Home » Hotel Groups (Page 18)
Category Archives: Hotel Groups
Hilton: double night credit offer, 30% Amex UK conversion bonus
In addition to its double points global offer, Hilton has launched another double night credit promotion which makes it easier to attain elite status and potentially earn even more bonus points.
- Stay between October 11 and December 31
- Earn double elite night credit for all stays
- It counts towards Milestone Bonuses and Rollover Nights too
As usual, both paid and award nights can trigger the bonus. Existing bookings prior to registration count too, so there’s no need to cancel and rebook.
Your check-in / check-out date doesn’t matter, but only nights falling into the promotion period earn bonuses. For example, if you check in on October 9 and check out on October 12, only the last night is eligible.
It’s a nice gesture to make them count towards Milestone Bonuses, which means if you are approaching or above 40 nights, you earn 10,000 bonus points for every 5 nights stayed, on top of all the other promotions.
Last but not least, although not 100% official, multiple people received confirmation from CS that the bonus counts towards Diamond Challenge too – which means you only need six nights for the Diamond status.
Meanwhile Amex UK started a conversion bonus recently which has totally gone under the radar. You get a 30% bonus when converting Membership Reward points to Hilton by November 3, which means 1 MR point = 2.6 Hilton points.
In my opinion it’s still not a great ratio, but if you need some Hilton points right now or you’ve been saving up for a Maldives trip, it could work out in your favour.
(Expired) Sign-up now: Instant IHG Diamond upgrade!
(This offer has gone viral now and has appeared on multiple blogs worldwide. I have to stress that it’s a targeted corporate offer so there are certain risks. I strongly discouraged you from registering if you are already Diamond.)
(Give it a try still, but the loophole might have been closed, or be closed any minute from now.)
I wrote about IHG’s targeted Diamond trial offer recently, and I’m back today with an exciting update!
You can sign up to the Straight To Diamond offer here.
- Upon registration you’ll be upgraded to Diamond instantly
- The trial lasts 90 days
- Stay 10 paid nights by December 31, 2022 to extend your status throughout 2023
- Members / hotels in Greater China are excluded
After registration you should receive a confirmation email that looks like below, although probably not in Chinese :p
There are many success reports from my friends and online, so I’m pretty confident that it works. It is supposed to be a corporate offer, but IHG seems to be really relaxed, not enforcing any eligibility check.
So that means a minimum 90-day Diamond trial that comes with free breakfast etc which is great. If you are unable to hit the 10-day challenge, consider the Ambassador trick although I can’t guarantee it works.
IHG Gold / Platinum fast track offer and instant Diamond upgrade
IHG’s fast track route to its elite status is back for a limited time – check it out if you are interested in getting their Gold or Platinum status.
- Register and stay by December 31, 2022
- Stay two nights to earn Gold Elite status
- Stay five nights to earn Platinum Elite status
- Only paid stays count
Unlike the usual corporate offers that target select companies’ employees, this offer is open to everyone. I’ve seen two different registration links for the offer, so if the link above fails, try promo code 57159 instead.
IHG’s Platinum status comes with bonus points, room upgrade and late check-out, which isn’t hugely valuable but is worth something. You can earn an instant Platinum upgrade when joining the Ambassador program (and there’s an ongoing offer), but if you don’t feel like paying for it, the fast track offer might work better.
Meanwhile, someone from China’s FlyerT forum has shared a similar but more attractive deal.
Employees from certain IHG’s corporate partners can request an instant upgrade to Diamond Elite that lasts 90 days, and then keep the status if staying at least 10 nights during the trial. I didn’t get hold of the registration link (UPDATE: I do now), but you should check with HR if your company does a lot of business with IHG.
Earn double elite night credit when staying with Marriott Homes & Villas
Marriott is running its annual Week of Wonders promotion with various offers, and some are worth having a look. The most intriguing part this year though, is a special deal from its Homes & Villas collection:
- Book by October 15
- Stay by April 30, 2023
- Minimum 5-night paid stay required
- Earn double points and elite night credits for all stays
You earn a reduced 5 base points / $1 when staying at Homes & Villas, so don’t expect to be flush with points even with the double points offer. However the double night credit bit is genuinely interesting, as you accrue night credit per the usual standard with this brand (except for Marriott Executive Apartments where you only earn 1 night credit for every 3 nights stayed).
Homes & Villas is roughly an upscale Airbnb equivalent. When I checked their website one year ago their footprint was minimal, but it has greatly improved since and they have 1001 properties in the UK now, which scatters across the entire country.
You can easily find an apartment for under £100 a night at many cities.
Obviously the expectation when staying at an apartment is very different to a hotel, but it’s a cheap-ish way of maintaining / upgrading your Marriott status especially as we’re approaching the year end.
