The Radisson Vanderbilt in London is a very useful mid scale hotel. It is located right by Gloucester Road tube station, which is on the Piccadilly line that will whisk you into the centre of London in a matter of Minutes. it is one stop, or a short walk from High Street Kensington and Hyde Park. Being those few stops away from the centre of the universe does bring room rates down to more manageable levels- think £150 per night rather than £350!
The hotel itself is very will finished. The fittings and furnishing are impressive and in keeping with the beautiful building. The rooms can be a little small, but that is the nature of London and the building itself. They are always well maintained and clean. The breakfast is very good indeed- and I highly recommend indulging. A small Gym and a bar with some character complete the picture. This will be a hotel I use again when visiting London.
Showing posts with label Radisson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Radisson. Show all posts
Sunday, 28 June 2015
Friday, 8 May 2015
Club Carlson Devaluation- through category changes
Club Carlson have posted this chart on their website which shows that reward stays in many European (especially London) hotels will be getting more expensive from the 1st of June. It so happens I emptied my Club Carlson account with a stay at the Radisson Blu Vaderbilt hotel in London in June. Club Carlson have a generous base earning rate and some good promotions, so they are still one to keep an eye on despite the changes. In fact, if you travel to India regularly you could benefit as many hotels in India have moved down categories. Whilst the low room rates mean you still may not be getting great value for points, it does seem possible to book decent looking hotels in Goa for 9000 points a night- a 7 day beach holiday for the same points as on night in London.
A free holiday like that does sound attractive, but it is not for me. I tend to use points for high end hotels, and cash for longer stays in lower cost hotels- so that I have as many qualifying nights for status as possible.
A free holiday like that does sound attractive, but it is not for me. I tend to use points for high end hotels, and cash for longer stays in lower cost hotels- so that I have as many qualifying nights for status as possible.
Wednesday, 6 May 2015
Marriott Rewards- Why this is my main hotel loyalty scheme
Marriott has been my preferred hotel brand for the last five years. As with airlines I view the miles or points as secondary to a programme, and see the benefits for status as the main reason for concentrating stays with one brand. I have found Marriott Hotels keen to respect the benefits outlined in the plan, and they often go beyond what is required.
For me, the key benefit of elite membership is guaranteed lounge access this starts when you have gold status (50 nights) If the hotel has a lounge, you get access. No arguments. The one downside of this policy is that the lounges can be crowded. I find this more of a problem in Europe than in Asia though.
The room upgrades I have received over the four years have varied from spectacular (JW Marriott Khao Lak) to routinely non-existent (JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur). You get to know the hotels that upgrade, and those that don't. The Rennaissance in Kuala Lumpur is one that always does upgrade, and when I moved from Gold status to Platinum status I have often found myself in a Suite.
One drawback of the programme is that the only way to status is nights, although these can be earned from credit card spend in the UK and US, in general the only way to get nights in ASEAN is to stay. 50 nights for gold and 75 nights for platinum is a lot. But this means they can (and do) reward customers with status well.
A further drawback with Marriott rewards is that their points promotions are less generous than other brands- and the more you stay the worse your targeted promotions seem to get. Finally, I find the lack of centrally located mid range hotels in London a pain. During my next London trip I will be staying at a Radisson- where I have no status, because I wasn't prepared to fork out over £300 for a Marriott room.
If you think that Marriott rewards could be for you, the key is to get status as soon as you can. Customer service will often offer a challenge- stay X nights in 3 months and we'll give you Gold Status- in fact they sometimes give you Gold Status, and then let you keep it if you stay X times in three months. It is certainly worth an email to customer service if you have some Marriott stays in the near future.
Finally, arranging a "rewarding event" in a Marriott results in a 10 night credit to you account. I usually arrange two such meetings a year. The 30 qualifying nights I therefore need to retain gold status is a much more reasonable target to obtain.
For me, the key benefit of elite membership is guaranteed lounge access this starts when you have gold status (50 nights) If the hotel has a lounge, you get access. No arguments. The one downside of this policy is that the lounges can be crowded. I find this more of a problem in Europe than in Asia though.
The room upgrades I have received over the four years have varied from spectacular (JW Marriott Khao Lak) to routinely non-existent (JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur). You get to know the hotels that upgrade, and those that don't. The Rennaissance in Kuala Lumpur is one that always does upgrade, and when I moved from Gold status to Platinum status I have often found myself in a Suite.
One drawback of the programme is that the only way to status is nights, although these can be earned from credit card spend in the UK and US, in general the only way to get nights in ASEAN is to stay. 50 nights for gold and 75 nights for platinum is a lot. But this means they can (and do) reward customers with status well.
A further drawback with Marriott rewards is that their points promotions are less generous than other brands- and the more you stay the worse your targeted promotions seem to get. Finally, I find the lack of centrally located mid range hotels in London a pain. During my next London trip I will be staying at a Radisson- where I have no status, because I wasn't prepared to fork out over £300 for a Marriott room.
If you think that Marriott rewards could be for you, the key is to get status as soon as you can. Customer service will often offer a challenge- stay X nights in 3 months and we'll give you Gold Status- in fact they sometimes give you Gold Status, and then let you keep it if you stay X times in three months. It is certainly worth an email to customer service if you have some Marriott stays in the near future.
Finally, arranging a "rewarding event" in a Marriott results in a 10 night credit to you account. I usually arrange two such meetings a year. The 30 qualifying nights I therefore need to retain gold status is a much more reasonable target to obtain.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)