Club Carlson is one of my favorite programs to burn with, both because they have some reasonable redemptions, and the credit card gives a free night per redemption. Plus, there are ways to maximize those free nights by making more stays.
But for us, Club Carlson points are points that we can stretch out a long time. Over the last year or so, we’ve spent 426,000 Club Carlson points for 36 nights. That makes our average redemption 11,833 points. Which is pretty low considering the four nights we spent at the 5 star hotel in downtown London, and the Radisson Blu in Vienna. Each costing 50,000 points.
I don’t regret these stays as hotel prices in London and Vienna were extremely high otherwise, but definitely there is a lot of value in lower category hotel redemptions. We spent 4 nights at the Radisson Blu Budapest for 18,000 points total. If you’re like us, and have a lot of stays, Club Carlson Category 1 & 2 hotels are a great way to stretch points. In fact, low hotel redemptions are the best bang for buck, but especially with Club Carlson. And with the buy one get one free benefit on award stays (for credit card holders) Club Carlson has become one of my go to programs.
Best Club Carlson Low Redemptions
Truthfully, for the most part, I just went over to the Complete Map of Club Carlson Hotels and unchecked every category except category 1 & 2 hotels, which looked a lot like this:
If not obvious, Club Carlson has a great presence in Europe and the US and it’s spotty elsewhere. In general, it’s pretty non-existent in the Pacific, Africa, and South America. It has very poor presence in SE Asia, but surprisingly decent coverage in India. In fact, most of the hotels in India are on this map because they are mostly Category 1 & 2 hotels.
Funny thing is that after making the list, I realized I’ve been to quite a few.
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Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
- Radisson Blu Budapest – 15,000 points
- Park Inn Krakow – 15,000 points
- Radisson Blu Daugava Hotel, Riga – 15,000 points
- Radisson Blu Hotel, Klaipeda – 15,000 points (high TA rating)
- Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, Limerick – 15,000 points (outside of Limerick)
- Radisson Blu Resort, El Quseir – 9,000 points
- Radisson Blu Hotel, Mersin – 9,000 points
Radisson Blu Budapest (15,000 points)
This is one of my favorite hotel redemptions, and it used to be 9,000 points. Last year we went to Budapest twice and stayed in the Radisson Blu, 9,000 points for two nights. The hotel isn’t superb, and the location isn’t superb… well the location is better than the hotel. But to be within the inner ring of Budapest for 15,000 points (possibly for two nights) is just unbeatable.
It’s possible that we’ll be back for New Years and we may work in a stay here. Gladly.
Park Inn Krakow (15,000 points)
It’s across the river from downtown and technically two miles from the main square, but Poland is cheap to get around. This hotel is a great redemption considering the limited points hotel options. However, the Holiday Inn is only 15,000 points and is a little closer to the main square. Still a great redemption.
Radisson Blu Daugava Hotel, Riga (15,000 points)
I’ve heard only good things about Riga and this is a Radisson Blu in the center of Riga, and right across the bridge from the main square. We’ll check it out if we get up there sometime soon.
Radisson Blu Hotel, Klaipeda (15,000 points)
I’ve never been to this part of Lithuania but Klaipeda is supposed to be a nice area and the Radisson Blu is ranked number 1 on tripadvisor for hotels in the area. Of course there are only 25 hotels listed, and the Park Inn By Radisson Klaipeda is only 9,000 points and it has a pretty positive TA rating as well.
I’ll mention Park Plaza Prenzlauer Berg Berlin (9,000 points) because Berlin is a hot spot and because it’s near a tram, but it is not downtown. Not one of my favorite hotels, but I certainly didn’t mind paying 9,000 points for two nights. This is probably on the edge for me, but avoid the properties in Hamburg and Vilnius. I know where the one is in Hamburg and you are way out there. My personal preference is to be downtown… but then again, we are talking category 1 & 2s.
