Radisson reviews following my VIP status upgrade

[Guernsey Globetrotter]

Lumma wrote:

RonnieB wrote:

Can you review the massage service? Did you get VIP treatment? 😉

I was trying to concentrate on the play off semi finals between Sunderland and Coventry!

Makes a change from thinking about Mrs Thatcher I suppose…

[Mart]

Blackpool FC Stadium Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals
Booked direct tried to check in 1 hour early nope,no room upgrade.VIP never mentioned.
Breakfast decent with impressive stadium views.
BUT there was no hot water in the morning ,upon checking out they said they had planned work on it.

[smitrax]

Name: Radisson Blu Grand Hotel & Spa, Malo-Les-Bains
City: Dunkirk, France
Upgraded? No. Booked a Superior Sea View Room with Balcony and even though there was availability in junior suites and suites this was not offered.
Lounge Access: No lounge.
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: 1 bag of crisps & a warm bottle of beer.
Late checkout: Didn’t need.
Stay duration: 1 night

[freckles]

Name: Radisson Blu
City: Glasgow
Upgraded? Yes. Booked Standard room and was upgraded to a corner suite (one bedroom suite room type). Nespresso Virtuo machine and Tunnocks caramel wafers.
Lounge Access: No lounge.
Breakfast: Yes, great selection of continental items and hot including Scottish flavours with haggis, black pudding and square sausage. The scrambled ‘eggs’ however were possibly the worst I have ever come across – not just powdered eggs but solid large lumps. In addition to buffet items there were some options for extras as small additional charge £5 e.g. omelette, eggs bene and avocado on toast.
Welcome gift: handwritten welcome card and chocolate coated strawberry plate
Late checkout: Didn’t need, but was asked if I needed it.
Stay duration: 1 night

Name: Radisson Blu Manchester Airport
City: Manchester
Upgraded? Yes. Booked Standard room and upgraded to Exec room with runway view (and all the way to Jodrell Bank). Nespresso original machine.
Lounge Access: Yes, self serve drinks and small selection of finger food between 5 and 7pm with desserts at 8pm. Open 6.30am till 9pm. Didn’t use in the morning so don’t know what is available.
Breakfast: Yes, buffet of cold and hot options. Not quite as good as Glasgow and no optional extras.
Welcome gift: 2 mini bottles of red wine and 2 small bottles of water
Late checkout: Didn’t need.
Stay duration: 1 night

[leec-b]

Name: Radisson Blu Lanzarote
Upgraded? Allegedly, booked standard room, got partial sea view which was pretty much every room on site. Definitely didn’t feel like “highest category available” (but obviously don’t know what was available)
Lounge Access: No lounge.
Breakfast: N/A (booked half board)
Welcome gift: bottle of cava in room
Late checkout: Yes (2pm, = 2 hours late)
Early check in: Yes. 1.00pm (= 2 hours early)
Stay duration: 4 nights

[Bervios]

Name: Radisson Blu Hotel & residences Arborethum Nairobi
City: Nairobi, Kenya
Upgraded? Yes to a suite with lounge access
Lounge Access: yes
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: Fruit/Crisps and nicey hand written card from manager.
Late checkout: Didn’t need.
Stay duration: 2 nights

[Alansmithee]

Name: Radisson Collection Berlin
City: Berlin
Upgraded? Yes to external-facing room
Lounge Access: N/A
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: Bar of chocolate and a hand written card from manager.
Late checkout: 2pm
Stay duration: 2 nights

excellent location and has a small spa with a pool/sauna and steamroom.

[larryhfpointer]

Name: London Waterloo Park Plaza
City: London, UK
Upgraded? Yes, from lowest (Superior Double King Room) to Executive Studio King Room) +4 levels
Lounge Access: ‘Temporarily’ not available at this hotel, but when asked on check-in, was told (candidly) not expected back any time soon, but had been instructed not to say “never”.
Service: 10/10
Overall rating for price: 10/10
Comments: Upgraded room shows in the app before arrival (not immediately, but potentially at least a day or two in advance of arrival). Cheaper than nearby Premier Inns (2 nights for £227 vice £304 non-flex) and more convenient for the tube (Park Plaza directly opposite Lambeth North on Bakerloo Line).

