The program formerly known as GoldPoints Plus is now known as Club Carlson. This will be an overhaul of their hotel rewards program with a new collection of superior benefits. Carlson plans to have enhanced benefits for those staying at Park Inn, Park Plaza, Radisson, Country Inns & Suites, and Carlson locations.

• Faster free nights start at 9,000 points with no blackout dates on standard rooms at more than 1,000 participating Carlson hotels worldwide
• Exciting new redemption opportunities with 20 new retail gift cards and savings on vacation options with CWT Vacations and Club Med
• Now earn 20 points per U.S. dollar spent on eligible hotel nights, as well as on meals and beverages charged to your room
• Sign up for Club Carlson now and you can get 4,500 bonus points with new e-Rewards memberships

Carlson, a global hospitality and travel company, will officially launch its new hotel loyalty program, Club Carlson, on March 31, 2011.  Formerly known as goldpoints plus, the new program offers members an enriched array of first-class redemption opportunities and enhanced benefits, as well as new vacation options through partnerships with CWT Vacations and Club Med. To support the launch of Club Carlson, Carlson is offering a “Stay Twice, Earn a Free Night” offer at any of its more than 1,000 branded hotels worldwide including Radisson, Country Inns & Suites by Carlson, Park Inn by Radisson and Park Plaza hotels. Existing and newly enrolled members who register and then stay twice at a Carlson property during the promotional period between April 15 and June 15 can earn a free night’s stay to use by December 31, 2011.Â

“We are pleased to debut Club Carlson, our new loyalty program which is designed to be one of the most rewarding programs in travel and will enable members to enjoy a remarkably fast way to a free night stay,” said Heather Passe, vice president, marketing, loyalty and e-commerce, Carlson Hotels.

Redemption:

• Through a partnership with CWT Vacations, Club Carlson will offer U.S. members a choice of hundreds of independent hotels in top vacation destinations including Hawaii, Las Vegas, ski resorts and cruises.
• Club Carlson has teamed up with Club Med, world specialist of upscale, friendly multi-cultural all-inclusive vacations, to offer Club Carlson members in the U.S. and Canada the ability to redeem points toward stays at any of the 80, all-inclusive Club Med resorts worldwide, including the newly renovated Sandpiper Bay in Port Saint Lucie, Fla.
• Members can redeem points at any of Carlson’s 1,070 hotels in 77 countries, including the company’s 42 stunning resorts in the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific.
• To provide members with low point redemption options, Carlson has added 20 new retail and restaurant partners, including Best Buy, Target, iTunes, and T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants for U.S. members.

Consumer Privileges and Benefits:

• Club Carlson offers free Internet at all Radisson hotels worldwide and all Carlson hotels in North America,
• The program has no blackout dates on standard rooms
• Rollover nights allow elite members to roll over extra nights to qualify toward their next year’s elite status. This is something you do not see often in elite programs is to roll your status over by deciding which year will be more “elite” for you.
• The new Concierge elite tier provides members with complimentary room upgrades and continental breakfast; early check in and late checkout; a 75 percent point bonus on eligible stays; and starting by mid-year, access to a special Concierge Service line for theater and sports tickets, and reservations at top-rated restaurants anywhere in the world.
• Carlson restructured the program to maximize the speed at which consumers can earn free nights. Club Carlson launched DoTheMathSite.com, where consumers can easily compare how quickly they can earn free nights at many of the industry’s major hotel brands.

Club Carlson APP:

To expand its reach to the mobile audience, Carlson is launching a new mobile application for iPhone and Android devices, which will feature express booking, personalization options, GPS mapping and the ability to redeem points. The APP also links to “Explore Destinations,” which stores more than 4.4 million points of interest from local restaurants to tourist attractions. This APP can not only help you get your rewards points redeemed but also help you find your way around some of the tourist attractions you might not want to miss out on.

