Radisson London Upgrade

As mentioned the other day, I was taking advantage of a £50 cash+points rates at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Vanderbilt hotel in Kensington on a recent Friday night.

The rate was low as it was for a single room, but fortunately Club Carlson Silver status ensured it got upgraded to a Double room. I did have to ask at check-in but they were very nice about it and found me something right away. Of course it helped that the hotel did not seem too busy, so the availability was there.

While the staff were very nice and the hotel is in a very good location (right by the tube, lots of restaurants about), it is housed in an old building which meant that there was only one lift and it was a bit of a maze to get around. The rooms were fine but lacked "premium" features. For instance there was just a small LCD TV and the air conditioning did not work that well. Plus a very standard bathroom.

It's still definitely worth it for £50 and 10,000 points though if you need a fairly central London location.

By the way, I got my Club Carlson Silver status by status matching from SPG Gold. More details regarding status matching can be found here.

Radisson London - cheap last minute rates?

I'm currently registered for the Radisson Big Night Give Away. I was lucky enough to get in on it when the bonus offer was 50,000 Club Carlson points for a stay by 15th July (it's now down to 15,000 points). 50,000 is enough for a standard award at any top tier Radisson.

As it's getting close to the deadline I thought I better try and find a hotel, preferrably at a cheap rate to take advantage (since I could put the 50,000 points towards a night somewhere that would usually cost hundreds of pounds!)

As you'll see from the picture above, there were rates as low as £65 at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Kenilworth hotel, which is right by Oxford Circus! There are however caveats:

• This rate was found by searching on the actual day of when the stay would be on the Club Carlson website.
• It is only for 1 person, just a single bed and very small rooms.
• It excludes VAT, so the 'real' rate is actually £78.
• It is room only so no breakfast.

Still, £78 for a hotel in Central London on a Friday night does not seem too bad to me. Plus, earning 50,000 bonus points thanks to the promo makes it even better.

I won't actually be doing this deal, but I might stay at the Radission Blu Edwardian New Providence Wharf (near Canary Wharf) for £90 and that's a double room. If I do, then look out for the trip report...