Radisson Blu Resort, El Quseir (9,000 points)
As I’ve said before, the prices in Egypt are super low for hotels. So many Hilton category 1 hotels, and same with Radisson. This hotel looks phenomenal and it’s only 9,000 points! Same with the Radisson Blu Hotel, Alexandria (9,000 points), plus I think Alexandria is a bit of a better location for most since they fly into Cairo. So those of you who booked that last mistake fare to Cairo, here ya go.
United States
Plenty of options for the US, but not a lot are good for a carless nomad like me. However, if you need a good interstate hotel, check the Club Carlson complete map. The good news is that there are tons of good airport hotels on the list. A ton. And by good I mean close to the airport, and usually they have free shuttles. That sounds good for a night’s layover to me!
Of the major airports, here are a few hotels you can keep in mind for a one night stay:
- Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Savannah Airport, GA
- Radisson Hotel Indianapolis Airport
- Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Charlotte I-85 Airport, NC
- Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Nashville Airport East, TN
- Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Houston Intercontinental Airport South, TX (IAH)
- Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, DFW-Airport South (Irving), TX
The point is that out of the many hotels in the US that are category 1 & 2, not a lot of them are “destination” hotels. But to each his own. Still, there are many I’d stay at if I were renting a car, like Radisson Hotel Denver Southeast (although don’t you want to be on the mountain side?), Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Deer Valley, AZ in Phoenix, Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Savannah Gateway, GA.
India
India is actually a great use of Club Carlson points. The hotels are decent and the cost on points vs cash ratio is very in favor of using points, in my opinion.
The Country Inn & Suites, Jaipur (15,000 points)
Jaipur is a popular destination in India (for whatever reason (okay, all the forts and its proximity to Delhi) so this hotel is relevant for a lot of folks. My friend was staying at this hotel which is 15,000 points, and because I’m cheap we were at the Park Inn which is 9,000 points. I’m going to go ahead and say it’s a big difference in quality. The Country Inn is a great hotel. The location is okay, I mean, you’re a 3 minute tuk-tuk ride from most sites. And it’s a way way better location than the Holiday Inn (which we stayed at too because it’s an IHG category 1), the Radisson Blu, and Marriott. All of which I’ve been to and the Country Inn and Suites was way better.
We also stayed at the ITC in Jaipur, which is a Starwood Category 2, which is hard to beat for 4,000 points (or 3,000 on the weekend). However, the outrageous internet fee for non-elites causes me to lean towards the Country Inn. Different styles, as the ITC is more grand and the Country Inn is more homey. Anyways, it’s my favorite in Jaipur.
Country Inn and Suites, Amritsar (9,000 points)
I’ve said many times (I think) that the Golden Temple in Amritsar is one of my favorite sites in the world. The hotel isn’t too near, but it’s short enough and cheap enough of a ride that it wasn’t an issue. The location is very neutral to me, I’d prefer to be right next to the Golden Temple but this is a very nice hotel for the extremely low price (of 9,000 points) and I certainly didn’t mind staying the 6 nights or so.
Country Inn & Suites, Haridwar (9,000 points), and Country Inn & Suites, Mussoorie (15,000 points)
If I had more time, there’s no doubt that we would have visited both of these locations north of Delhi and it’s where the Ganges comes out of the mountains and into the plains. A spiritual place, and a scenic one. Anyone been? But for the price of these hotels, I could live there.
Other hotels in India…
Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Goa Panjim. The hotel looks great, although I have no bearing on what’s a good location. Seems a bit far from what many consider Goa. Friends?
There are a number of locations around Delhi, but none in old town, and most are really in the neighboring town.
Varanasi is the most intense place I think I’ve ever been. I don’t even have words. Just… just google image that sucker. “Varanasi”. But just know that there’s a ton of people and trash behind the camera. Anyways, the Radisson was quite far from the center of things. Not sure if thats a bad thing or a good thing. Obviously I have a love/hate relationship with this city.
Park Plaza Kolkata was a great hotel that gave us breakfast. The location isn’t notable, but the inside of the hotel is. Definitely a good redemption.
