South Kensington (formerly Vanderbilt)
Booked Standard Room- 1 level upgrade to Premium Room- this was the best available room at time of check-in.
It was hard to locate the room with poor signage.
The room had a private staircase and so was expecting impressed room but the room was very disappointing- tired with damaged furniture etc
No Executive Lounge.
No Welcome gift
Complimentary waters in room.
Not impressed albeit the location was good- chilled out vibe for London.
Radisson Blu Birmingham
First reserrvation as VIP member thanks to HfP!- previously Club Carlson Gold about 12 years back so interested to see how the experience would be now.
Booked Standard Room- 2 level upgrade to Premium Room located on 16th floor.
Large room though starting to look tired now.
No Executive Lounge.
Welcome gift- salted caramel popcorn.
Complimentary waters in room.
Fine overall and good value.
Radisson Blu Cardiff
Booked Standard Room- 4level upgrade to Junior Suite- best room category in the hotel and on a Saturday night- St. David day also!
A large Junior Suite located on 21st Floor with great views.
Good standard overall although the TVs weren’t working properly- have found the TVs to be shoddy on last 3 stays at Radisson Hotels- LG so good TVs think it is the user interface used by Radisson tbf.
No Welcome gift.
Complimentary waters in room.
Executive Lounge- located in the bar with seperate area- very poor evening food- canapés which had been eaten by the Hen Do and not replenished but looked paltry, no crisps but some great biscuits at least!
The drink selection was excellent with beers, wines, Prosecco and self-pour spirits including Aber Falls single malt Welsh whisky.
Would have been good to have some local beers also.
We enjoyed the complimentary breakfast with smoked salmon and enjoyable hot cooked items also.
Overall impressive stay and great value.
Out of 3 stays mixed bag so far-
Radisson Blu Birmingham- average
Radisson Blu Hotel, London South Kensington (formerly Vanderbilt)- not great.
Radisson Blu Cardiff- excellent.
As a Hilton Honors Diamond not sure would be swayed to move stays at this point- lack of hotels with Lounges and the Radisson Blu shine seems to wearing off from the early 2000s plus not as many hotels in the locations we stay.
Nonetheless a good elite status option for 20 nights…. not sure how good the Premium status would be but will try this next year on basis not expecting to retain VIP this year.
Name: Radisson Riyadh Airport
City: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Upgraded? Yes to a suite
Lounge Access: unknown, will ask next time.
Service: 10/10
Overall rating for price: I dont pay work do, however as its an airport hotel price varies wildly from $100 to $400 depending on how busy it is, on average 150-200$
Comments: I work in Saudi and often stay here upon arriving and leaving the country, even before I had VIP status, service is always very good here (alot more staff compared to UK Hotels). As it is a work booking, they dont always have my membership number. (technically i think benefits should only be gained when booked direct with Radisson). However, upon giving them my VIP number they are instantly even more polite, the suite upgrade is a lovely 2 floor 2 room apartment, and they often give me a choice of rooms to look at too. The free breakfast is an excellent western and arabic buffet with fantastic pastries.Any experiences with the Radisson Blu Edinburgh?
We stayed here on Sunday night. Upgraded from a standard room to a Premium Room, which was large (complete with large corner sofa) and had a view of Arthur’s Seat, plus tasty treats. Breakfast was good, although I had expected more, but the fresh bread was excellent so that made a good haggis and egg breakfast sandwich! Given the size of the hotel I wonder what happens when breakfast is busy as there didn’t seem to be enough space. The location is hard to beat, as long as you’re happy being at the top of the hill.
…heading to Stockholm Radisson Blu Waterfront next week, any experiences of that property? It looks appealing.
We stayed here a month ago. Upgraded from a standard room to a ‘Business Class’ room on the top floor with stunning views. Personalised message and some sweet treats. Breakfast is good with a wide selection. Being on top of the station is also handy. One of our best stays in 2025 so far.
Generally we are pleased with how the Radisson properties are working for us. Still mixing them with Hiltons, so shall see how the year pans out.
Name: Radisson Blu Arlandia
City: Stockholm Arlanda airport, Sweden
Upgraded? Yes to a ‘Premium’ room
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: I had to leave super early but they made me a takeaway breakfast
Welcome gift: some delicious saffron biscotti
Service: 10/10This hotel is convenient for Arlanda..you take the free bus a few mins from the airport. I booked the cheapest rate (very good value, much cheaper than the Radisson inside the terminal building) and got upgraded to a Premium room. I arrived well past midnight but they had prepared my upgraded room with welcome gift. It’s a nice hotel, service was very good.
Name: Radisson Blu Bodø
City: Bodø, Norway
Upgraded: Yes – from the cheapest room to a junior suite
Welcome gift: none
Breakfast: I had to leave early but they made me a takeaway breakfast
Early check-in: yes!
Service: 10/10I needed somewhere to work for the day and they let me check in just after 10am. Total result! I’d booked the cheapest room and said I’d happily trade in an upgrade for the early check-in but they gave me the upgrade as well. They were super nice about it too. Hotel isn’t the most modern, but it’s got a great location and a wonderful bar on the 12th floor with panaramic views looking out over the sea and mountains. I’d definitely go back!
Name: Radisson Blu Park Athens
City: Athens
Upgraded? Yes to a room with a balcony – but not a renovated one, it looked nothing like the website!
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: NoneVery friendly welcome and I can’t help but like their blue body wash after a flight – but wouldn’t want to stay longer than a night post-flight in their non-renovated rooms. Dated doesn’t even begin to describe them!
Name: Radisson Blu Oslo Nydalen
City: Oslo
Upgraded? Yes, from Premium to a Junior Suite with a River View.
