Radisson/Club Carlson

How to Spin One Gift Card into a Four Night Holiday

Radisson Gift CardThe Radisson gift card that I was lucky enough to win in an online contest arrived in the mail last week.  150 Euros to spend at any Radisson hotel in Europe or the Middle East.

Maybe you can win one of these gift cards too, as Radisson is running an ongoing contest.

With hundreds of hotels to choose from my imagination went wild.

I don’t have any trips to Europe in the works, and I have two years to use the gift card, but what if . . . ?

Of course you’d have to be half crazy to fly to Europe just to get a free night at a hotel.  But what if you were looking at not one night, but three or four free nights?  

I just happen to hold the Club Carlson credit card and one of the benefits it confers is “Gold Elite” status with Club Carlson hotels.  Club Carlson includes some upscale chains such as Radisson Blu, Carlson Rezidor and Park Inn, and more pedestrian chains such as Radisson and Country Inn & Suites.

Hotel Missoni Edinburgh
Hotel Missoni Edinburgh

The chain also includes Hotel Missoni, with interior design by Rosita Missoni.  Their hotel in Edinburgh looks like a blast.

Thanks to The Deal Mommy, I learned about one of the biggest deals in hotel loyalty programs.

Members of Club Carlson’s Gold Elite program are eligible for a “Weekend Extend” offer at hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

There are two promo codes available:

  • Stay 1 night, get 1 night free
  • Stay 2 nights get 2 nights free

Fabulous.

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How I Won a Travel Sweepstakes

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I enter various travel sweepstakes all the time, but I never actually win anything.  So when I received this email ten days ago, I presumed it was spam:

Thank you for participating in the Top Attraction Contest for the RADISSON ROYAL HOTEL by voting for your favourite attraction. I am happy to let you know that you have voted for the winning attraction – At The Top Burj Khalifa Experience – and are the winner of a 150 EUR Rezidor Gift Card. The Rezidor Gift Card can be used in over 250 hotels in 34 countries to pay towards accommodation, dining, spa treatments and much more, at Radisson Blu, Park Inn by Radisson or Missoni hotels. The Rezidor Gift Card is valid for 2 years and has no cash equivalent.

The email was not spam!  This was a legitimate contest that I had entered and promptly forgotten about.  Each month, Radisson features about  ten of its top properties and contest entrants must select their favorite nearby attraction.  So if you have accumulated a boatload of Club Carlson points, it’s a great way to familiarize yourself with some of the redemption options.

There are several factors that contributed to my success, and which may work for you, too:

  1. Choose an obscure contest
  2. Enter early and often
  3. Avoid social media

The Radisson Top Attraction Contest certainly fits the bill.  It isn’t the most lucrative contest, but 150 Euros toward a hotel stay isn’t bad, if you have a trip coming up.  

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