[Vermog]

Name: Radisson Collection Strand Stockholm
City: Stockholm
Upgraded? Yes, from lowest to Presidential Suite with water view
Lounge Access: No, did not see any
Service: 8/10
Overall rating for price: 9/10
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: Nuts/chocolate and tap water (cleanest in Europe…)
Comments: Fantastic bay view over Strandvägen from tower room, suite was maybe sligtly outdated, small bathroom. Breakfast OK. All in all one of the best upgrades out of 15 stays in Radisson this year so far.

[RM84]

Name: Radisson Blu Split
City: Split, Croatia
Upgraded? Yes, from standard city view room to junior suite.
Lounge Access: No lounge
Breakfast: Yes – and a very good spread was offered
Welcome gift: Two cans of soft drink, truffles and biscuits. I received an email in advance asking for welcome gift preferences – I asked for ‘something to drink’ so although wine/cava would have been appreciated, the assortment of both drinks and snacks was a nice gesture. Water was provided daily.
Late checkout: No – I was told they were full. They didn’t check my status or room number before denying late checkout so it appeared that reception had been instructed to tell everyone they were full and deny all requests.
Early check in: No, even though I had requested this in advance and Guest Relations had noted it
Stay duration: Three nights

Would recommend this hotel, although I suspect I may not have felt quite so positive without the room upgrade, complete with stunning sea views. It was about a ten-minute drive out of Split, but the hotel runs a shuttle back and forth several times a day or it’s 5 Euros in an Uber, so it was lovely to have access to all the facilities of a resort while being just outside the city.

[Tomacat2]

Name: Park Inn by Radisson Peterborough
City: Peterborough, UK
Upgraded? Yes to superior room (originally Standard room)
Lounge Access: no
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: No
Late checkout: 1pm
Stay duration: 2 nights

[Tomacat2]

Name: Park Plaza Nottingham
City: Nottingham, UK
Upgraded? Yes to Junior Suite (Originally Superior room)
Lounge Access: no
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: No
Late checkout: 4pm
Stay duration: 1 night

[Tomacat2]

Name: Radisson Blu Hotel, Sheffield
City: Sheffield, UK
Upgraded? Yes to Premium room (Originally Standard room)
Lounge Access: no
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: No
Late checkout: left early to catch a train
Stay duration: 1 night

[inman]

Name: Radisson Blu Milan (Via Villapizzone)
City: Milan
Upgraded? Yes to a suite. Booked a standard room originally so the upgrade is 5 categories higher)
Lounge Access: Wasn’t sure if there was a lounge
Breakfast: Yes – for two
Welcome gift: No
Late checkout: Requested but was not offered. The hotel itself was busy, so I don’t blame them.
Stay duration: 4 nights

There were a few things that bothered me during the stay (not related to the VIP status though).
– Housekeeping wasn’t really doing their job. On one day, tea/coffee etc. was not replenished. On another day, the coffee cups were left as they were (not washed or arranged). The room had one bathroom and a toilet. The hand towel at the toilet kept on mysteriously appearing and disappearing.
– The hotel itself is slightly away from the city, although the website doesnt give that impression. There is a tram line which takes about 25 mins and then another metro ride of 10 mins to get to Milano Centrale or Duomo.

[mzb]

Name: Radisson Red Helsinki
City: Helsinki
Upgraded? Yes to a Premium room from cheapest standard room. City view rather than park view though
Lounge Access: No lounge
Breakfast: Yes – for two
Welcome gift: A chocolate bar
Late checkout: Given 2pm, and nothing more
Stay duration: 2 nights

Overall: very nice property, modern design, 5 mins walk from the train station.

[mzb]

Name: Radisson Collection Tallinn
City: Tallinn
Upgraded? Yes to a Premium room from cheapest standard room. 22nd floor with a fantastic view on the old town
Lounge Access: No lounge
Breakfast: Yes – for two (one of us had an early start and they provided a boxed breakfast instead)
Welcome gift: Chocolate truffles
Late checkout: 2pm, and nothing more
Stay duration: 1 night

[Lumma]

Bervios wrote:

Name: Radisson Blu Hotel & residences Arborethum Nairobi
City: Nairobi, Kenya
Upgraded? Yes to a suite with lounge access
Lounge Access: yes
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: Fruit/Crisps and nicey hand written card from manager.
Late checkout: Didn’t need.
Stay duration: 2 nights

To finish off the Nairobi Radissons (I posted about the Upper Hill Radisson Blu above)

Name : Park Inn by Radisson Nairobi Westlands
City : Nairobi, Kenya
Upgraded? Yes, from a Standard to a “Superior Ngong Hills View” room, althuough this was an accessible room on the 1st floor, so didn’t have a view and had a terrace directly outside the window, which was locked off but possible in use during functions
Lounge Access: No lounge
Welcome gift: Fruit and chocolates – they brought more chocolated later too
Late checkout: Yes, until 4pm – ideally would have wanted a little longer as flight wasn’t until 23.05, but the hotel didn’t have any rooms to book online that night so seemed reasonable
Stay duration: 1 night

Way less fancy than the Radisson Blu Upper Hill, I’d probably stay here if I ever return to Nairobi and still have the VIP status as the location is much better if you want to leave the confines of your western hotel and explore Nairobi.

