My review of Etihad First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi
After the very impressive experience with Emirates First Suite a few months ago, I’m trying out the first class product of another Middle Eastern carrier – Etihad. Etihad occupies the entire Terminal 3 of the Abu Dhabi airport, and there are dedicated entrances for first class and business class passengers.
The check-in area is surprisingly, hmm, basic. Like many other emerging economies UAE is usually pretty good at infrastructure, and it’s fair to say the airport doesn’t leave a very good first impression.
The images above cover the entire first class check-in area. There are two rows of check-in desks but only one of them is open.
First class and business class passengers share the same fast track facilities for emigration and security check, after which you’ll see the first class lounge immediately. It is a small terminal.
There is nothing but a reception desk on the ground floor. You need to take the stairs up to enter the actual lounge.
The restaurant kind of brings me back in time to the 1990s.
The bar looks quite old-fashioned as well. Alcoholic drinks are still served during Ramadan, but there’s no menu – the bartender tells you what options are available.
The rest of the lounge sends out the same vibe. It feels more like a third-party contract lounge you often see at smaller European airports, and there’s definitely nothing lush about it…
I was trying to find a desk to sit down and write some stuff, but I failed. Trust me I checked every corner of the lounge and it’s not difficult.
The lounge prides itself in the name “Lounge & Spa”, except that the spa was closed during the pandemic and still hasn’t re-opened yet. Here are the kids club and gym:
I asked the staff whether there’s any quiet room to take a rest, and was told it’s chargeable. She brought me to a large dark room however which is free and looks like a mini cinema.
The famous cigar room that is mentioned in all the reviews:
I heard they used to gift all guests one or two cigars but it’s no longer the case. A friend of mine has some expiring Etihad miles and generously offered me to spend on the cigars. Then a member of staff explains about an ongoing IT issue that prevents them from accepting payment in miles…
Well, at least let’s have some free food! This has to be one of the ugliest and worn-out menus that I’ve ever seen in a lounge.
I don’t remember much about the food.
I’m take aback by how shabby Etihad’s first class lounge is. I understand that the terminal might be quite old and limited in terms of space and facilities, but Etihad could for sure work harder to cater to their most important customers. They could have put more effort into service and dining, instead of shutting down the spa centre and charging for everything.
I was complaining that Emirates’ first class lounge was lacking in inspiration, and after seeing how Etihad’s counterpart is I have to take it back. It’s weird to say but, even BA’s Concorde Room does a better job!
40% off IHG hotels in Southeast Asia and Korea
IHG has launched a very good sale for stays in Southeast Asia and Korea.
- Book by September 25
- Stay between October 10 and January 31
- Book at least 21 days in advance and two-night minimum stay required
- 40% off the best flexible rate (including member-exclusive discount)
- Non-refundable
Here are some rate examples:
- InterContinental Bangkok $164
- Holiday Inn Bangkok Silom $68
- Crowne Plaza Phuket Panwa Beach $94
- InterContinental Kuala Lumpur $117
- InterContinental Bali $139
- Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium $144
- voco Danang Ma Belle $72
You don’t usually see strong discount like 40%-off in IHG sales so it is genuinely good. Note that however reservations are non-refundable.
Good GHA offer: D$15 for every app booking
I just received an email from GHA about a pretty good promotion. It started two months ago but somehow slipped under my radar.
You can read about the offer here. You don’t need to register, and you’ll earn D$15 for every GHA stay booked via their mobile app. There’s no limit on how much bonus you could earn under this promotion.
D$15 is a very solid rebate especially on cheap one-night stays. If you have a stay of multiple nights, well maybe try to book them as multiple stays, and cross your fingers…
Party over? IHG Ambassador / Diamond renewal bug may have been fixed
(The news has finally made it to the other blogs. Interesting how some quote Flyeralk or even reuse my FlyerT link but without quoting me!)
The InterContinental Ambassador program has a public bug / perk that has been known widely for a long time – if you currently hold IHG Diamond status and purchase / renew your Ambassador membership, there’s a very good chance that your Diamond status will be extended for another year for free.
It’s absolutely not a publicised or even intentional side-effect, although it has been around for years since IHG introduced the Spire level. Let’s be clear, there’s no way that IHG isn’t aware of this, and it’s only up to them whether or when they want to fix it.
Sadly, it seems that the door might have been finally shut. Since September 13th, China’s FlyerT forum has reported at least 5 cases where Ambassador renewal failed to extend the Diamond expiry date.
One contributor renewed their membership at an InterContinental hotel, which is always known as the safest way for the extension to work.
(Update: so far I’m yet to see any case of success from September 13th onwards. There are multiple reports from outside China too.)
It’s probably too early to draw a conclusion yet, and we will revisit in one or two weeks. My Ambassador membership just lapsed but I have until early October to renew it, and I was hoping for another renewal bonus. In my opinion, InterContinental Ambassador itself is still well worth the $200 annual fee.
Two-bedroom villa in Danang for 40K Marriott points only!
Marriott is to open a new villa-only hotel in Danang, Vietnam. Like the Singapore Edition hotel we mentioned a few days ago, there’s a pricing oddity which creates a very good deal.
The entry-level room type, 2 Bedroom Garden Villa, is priced at around $600 per night. If you pay by Marriott points however, as few as 40,000 points are needed.
