MINNEAPOLIS, March 7, 2011-- Carlson , a privately held, global hospitality and travel company today announced the launch of a new, strategic partnership with Club Med®, world specialist of upscale, friendly, multicultural all-inclusive vacations. The partnership brings exciting, new travel options for members of Carlson's loyalty program. Members can now redeem points toward stays at any of the 80 upscale, all-inclusive Club Med resorts worldwide.  In addition, the partnership includes a dual destination offer in Florida that adds value and convenience for travelers.

"Carlson is dedicated to offering first-class redemption opportunities for our members, and we are privileged to add Club Med's portfolio of all-inclusive resorts to our new loyalty program's redemption options," said Hubert Joly, president and chief executive officer, Carlson.

"I am very pleased of our partnership with Carlson. I believe that this mutual agreement will give a new dimension to our development prospects in the United States.  We both attach an immense value to our customers and they will be the first beneficiaries of this special relationship.  I am very confident in the ability of our mutual teams to make this collaboration a great success," said Henri Giscard d'Estaing, chief executive officer of Club Mediterrannee.

Effective March 1, 2011, Carlson loyalty members in the United States and Canada can redeem points toward Club Med vacations worldwide. See goldpointsplus.com/clubmed for full program details. Carlson's hotel loyalty program, goldpoints plus, allows members to earn points for every eligible stay at more than 1,000 Carlson hotels worldwide:  Radisson®, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson(SM), Park Inn®, and Park Plaza®. Carlson will launch its new loyalty program, Club Carlson(SM), on March 31, 2011 with an enriched array of benefits that give members a faster way to a free night stay and first-class redemption opportunities such as this new partnership with Club Med.

Thanks to the Carlson-Club Med partnership, guests can combine a visit to the award-winning Radisson Hotel Orlando-Lake Buena Vista with a stay at the newly transformed Club Med Sandpiper Bay, located in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Guests staying at both properties may enjoy a 20 percent discount at the Radisson Hotel Orlando-Lake Buena Vista.  A President's Award winning hotel, the Radisson Hotel Orlando-Lake Buena Vista is located only a quarter mile from Walt Disney World® theme parks.  The hotel provides complimentary scheduled shuttle service to Walt Disney World® theme parks and Universal Studios Orlando. See Radisson.com/ClubMed for more information on the Radisson Hotel Orlando-Lake Buena Vista offer.

Known as the only all-inclusive family resort in the United States, Sandpiper Bay has programs and activities for the entire family.  It is the flagship of Club Med "premium sports" resorts featuring the new Club Med Academies for tennis, golf and fitness. See www.sandpiperbay.clubmed.us for details on this spectacular resort.

About Carlson
Carlson is a privately held, global hospitality and travel company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. Carlson encompasses more than 1,070 hotels, including Radisson®, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson(SM), Park Inn® and Park Plaza®; more than 900 T.G.I. Friday's® restaurants; and a majority stake in Carlson Wagonlit Travel®, the global leader in business travel management. Carlson operates in more than 150 countries and its brands employ about 150,000 people.  http://www.carlson.com

About Club Med
The inventor of the vacation club concept, Club Med is the world leader of all-inclusive vacations. Present in 40 countries, it has 80 Resorts spread out on five continents plus the Club Med 2 cruiser. It has 15,000 GOs of 100 nationalities. Club Med's packages are sold by over 1,500 travel agencies through its direct and indirect distribution networks. Since 2003, Club Med has been committed to an upscale repositioning strategy to restructure its offering to meet the needs of clients on the lookout for truly exceptional vacations. http://www.clubmed.com