Radisson Rewards appears to have made a rather interesting move. It now offers instant VIP Tier, its highest level, for airline crew and other members.
It is unclear how to sign up for this new initiative, but it appears that it should be possible at a hotel.
You can access Radisson here.
READ MORE: Radisson Rewards Rate & Bonus Points Offers
Radisson Rewards has only released the information below about this program, and there is nothing else on their website (if you can find a link, please send it to me).
MEMBERSHIP IN RADISSON REWARDS FOR CREW/AIRLINE EMPLOYEES
a. Eligibility: A membership in Radisson Rewards for Airlines employees is open to individual persons who are of majority age in their place of residence and who are employed at an Airline. The remaining terms align with Radisson Rewards eligibility requirements.
b. Enrollment: You may apply for membership in Radisson Rewards for Airline employees at a Participating Property using the dedicated enrollment process or through the dedicated enrollment process at selected airlines. The remaining terms align with Radisson Rewards enrollment requirements.
c. Membership Tiers: Radisson Rewards for Airline employee members are enrolled in VIP tier. Benefits, awards, redemption opportunities and requirements for the tier are determined by us from time to time. Tier eligibility is dependent on the number of Eligible Nights and Eligible Stays at Participating Properties in a 12-month period as follows and is also determined at the sole discretion of Radisson Rewards:
Only the room in which the member is registered as a guest for the duration of the Eligible Stay will count toward Elite Tier.
As a Radisson Rewards for Airline employee member, you have a qualification period of 12 months to obtain enough Eligible Nights and Eligible Stays to maintain your tier status or to upgrade to the next tier level. The qualification period starts when the first stay is completed and lasts 12 months until the end of the month.
Once you achieve enough Eligible Nights and Eligible Stays to access the next tier, your membership tier will be upgraded instantly after check-out. The Eligible Nights and Eligible Stays that allowed you to move to the next level will be deducted from your Eligible Nights and Eligible Stays balance and a new qualification period of 12 months will start. The minimum number of Eligible Nights and Eligible Stays corresponding to your status will be required to maintain your status (Premium= 5 nights/3 stays, VIP= 30 nights/20 stays).
If you did not make enough Eligible Nights and Eligible Stays during the qualification period, your membership will move down one tier level. In case you are a Club member, after 12 months without reaching the minimum Eligible Nights and Eligible Stays to upgrade to the next tier level, your Eligible Nights and Eligible Stays counter would be reset to 0 nights/stays and a new qualification period will start.
d. Membership Benefits: Radisson Rewards member benefits vary by participating hotel and brand, are subject to availability, and are subject to change at any time. Member benefits are available only when the member is the registered guest. Void where prohibited by law.
i. Airline Leisure Stay Only Rate: Up to 25% discount on the public flexible rate only if the member is the registered guest and can provide a form of Airline Identification upon check-in. Apply only for direct bookings made on Radisson Hotel Group brand website, mobile site, mobile app, hotel reservations and Contact Center. Rooms booked using Airline Leisure Stay Only Rates cannot be resold by the member.
ii. The remaining benefits align with Radisson Rewards member benefits.
e. Membership Obligations: The membership obligations align with Radisson Rewards requirements.
f. Termination of Membership: The termination of membership aligns with Radisson Rewards requirements.
Radisson Rewards Elite Tiers:
Conclusion
This Radisson Rewards for Airlines program would certainly be interesting if employees could sign up and book these discounted rates on their website or app.
Many hotels offer discounted rates for airline employees on leisure stays but don’t usually offer to sign you up at the highest tier.
Sebastian recently covered an issue where airline employees were trying to get a hotel chain to honor the elite benefits when on crew duty (read more here). I am not sure if Radisson would extend these VIP Tier benefits for crew duty stays, which tend to be highly discounted.
