New Radisson Rewards Americas loyalty program launches today
Editor's Note
Back in April, Radisson announced it would split its Radisson Rewards loyalty program into two programs: Radisson Rewards and Radisson Rewards Americas. And now, the time has come for this change to go into effect. Today is the day Radisson Rewards Americas launches.
The former Radisson Rewards will cater to customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific. These members can earn and redeem points at properties in these regions.
On the other hand, stays in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean will be routed through the new Radisson Rewards Americas. You'll have to create an account with this new program and use it to earn and redeem points in these regions.
What's going to happen
Members will be able to transfer points for free between Radisson Rewards and Radisson Rewards Americas. Points will transfer 1:1 between the programs using the "Global Points Transfer process."
Likewise, Radisson Rewards elite status will be honored in both programs, but you'll have to call Radisson member services to request a status match.
All current Radisson Rewards members will have to create Radisson Rewards Americas accounts to participate in the program. Radisson will not automatically generate Radisson Rewards Americas accounts.
Related: Your complete guide to earning Radisson Rewards points
What's the reason for this change?
Radisson stated that it's splitting its program to "deliver a more localized experience" to ensure "Radisson Rewards members will continue to enjoy great regional offers."
That said, I don't see why splitting the program in two is necessary for this. If you have a phone number or address attached to your Radisson Rewards account, it should be easy to localize offers based on existing information.
Plus, the Americas are a big place. The hotel market in the U.S. is much different than in Chile or even Mexico. I'm not sure how much localization can occur among so many North, Central and South American countries that warrant a separate loyalty program.
As noted by One Mile at a Time, the real reason for this split could be changing data regulations in the U.S.
Radisson was acquired by HNA Group and later sold to Jin Jiang International — the latter controlled by the Chinese government. The U.S. now requires that the Chinese government no longer have access to certain types of information for U.S. customers. So, splitting the loyalty program in two could be Radisson's way to become compliant with these new data laws.
Regardless of the reason, in my eyes, this will lead to mass confusion among Radisson Rewards members — especially once travel resumes. Being forced to manage two points balances and accounts isn't ideal, especially given no other major hotel chains do this.
It's unclear if members will earn elite status in Radisson Rewards and Radisson Rewards Americas separately in the future. If separate, this is a huge blow to customers who split their travel between the Americas and the rest of the world.
It will also be interesting to see how Radisson's cobranded credit card changes in response to this split. For example, will we see a separate card for Radisson Rewards Americas? Only time will tell.
Related: How to pick the right hotel chain for you
Bottom line
Radisson Rewards Americas will go into effect tomorrow. This new program will handle loyalty for all hotel stays in North, South and Central America, while all other regions will continue to use Radisson Rewards.
It will be interesting to see how this rollout happens and how it affects existing Radisson Rewards members. We'll keep you updated when we get more information from Radisson.
Additional reporting by Benji Stawski.
Photo by Tupungato/Shutterstock
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