I stayed at a couple of Radissons in the last week. They have a frequent guest program where you earn points that you can redeem at “your favorite restaurants”. The list includes Burger King and Applebees. Way to insult me; yes those are my favorite restaurants, not Ruth’s Chris or Nobu.
Then, Continental’s President’s Club makes a big deal about servibg Sara Lee pastries. Yes, that’s what I want - preservative laden pastries shipped halfway cross the country. Are you too friggin lazy to arrange a local bakery to send you some fresh bagels and croissants?
Eh. they give you stuff that you might use. And for me, eating out at Applebees, which is likely to cost 40 dollars for two people, is a luxury. I’ll certainly be glad to take any vouchers you’ve got for 'em off your hands.
Actually, I would gander to say that for most of the Radisson’s guests, those *are *favorite resturants-- or at least the ones they eat at most frequently. Business travellers don’t always have the time for upscale eateries. Families are also a hughe portion of their business, and kids aren’t usually happy with places that don’t serve chicken fingers and fries.
What did you expect? It’s not as if the Radisson is a high-class place. Now, if you had been staying at The Plaza, you might have a legitimate beef.
On the one hand, I agree with you: these aren’t my favorite restaurants.
On the other hand, I think you’re seeing a disconnect between the quality of hotel you go to and the quality of restaurant you go to. If you spend the bucks to go to better hotels, you’re likelier to find them recognizing what your favorite restaurants are.
On the third hand, if you’ll go to bed-and-breakfasts, you’re gonna get homemade pastries in the morning, most likely, and you can avoid the chains altogether.
That, and they’re safe choices. I enjoy looking for local restaurants when I travel, but there are times when I just want something safe - something I’ll know what to expect. That’s when I look for a chain restaurant.
Radisson is owned by Carlson Companies, which owns the Gold Points program you’re talking about. They also own Friday’s, a major competitor of Applebee’s (not that you should care about this distinction, just explaining the background). So they’re giving you points to drive business between and among various businesses that they own – the “Carlson family of businesses.” You’ll find you can use your points at the following very easily:
Radisson
Regent
Park Inns
Country Inns / and Suites
Friday’s
Pick-Up Stix
Italianni’s
… all of these are owned by one company.
It’s a pain in the ass, but you can check the Gold Points website for a list of participating businesses where you can earn points. Could be restaurants that you prefer are part of the network. But probably not.
Also, discounts at Ruth’s Chris or Nobu wouldn’t help much in this neck of the woods. If these are corporate-wide discounts, it makes sense to offer them at places which are probably guaranteed to be everywhere, thus usable by all customers. Burger King certainly fits that bill.
Do you also get pissed off when TV Guide tells you what shows you should be watching?
I happen to like Applebees every now and again, and to me it is a luxury. And it’s not like those fancypants restaurants are a good example of the local eating habits in wherever you’re traveling either; they’re just as “standardized.” So you’re just paying for a better class of watered-down standardized cuisine. Get yourself to a hole in the wall diner or ethnic restaurant if you really want something different.
I love hole in the wall diners and ethnic restaurants. I tried two different local BBQ places on my last trip as well as going for the chicken fried steak for breakfast at the 24 hour diner.
It’s the breathless “ooh, Sara Lee, aren’t we fancy” schtick that gets me.
Yeah, I hear that. But there are some people who would be taken in by that and be really impressed, my dad for one. I can just hear him now: “Oh, they have Sara Lee here! They sell that at Walmart! I am totally impressed!” (No, I’m not being sarcastic, he really would say something like that.)
So, they probably don’t know what your particular “favorite restaurants” are.