It is almost a year since Choice Hotels reached a deal with Radisson (read more here) to take over their Americas operations, and the deal closed in August (read more here).
Choice Privileges and Radisson Rewards Americas launched a two-way conversion ability (read more here) in January and have now sent out an update to program members about integration.
You can access Choice Privileges here and Radisson Rewards Americas here.
The reason why the Radisson Rewards program split to Americas and the rest of the world is that the hotelier is essentially owned and controlled by the Chinese Communist Party after HNA collapsed (the owner fell off a cliff in France and died – I cannot make this up) and the shares were sold to Jin Jiang.
- Radisson Rewards Program Splits Into Americas & Rest Of The World Takes Place On June 17, 2021
- Radisson Splits Americas From Rest Of The World To RadissonHotelsAmericas.com
- Radisson Rewards Program Splits Into Two In June 2021
Choice Hotels decided to buy Radisson Hotels Americas and integrate the hotels under Choice Privileges.
- Choice’s Purchase Of Radisson Hotel Americas Closes
- Choice Acquires Radisson Hotel Americas (624 Hotels)
- Radisson’s Announcement Choice Taking Over Americas
The exact date when this integration occurs is yet unclear, and the Choice and Radisson refer to “later this year.”
Choice’s Email To Loyalty Program Members:
Radisson Rewards Americas Email:
Conclusion
It will be confusing that Radisson brands in the Americas are part of Choice Hotels and its Choice Privileges guest loyalty program, while the rest of the world is part of Radisson Rewards.
And I am still confused about why the Chinese Communist Party, via Shanghai’s Government, wants to be in the hospitality business.
Looking at how badly Radisson Rewards was devalued (points are worth very little, and redeeming is entirely dynamic), it is good that the Americas were separate and acquired by Choice.