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: Two macarons.Name: Radisson Dubai Autodrome
City: Dubai
Upgraded? Yes, from standard to a track-view room.
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: baklawa and chocsVery friendly welcome and recognised as a VIP customer
Name: Radisson Harbiye
City: Istanbul
Upgraded? Yes, from standard to a junior suite
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: baklawa and chocs and unlimited amounst of water bottles whenever we asked “as you are a VIP customer”Very friendly welcome. Asked for a late checkout and the response was “tell us what time you need and we will accomodate it”. We needed until 4pm and that was not a problem
I’m going to add number of nights to the template, as I suspect longer stays would be less likely to have the best rooms available for upgrade.
Name: Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel, Copenhagen
City: Copenhagen
Upgraded? Yes, from standard room to Premium Room with Lake View
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: Chocolates
Stay Duration: 4 nightsName: Radisson Blu Beke Hotel, Budapest
City: Budapest
Upgraded? Yes, from superior room (cheapest one) to a Suite on the 4th floor
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: Snack platter with cheese breadsticks, chocolate and banana chips. Free bottle of water per day.
Stay Duration: 2 nights…heading to Stockholm Radisson Blu Waterfront next week, any experiences of that property? It looks appealing.
We stayed here a month ago. Upgraded from a standard room to a ‘Business Class’ room on the top floor with stunning views. Personalised message and some sweet treats. Breakfast is good with a wide selection. Being on top of the station is also handy. One of our best stays in 2025 so far.
Generally we are pleased with how the Radisson properties are working for us. Still mixing them with Hiltons, so shall see how the year pans out.[/quote]
Have to say I agree totally, upgraded from a lake view room to a panoramic view room on top floor, absolutely gobsmacking view across the water and across Stockholm. Reception staff super friendly and couldn’t have been more helpful and a fabulous breakfast. Great location as well, would make this my go to in Stockholm for sure.
Not so great at the Arlanda Blu in the airport Skycity, don’t think I got an upgrade, little recognition at reception and a pretty tired property.
Only benefit was 15% off at their restaurant, which was 30% more expensive than others.Name: Park Inn Radisson Bucharest
City: Bucharest
Upgraded? Yes, from standard room to a one bed room apartment with balcony
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: bottles of waterName: Radisson Collection Royal Copenhagen
City: Copenhagen
Upgraded? Yes, from an ‘individual’ room (aka the smallest room, barely big enough for a single bed) to a rather huge Signature Suite..tonight with a cost of over £1,000 when I checked (!)
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: Some water and a couple of chocolates
Stay Duration: 1 nightAn incredibly warm welcome and the room is seriously impressive. Best upgrade to date!
Name: Radisson Hotel and Conference Heathrow
City: Heathrow Airport, London
Upgraded? : Cozy Room -> Superior Room.
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: Water, Coke, chocolates and a red velvet cupcake. Oh was given 2 drink vouchers aswell.
Stay Duration: 1 night
Late Checkout: Granted – 3pm.This is the other half of the same building the radisson red occupies. We needed a cheap and cheerful room and it did the job. I enjoyed the breakfast. The red velvet cakes were nice. I see from a previous reviewer of the RED side they must be similar.
I asked for late checkout on checkin but was told to ask again in the morning. I did and it was granted.
Name: Radisson Blu Hotel, Edinburgh City Centre
City: Edinburgh, Scotland
Upgraded? Yes, from Standard Room (cheapest) to One Bedroom Suite
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: Plate with quite a few sweet treats
Late checkout: Denied, but didn’t know check it was at 12pm (thought it was 11am)
Stay duration: 1 nightName: Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel, Gothenburg
City: Gothenburg
Upgraded? No, the hotel was “almost full”; got the “best room in the category” that turned out to be a dark room closely facing a building opposite (>4 m) and construction workers peeking from its windows
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: Haven’t checked
Welcome gift: Chocolates and an apple
Stay Duration: 2 nightsName: Radisson Blu Wroclaw,
City: Wroclaw
Upgraded? Yes, from a standard room to a Junior Suite Park View
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: Yes, the best I had in a number of hotels
Welcome gift: bottle of local beer
Stay Duration: 3 nightsName: Radisson RED London Greenwich The O2
City: London
Upgraded? Yes, from a standard room to a premium room – but a terrible bed!
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: bottle of water
Stay Duration: 1 nightName: Park Plaza Waterloo
City: London
Upgraded? Yes, from Superior Room to Executive Studio King on top floor
Lounge Access: No – not clear what’s going on here, there are signs for the Exec Lounge on 12th floor (and roof terrace) but neither seemed to be in use and weren’t highlighted by receptionist.
Breakfast: Yes, though this was poorest part of the stay, food fine, but packed windowless room with muzak and queues to be seated even at what they say are quiet times (0730). Didn’t bother with it every day.
Welcome gift: Nothing related to status, got a bottle of wine for skipping housekeeping, which in retrospect I regretted for a 3 night stay – 2 is okay, 3 is one too many.
Stay Duration: 3 nightsA rather complex one:
Name: Radisson Blu Toulouse Airport
Upgraded? I was a guest of Airbus who booked out virtually the whole hotel. Whilst my VIP number was in the booking I was allocated a standard room. I may have accepted it but it had twin beds. I went back to reception to change and the hotel claimed to be full. I played the ‘I’m a VIP card’ and magically a Junior Suite with a Super King bed appeared.
Lounge Access: n/a
Breakfast: Was included anyway by Airbus. Spread looks impressive but a lot is repeated and there is less than you first think.
Welcome gift: None BUT of course the hotel had given me a standard room and had no time to arrange anything.
Stay duration: 1 night
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