For years I have avoided the Club Carlson program due to a personal bias against their properties dating back many years. I wrote about this previously, but it essentially comes down to my not really holding Radisson properties in high regard.
While I had signed up for the loyalty program when it was first rebranded years ago, I have avoided staying at their properties or pursuing status in the program. There were other hotel groups that are more appealing to me.
Recently I found myself traveling to Copenhagen in Denmark, needing to stay 4 nights in a hotel during my time there. Holding mid-tier status with Hilton, Hyatt and IHG through credit card affiliations and SPG based on stays, I was looking to stay at one of these hotel chains to receive some freebies on my trip.
Using Award Mapper I could see that there weren’t any options near where my meetings were taking place, but I noticed that Club Carlson had several properties in Copenhagen, including two of their “top of the line” Radisson Blu hotels (I used quotes there to display my skepticism).
I booked a room at the Radisson Blu Royal hotel and immediately signed up for the Club Carlson Premier card offered by US Bank to see if I could get some benefits from the program during my stay (like club room upgrades and discounts). The card was received on August 22 of this year, and the minimum spend requirement for achieving Club Carlson Gold Status was met a few days later. I assumed that this would have been plenty of time for the Gold status to be noted on my account. Except it did not happen that way.
Beware the elite status jet-lag
When I arrived at the hotel, my status had not been upgraded with Club Carlson, which meant no room upgrade or other benefits. Arriving exhausted on a Sunday evening after about 24 hours of travel, I tried to call the Club Carlson program and ask about the status, but their offices were closed. I could not reach them until Monday afternoon when their customer service center opened to begin the US work week.
They said that my status upgrade did show up in my account, but that they would talk to the hotel to see if they could offer some of the perks for Club Carlson Gold members. After about 45 minutes on the phone, the agent told me that the hotel would be giving me a welcome gift. Better than nothing, but not quite the same as a club room that came with free breakfast (their website said club rooms were available, so I believe I should have been upgraded had I checked in as a Gold member).
The welcome gift was a basket with fruit (I would share a picture, but I apparently left my camera in San Francisco before hopping on a plane for the next adventure) and a delicious almond/coconut mix. I ate a combination of these items for breakfast the rest of my stay. Again, better than nothing, but not enough to make up for a below average hotel. I will share more about the hotel in a separate review as soon as I can download the pictures.
Today the status is recognized
That brings me to today. After a below average stay at the Radisson Blu Royal hotel and an unlikely chance that I will be jumping at the opportunity to stay at Club Carlson properties in the future, I received an email stating that I was now being recognized for my Club Carlson Gold Status.
Too little, too late Club Carlson.
How long does it take for Club Carlson Gold Status to post if you have the Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa card?
Exactly 1 month after your card is issued, assuming that you make at least one purchase using the card. If you are looking to get Club Carlson status before your next trip, make sure that you plan at least a month ahead to maximize your benefits.
My future with Club Carlson?
Somehow after signing up for a card and making one stay, I already have well over 100k Club Carlson points. That should be good for at least 4 free nights at their properties. I guess maybe I will have to give Club Carlson another try the next time I am in one of the cities where their properties are dominant.