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There has been quite a bit of recent discussion on FlyerTalk on Radisson’s new “Stay One Night, Get One Night” promotion.

Club Carlson properties Radisson, Park Inn, and Country Inn have run similar promotions in the past–I mattress ran in Krakow, Poland to take advantage–though those deals awarded Club Carlson points instead of a free night certificate.

This “Stay One Night, Get One Night” is slightly different in that you are credited with a free night award that is redeemable online only at Radisson and Radisson Blu properties in the USA, Canada, and Caribbean, award space permitting.

The first thing you must do to take advantage of this promotion is to register for a Club Carlson account, if you are not already a member, which can be done here.

Once you enter your email and complete your Club Carlson registration, you will receive your membership number. Now you must go to the Radisson 1 for 1 promotion page to sign up for the deal.

Once registered, complete a qualifying stay before the end of 2012, and you will earn your free night certificate. Qualifying stays are defined as any points-earning stay at Radisson or Radisson Blu in the USA, Canada, or the Caribbean. That means if you go through www.radisson.com or www.clubcarlson.com to make your booking, you’ll be fine.

The terms and conditions state that the only qualifying rates are “Gold Point eligible.” This includes the AAA rate and Advanced Purchase rates. Exclusions include rates booked through sites such as Travelocity, rates booked through travel agents, and hotel employee rates.

Following these simple steps will earn a free one-night stay at Radisson and Radisson Blus in the USA, Canada, or the Caribbean good through the end of 2013.

Why is this a good deal?

If you have plans to stay at a Radisson before the end of the year, or you live near a Radisson with low rates, this could be a very good deal. Radisson, and especially Radisson Blu, have some very upscale properties that go for over $300/night in places like Chicago and New York.

If you find a cheap Radisson in your vicinity, you could potentially save over $200 on these high end hotels by “buying them” at the lower rate. You are in essence paying for a future stay at the better property with a relatively inexpensive hotel stay during the promotion.

For example, I looked up Radisson hotels in the Washington/Baltimore area, and came across a very low weekend rate–most hotels have cheaper weekend rates–for the Radisson Baltimore in early December.

By staying on this cheap $92 rate, I will receive a free night good for a much more expensive stay down the road. Take a look at how much value a Radisson free night will get you in large urban tourist destinations such as Chicago and New York below.

Here’s a simple way to determine how much value you’re getting from this promotion

Calculate the value you’ll get from the paid hotel stay. If you had to take it anyway, you’ll get face value from the stay. If you are just going to check in and not stay at the hotel, you get negative value from the “stay” equal to the value of your time and gas going to the hotel. Or your value may be somewhere in between.

Add the value you’ll get from the free night. This value is your subjective value for the room, capped at face value.

Subtract the price you pay for your paid night from the value you’ll get from your two nights. This is the amount this promo is worth to you. If this number is negative, don’t participate.

In my example, imagine someone living in Baltimore. He does the $92 night at the Radisson, but gets only $10 value from the room. Hotel stays are a little fun, but he doesn’t need the room. He gets face value of $419 for a later stay in Chicago.

That means this promo is worth $337 to our Marylander ($10 + $419 – $92).

Is there any urgency to sign-up for this promotion?

Yes. The Radisson Stay One Night, Get One Night promotion is only eligible to the first 50,000 registrants. After the 50,000 number has been reached, the deal will be closed. There is currently still space, but previous promotions have reached their 50k cap, so get in now!

I never received a confirmation email even though I signed up through the site. Am I registered?

FlyerTalkers are reporting that their is a delay in the delivery of the registration confirmation email associated with this promotion. You are strongly urged to print out your confirmation page after registering to protect yourself. The page should look similar to the picture below:

Can I just book an inexpensive night online, not show up, and get the free award night deposited into my account?

No. The terms and conditions state that the registered guest must be present at the hotel at both the time of check-in and check-out. However, given my experience in previous Radisson and Country Inn free night promotions, you only need to be present for check-in to receive the bonus. The hotel has no way of verifying that you were present for check-out, so it will be safe to check-in, go to your room, and leave if need be.

Just make sure to be discreet when leaving the hotel. There is no need to draw attention to yourself if you have no intentions of using the hotel room for the night booked.

Can I have more than one cheap stay during the promotion period to accrue multiple award nights?

No. The terms state that there is a limit of one free award night per member. However, spouses may both register for the promotion and stay separately, earning more than one award night for the same household.

If you book two consecutive paid nights, one under each person’s name and Club Carlson number, hotels will generally be happy to accommodate you and give you the same room both nights. The same goes for redeeming two consecutive one night stays from different accounts. (Who will marry me for the promo benefits?)

Where can I use my free night award? I hear there are some great Radisson Blu properties in Europe.

Unfortunately, the free night can only be booked at Radissons in the US, Canada, or the Caribbean. Luckily there are still some great hotels to be found in both the Radisson and Radisson Blu brands in these locations. Major urban areas such as Toronto and New York appear to deliver the greatest value for this promotion.

How long will it take between my stay and the free night posting into my account?

According to the website, the free night award will be deposited into your account within 14 days of completing that stay. Once the free night appears, you can search for the “0 Point” rate option in the Gold Points redemption column and click “Book Now.” You should receive a confirmation email afterwards with reservation details.

Recap

The Radisson Stay One Night, Get One Night Free is a very useful promotion to exploit if there are inexpensive Radisson properties in your area. By staying at a low rate, you are essentially buying a night at an upscale or more popular Radisson at a steep discount.

When spouses or family members all take part in this separately, the free nights will add up quickly. Just remember to use your free stays by the end of 2013.

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