Most special offers are uninteresting.  Hilton spam me regularly offering 20% off rooms in cities I don’t wish to visit on dates I genuinely can’t do.  And 20% off expensive is still pretty pricey.

But every now and again a gem comes along.  One of the perks of my Amex Platinum card is gold status at Radisson.  On the surface I don’t think it gives me much.  Priority for upgrades.  A few per cent off in an expensive restaurant.  That sort of thing.

I used to use them for work travel in London and did get some useful free nights out of them, including a small suite in a five star beauty between Westminster and Vauxhall bridges in the capital.  The Hampshire in Leicester Square was also pretty nice. Perhaps I should have gone for a week in Sharm with the same number of points!  But no regrets.

Radisson mailed me an offer yesterday that might, with a bit of thought, pay off.  Buy two nights and get a Friday night free.

On the face of it, this isn’t exciting.  But by optimising cheap rooms somewhere, perhaps in their budget Park Inn brand where £45 a night rooms aren’t unheard of, the free Friday night room can then, subject to availability, be taken in any of their hotels in the world between October and January.

In other words, two cheap nights gets one luxury night somewhere – if I can work the dates effectively.  Top end Radisson’s are very nice.

It’s one I’ve registered for.  If I can find two cheap free nights to suit then I’ll definitely be optimising the freebie.  Probably before Australia!

The Great American Railroad