Conclusion
The one hotel I didn’t mention is the Radisson Plaza Hotel La Paz (15,000 points) in Bolivia. We actually booked this hotel, but if you ever heard the story of us quitting our trip early and deciding to fly home at the bus station in Peru, that was on the way to this hotel. Random fact. Anyways, it’s the only Club Carlson Category 1 & 2 hotel in South America and I’ll hopefully return soon and actually visit.
The India stuff is more long winded, because I wrote that first… But really the best use in my opinion, is in Europe. There are hotels in the UK and all around Europe for 9,000 to 15,000 points and some of them are in awesome cities, like Krakow, Riga and downtown Budapest.
free buffett for 3 in St. Petersburg park inn, and upgrade to a suite is a win for 15000 points
Nice. That’s a big bonus or two. Ya know, I looked at that property and couldn’t tell if the location was terrible or good. Just had no clue since I’d never been there. What are your thoughts.
Also, there are two for Park Inns for 15k, which one where you at?
thank you, great post and ton of great ideas of getting value from these points. Much appreciated.
Cheers,
PedroNY
Glad to hear it. Thanks for letting me know.
Drew
how much do you value each club carlson point vs IHG points? I put a value of 0.4c for CC and 0.7c for IHG. so. 15000 points for two nights is much cheaper than 15000 IHG points. I know you earn IHG points at a lower cost than 0.7 but it may not be doable for most people. (CC do have sale from time to time at a rate of 0.4c per point.)
I don’t really put a price on miles generally. Well, I do try to get my costs of earning 5,000 IHG points down to $15… and I’d say I try to get my costs of 9,000 Club Carlson points down to $25. So pretty similar.
But really, I just think about how much I would still end up spending on hotels will all the points I naturally have/earn. It’s pretty easy for me because we keep track of every dollar and every night. So I can accurately calculate that if I can get a room under $19, I should. So I’ll be in Budapest where I can get two nights for 15k. If I had the option to buy 15k for $25, there’s no doubt I should. That’s my logic at least. But again, it helps that I know the $ for our average night.
Drew, Park Plaza Prenzlauer Berg Berlin is 15,000 points, not 9,000. You are right, Park Inn Hamburg is almost an hour away from downtown by strassebahn+bus, although some nights it is under 50 euros/night or 15K with points
Bah. I swear last time I was there it was 9k. Man, the best 9ks are gone. Like all good things…
Just wanted to say I applied for this card recently and it wasn’t on your list of referrals because I try to give you all of my referrals. You don’t have to pimp out links and whatnot like all the other blogs, which is great that you don’t, but I think you should expand your referral links for those of us who want to help out.
I’m totally okay with helping you help me. And that’s I really do appreciate your support and reading. I’ve been a little lazy in that aspect. It’s been easier for me to let CK handle everything, but I’ll try to make an effort to get my own database in the next couple months. Sorry about the slowness in that regard.
I’ve stayed at only two Club Carlson hotels this year. Cat. 2 Kathmandu was great. We were upgraded to a Club floor with lounge access. Also fruit platter welcome gift and refreshing drink at check in. And they had a generator! I stayed at two other places in Kathmandu so, I appreciated it. I also stayed at the Cat. 1 Country Inn and Suites in Atlanta. And I had no complaints at 9000 points for two nights.
Thanks for this – with the upcoming Carlson devaluation I had already made reservations in London and Norway, but had 40K left and wasn’t sure what to do with it. It just became two nights each in Krakow, Bratislava and Budapest next August.
An update to these Indian ones would be great. I have 100k Radisson points and 150k AMEX MR points (would convert to 450k Radisson points themselves !!)
I was literally just about to buy a F light to Delhi with the intention of spending at least a week around Amritsar when….well….India bombed some terrorists and the Pakistanis for upset meaning that whole area is a bit of a mess right now (I hear the airport is shut and the border ceremonies have stopped).
So…..I will be goun
Hi, is there an update to this arrival ?
Nice work.
Cheers.