[Kev I]

Name: The Holmes Hotel,Baker St Area
City: London
Upgraded? Yes from Superior Room (one above “cosy” room) To the Townhouse loft a very nice room with a mezzanine sleeping area,bathroom and a “loft” style lounge area downstairs complete with a turnntable and a selection of lps.
Lounge Access: No, did not see any
Service: 10/10
Overall rating for price: 10/10
Breakfast: Yes,Cooked to order in the restaurant and very nice,Never tried the full English but it looked quite substantial
Late Checkout N/A
Welcome gift: Only water
Stay duration 2 Nights
Comments: Nice hotel in an ideal spot for what we wanted,Thought it was going to be a bit like a Sherlock Holmes theme park,But they seem to have toned down on that just a few bits and bobs around the hotel,The upgrade/breakfast made it great value for what we paid.

[Travel Strong]

Any experiences of the Radisson on the Palm, Dubai?
(I’ve read the previous 9pgs and it’s not been mentioned to date… But I guess I’m also interested in opinions on any visits there with or without VIP)

Stayed at various others next door and the Radisson *looks* like a step up from the outside. But I have a niggle that the better looking beach loungers and rooftop pool could end up being worse than neighboring options if it is run like a beach club and beds always reserved (which some reviews are indicating).

Booked in on VIP rate of £123pn though, so it’s also the cheapest on the Palm for my dates!

[chowkit98]

Name: Park Plaza Victoria
City: London
Upgraded? Yes from Superior Room To the Executive King Studio
Lounge Access: No, did not see any
Overall rating for price: 10/10 Paid £130 per night
Breakfast: Yes
Late Checkout: Left in the morning
Welcome gift: Only water
Stay duration 2 Nights

[TJ]

Name: Radisson Collection Bilbao
City: Bilbao
Upgraded? Yes – to a large corner junior suite
Lounge Access: N/A. No lounge
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: Nothing provided. Free access to Spa facilities (which normally incurs an extra charge)
Late checkout: N/A. Left early
Stay duration: 1 night

Centrally located. Suite was modern and quite impressive for a Radisson.

[corking]

Name: Park Plaza Riverbank
City: London
Upgraded? No – superior rooms were available.
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast: Yes – when i asked – initially tried to tell me i would need to pay extra 🙂
Welcome gift: Nothing.
Late checkout: N/A.
Stay duration: 2 nights

[damboy5]

Name: Park Plaza Riverbank
City: London
Upgraded? Yes from superior room to executive room with terrace. A lovely room with great views.
Lounge Access: Not included, charge for access is £25 per person per night.
Breakfast: Yes, really delicious breakdast.
Welcome gift: 2 cans of coke and 2 bottles of water
Late checkout: requested, was given 2pm checkout.
Stay duration: 1 night
Service quality: Fabulous, five star, everyone so very helpful and service oriented.

[Karl]

3 Radisson stays for me this week, all good.

Name: Radisson Red
City: Greenwich, UK
Upgraded? Unclear, possibly a slightly better room in the same catergory
Lounge Access: N/a
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: Yes – two bottles of beer from local brewery, Meantime
Late checkout: Not asked for
Stay duration: 1 night

Located in a no-mans land between the O2 and Greenwich, walkable to both, albeit a bit of a walk.
Bit of confusion Bout whether I was entitled to free breakfast but quickly sorted out.
Very cheap rate (£56), presumably as no event was on at the o2

[Karl]

Name: Radisson Red
City: Liverpool, UK
Upgraded? Yes to St George’s view suite (from Standard room)
Lounge Access: N/a
Breakfast: Yes
Welcome gift: KitKat and bag of fancy crisps)
Late checkout: Not requested
Stay duration: 2 nights (Sunday to Tuesday, hence the generous upgrade)
Really friendly staff
Excellent location, right in the centre of Liverpool
Breakfast was probably the worst my three recent Radisson stays (marginally)