Even more oddly, the Cash & Points option is even better as you save 20,500 points by paying $75.
Such redemption sweet spots are commonly seen when a new hotel is loaded into the system, and it’s not unique to Marriott Bonvoy. The redemption price might be adjusted soon to reflect the cash price (in fact it was only 30,000 points yesterday), so act fast if you may need it.
My review of The Abu Dhabi Edition
I went to Abu Dhabi in March because of Etihad’s €70 fare and I needed some winter (spring?) sun. It turned out to be a wise move – weather aside, you can find many luxury hotels here of top quality which are much cheaper than in Dubai.
Many hotels in Abu Dhabi offer in their respective VIP rate plans, e.g. Hilton Impresario, Marriott Stars and Hyatt Prive. Sofitel was the cheapest at £80 per night, others like Fairmont, Conrad, Edition, Grand Hyatt, Rosewood and Four Seasons were between £100 and £150. Remember that you are entitled to free breakfast, room upgrade and $100 credit etc courtesy of the VIP rates.
As I have never been to an Edition hotel yet, and the rate is so good, I booked the Abu Dhabi Edition for three nights. I used Airalo eSIM for data roaming in Abu Dhabi which I highly recommend.
The hotel is located at a small marina in west Abu Dhabi. It’s not central, but I find that you need Uber / Taxi to travel anywhere anyway so it doesn’t matter at all. The hotel has a residence section for long-stay guests.
Once you enter the lobby you are embraced by the signature Le Labo fragrance which is quite refreshing.
The receptionist is very familiar with Platinum and Marriott Stars benefits. Here is what Platinum members can choose as a welcome gift.
Very generously, they’ve already upgraded me to a suite on the fourth floor (it has six floors in total). The living room is massive. The blend of beige and brown colours resonates with the natural and simple theme that the Edition brand stresses.
I can’t figure out why they welcomed me with a cereal bar though…
There is a small bathroom to the left of the living room.
You can go out to the balcony from the living room, but there isn’t much of a view here due to the height and aspect. AI Hudayriat, an artificial island you can see at a distance, is worth a visit.
The bedroom also has that Scandinavian feel. I’m new to this style but I don’t diske it.
Surprisingly such a huge suite doesn’t even have a bathtub. Some friends of mine really like Le Labo and took away many bottles with them when they stayed at Edition hotels. However they’ve only got large bottles here and there are price tags attached to them…
They smell really good, but I don’t like the shampoo as it doesn’t foam at all.
The $100 credit is exchanged into 350 dirhams. The steakhouse looks way too expensive, whereas I’ve heard bad things about the other Mediterranean restaurant. By the way it happens to be Ramadan right now, but hotel restaurants operate as normal and as a tourist I don’t feel affected at all.
In the end I decided to try the room service instead.
They are certainly no delicacy, but decent enough for the price and to fill my stomach. The two meals didn’t use up all my credit so I packed some cakes from the dessert shop for my flight back.
Note that there’s no complimentary breakfast for elite members at Edition hotels, but thankfully it’s offered by the Stars program. I read some very positive reviews of the breakfast so was looking forward to it.
Conveniently the breakfast is served until 12.30pm, so you don’t need to worry about an early morning if you are suffering jetlag.
There’s both indoor and outdoor seating.
The service is a-la-carte only. I ordered the eggs benefit on the first morning which was nothing to write home about.
The cured meat is made from beef instead of pork, and I’m not used to the taste.
Then next day I ordered the chilli scrambled eggs, and I have to say it is so different to the other scrambled eggs I’ve had in the past! Very Instagrammable and tasty.
The outdoor swimming pool is pretty good but closes early at 6.30pm. There’s also a sauna room nearby inside.
There another swimming pool on the rooftop of the residence building. It’s smaller but with a view.
The gym:
It’s fair to say that my first close encounter with the Edition brand is quite positive, but by the UAE standard I don’t assume it would stand out. I would love to try out the Emirates Palace hotel some day, but either I’d need to earn more money, or Mandarin Oriental needs to allow me to spend my points…
Breaking: 15% IHG award nights globally
IHG has brought back its beloved award night sale, and you don’t wanna miss out!
Here’s what we’ve gathered so far:
- Book and stay from September 12th
- Stay by October 26
- 15% off all award night redemptions globally
For now it’s a “pre-sale” to select members (Diamond / credit card holders?) only, and will be rolled out to the public in a few days. We don’t know the book-by date yet.
You won’t see any discount in Europe or Americas yet, as the offer doesn’t kick in until midnight hotel’s local time. If you search hotels in Asia however, you can already see it:
Scandals are that IHG increases the redemption price at some properties soon after the sale starts, so you may want to lock in some reservations as soon as possible.
Book The Singapore Edition for only 40K points!
Marriott Bonvoy’s Edition brand is launching another location in Singapore, and they’ve now started to accept bookings from December onwards. It is a great opportunity to burn your Marriott points!
As you can see from the rate calendar, award nights in December starts at only 40,000 points.
Unfortunately the price climbs up quick from January to up to 70,000 points. However, as its cash price hovers around the 800 SGD mark (~$600), it still yields outsized value.
For the date I checked in December, the Edition costs only marginally more points than the Aloft and Courtyard. As Marriott has a dynamic pricing system in place, I’d suggest you to lock in the redemptions sooner than later if you have any travel plans.