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. 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 that would no longer be the case.
The
standard had become “a handicap from a marketing standpoint,” Joly said. “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.”
Internet
at Carlson’s midprice Country Inns & Suites brand will remain free for all
travelers, Joly said.
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.