Benefit to Small to Medium-Sized Businesses:

A new extension of the loyalty program is specifically designed with small business owners in mind that allows both the individual traveler and the business to earn points for stays. Business owners can use their points to reduce future travel expense or offer them as employee rewards.

3,000 Bonus Club Carlson Gold Points for App Booking

Club Carlson is offering 3,000 bonus Gold Points per booking via the Club Carlson mobile app from September 8th to November 16, 2014.

About Carlson

Carlson is a family-owned, global hospitality and travel company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. Carlson encompasses more than 1,070 hotels, including Radisson, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, Park Inn by Radisson and Park Plaza; more than 900 T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants; and a majority stake in Carlson Wagonlit Travel, the global leader in business travel management. Carlson operates in more than 150 countries and its brands employ about 170,000 people

Your membership number and login have not changed with these new terms:

• Continue to earn Gold Points with your current membership number
• Any unused Gold Points from your goldpoints plus account remain in your Club Carlson account

What about the T.G.I.F. Friday’s Restaurant program?

Guests can now join the free program by visiting GiveMeMoreStripes.com, or can text “JOIN” to 698443 and, in seconds, become a Stripes member and get his/her new account number. For those who are all thumbs, there is an available option to join in any restaurant on the Jukebox interactive touch screen, or at the table with a sign-up form.

Members earn one Stripe for every $1 spent. Previously, members automatically received an $8 food reward for 100 Stripes earned. With the newly updated program, members now have more choice and flexibility in redeeming their Stripes for a variety of delicious food. Now there are five different rewards to redeem with Stripes. For example:

• 50 Stripes = Free dessert, like a Brownie Obsession
• 80 Stripes = Free sandwich or burger
• 100 Stripes = $8 food reward (existing reward)
• 100 Stripes = Free seafood or chicken entree (not including Jack Daniels, combos or premium items)
• 150 Stripes = Free steak or ribs entree (not including Jack Daniels, combos or premium items)

This new reward structure allows members to redeem Stripes at a faster rate. Members can earn rewards in as little as one or two meals. In addition, members can now also redeem Stripes anytime instead of waiting for an email certificate when 100 Stripes are earned. All the new rewards are valid for 60 days, giving members twice as much time to redeem the reward than before.

GoldPoints Plus for Radisson Hotels and more

Gold Points plus is a rewards program for those who wish to save up points for free hotel stays in the Radisson, Park Plaza, and Country Inn, and Park Inn rooms.  This has a special benefit when you travel overseas because there are tons of Radisson hotels such as the Edwardian (the London Mountbaten for example).  There is also a popular Radisson hotel with a T.G.I.F Friday’s located at the bottom right on the Town Lake in downtown Austin, TX.  Radisson is located in some great locations you may not find your typical chain hotel which is one reason I have joined the program.  Also, the rates at their hotels may be cheaper where I can rake in some Goldpoints.

Promotions for the past year included a special 20% discount off a standard room rate when guests book the “Perk for Hard Work” rate and pay for their hotel stay with any American Express card. The offer is made available in partnership with American Express for lodging stays completed between Oct. 15, 2009 through Jan. 15, 2010. Travelers can begin to make reservations for this special offer starting Oct. 1, 2009. The special “Perk for Hard Work” offer is available at participating Radisson Hotels & Resorts in North America, Central and South America and Asia Pacific. Room rates will vary by location and date of stay.  The “Perk for Hard Work” offer is subject to availability and terms and conditions apply. For more information on this new promotion call 800-333-3333 or visit www.radisson.com/workperk.

Members of the goldpoints plus frequent guest program are also eligible to earn Gold Points through the “Double Gold Points” promotion running now through Dec. 15, 2009. Members must register prior to their stay at goldpointsplus.com/doublepoints to participate in the “Double Gold Points” promotion.

New International Destinations for 2012

The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide, announced the Radisson Blu Hotel, Istanbul Sisli. The new built 305-room property is scheduled to welcome guests in Fall 2012.