Carlson is changing its approach to rate-inclusive Internet access as it rolls out a new loyalty program next month.
On March 31, Carlson will replace its Goldpoints Plus program with Club Carlson, a points-based program that includes free Internet access at Radisson hotels globally and at all Carlson brands across North America. Subsequently, sometime in the third quarter of this year, Carlson will begin to allow Radisson hotels in the region to charge non-members for Internet usage if the hotels see fit.
Free Internet previously had been a brand standard across Radisson's North America properties, a relative rarity among upscale brands, but Carlson CEO Hubert Joly said the standard had become "a handicap from a marketing standpoint. From a distribution standpoint, when you're looking at the global distribution system or a self-booking tool, you don't know whether the Internet is free or not. The strategy of bundling the Internet with the price creates a problem from a price perception standpoint, because you are forced to increase your price, and yet you don't get the credit."
Radisson hotels outside of North America will evaluate charging non-members for Internet on a case-by-case basis, but it will be free for all members there as well, according to a Carlson spokeswoman. Internet at Carlson's midprice Country Inns & Suites brand will remain free for all travelers, Joly said. Additionally, the change will not affect negotiated corporate agreements at Radissons that included Internet access.
The change brings Radisson more in line with other upscale and upper upscale brands. A few brands, including Omni Hotels & Resorts, have the same approach as Carlson, in that all members get free Internet access regardless of their status within that program. Most multibrand companies, including Marriott, Starwood and Hilton, offer free Internet only to loyalty program members who have achieved a certain status tier, a distinction that Joly said makes Carlson "still more competitive than other brands."
Other new features of the new Club Carlson program include partnerships with CWT Vacation and Club Med for resort stays, additional retail and restaurant offerings for low-point redemption and an elite tier offering free upgrades, continental breakfast and early and late checkout.
The article originally was published in Business Travel News