Other Week of Wonders promotions include:
- 50% bonus when purchasing Marriott points by October 13
- Up to 15% off award night redemption at 4,500 hotels globally
- Up to $300 credit when booking select luxury hotels
My review of Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh
There is only one Waldorf Astoria hotel in the UK, and it’s not in London! When my Mum visited me in 2018, we spent two nights in Edinburgh and one of them was in the Waldorf Astoria The Caledonian hotel. Many things have changed since, and the hotel has undergone a lot of refurbishment, so I’m excited to be back.
After yet another pleasant stay at the Kimpton, I moved myself across the street to the Waldorf Astoria. My initial choice was the Hilton Carlton as I’ve never stayed there, but then I was put off by the reviews on Flyertalk and don’t want to take the risk anymore. WA Edinburgh’s award night costs 95,000 points (used to be 70k or 80k), which is hardly a bargain.
The hotel is sat where the West End and Princes Street meet. It’s not super close to the railway station or Edinburgh’s main attractions, but still convenient enough. It’s built in 1903 as the old Edinburgh Railway Station.
The lobby is very beautifully refreshed and looks much more welcoming than it was four years ago.
I’m given an upgrade to Queen Premier Room with Castle View, which appears to be the norm for Diamond members.
The room’s been repainted, and furniture replaced. Nothing fundamental has been carried out though, probably due to the listed status of the architecture. Beware that windows are only single-glazed, so it doesn’t shield you much from the street noises.
Great castle view through the window.
Then I receive what may be one of the best welcome presents I’ve had in Europe – a box of chocolate assortment, two bottles of water and a large bottle of Laurent Perrier. I’m actually quite surprised, as when I stayed here last time on Amex FHR the champagne only came in a small bottle.
Spa needs to be pre-booked, and it’s a long walk from the first floor.
Facilities are great, although I’m not convinced by their design choice. Shower and sauna are downstairs whereas the pools are upstairs, so it’s a bit of a journey to travel back and forth.
Breakfast is served at the Peacock Alley. I had my afternoon tea here last time to use the $100 FHR credit.
There’s no buffet at all and you order anything from the menu, which is great. The eggs benedict is really disappointing though – too much salt and the muffins are too tough to bite.
Now here comes the drama. At 5.30am the (false) fire alarm suddenly went off, and then lasted sporadically for an hour or so in my room and some other guest rooms, and which understandably ruined my sleep. I’m speechless as the exact same thing happened in 2018 – what’s wrong with me and this hotel?!
I raised a complaint when checking out. The staff told me it would be brought to the attention of their supervisor and I’ll get some points as compensation, however two weeks have passed and I’m yet to hear anything.
Anyway, when staying at Edinburgh my top choice is probably the Kimpton, given its lovely boutique vibe and good rate (on points or BOGOF). Sheraton on the other hand has the best Spa in this country and is definitely worth a visit as well. If you’d love some history, the Waldorf Astoria is not to be missed either.
IHG new offer: 10K bonus points every 4 nights
IHG has launched its global promotion for the last quarter of 2022.
You can read the details and sign up here.
- Stay between October 13 and December 31
- Choose between 2,000 bonus points every 2 nights, and 10,000 bonus points very 4 nights
- Once chosen it can’t be changed
- Only paid nights count
It’s interesting that they are offering members a choice this time. However unless you are not gonna reach 4 nights in the rest of the year, it’s a no brainer to choose the second option. Therefore having two options is a bit pointless – one should probably offer double elite-qualifying night or something like that.
If you are staying enough nights, the offer equates to 2,500 bonus points per night which is a good deal. It’s a decent incentive if you are pondering about hitting Diamond or Milestone Rewards.
Extend your InterContinental Ambassador (& Diamond) status for free
InterContinental Ambassador is an exclusive paid membership program created by IHG for its top brands such as Six Senses, Regent and InterContinental. You usually have to pay $200 or 40,000 points annually to renew it, but there’s a less-known grace policy that allows you to extend it for free.
You can find the details in the program terms and conditions, clause 8. In short:
- A once-in-a-lifetime two-month extension is applicable to all members
- A once-in-a-lifetime six-month extension is applicable to all members on their second membership year or greater
You cannot combine both to have an eight-month extension, but you are entitled to both extensions at different times.
If you need more time to enjoy your Ambassador benefits but are not ready to pay yet, remember that these two free extension options are available. From the reports we’ve received, it also extends your Diamond status as long as your Ambassador membership is extended to a new calendar year.
My Review of Kimpton Charlotte Square, Edinburgh
(Updated in September 2022)
I visited this hotel again to use my Amex £100 cashback offer. I booked a single room with BOGOF at £274, and then they announced the Queen’s lying-at-rest which shot up all hotels’ rate – lucky me!
I love their boutique vibe and nature-inspired setup.
I’m upgraded to a double room, which is similar to what I got last time. Very lovely and cosy.
Complimentary breakfast for Diamond. It’s mainly buffet with a few cook-to-order dishes.
Gym and spa:
Sadly they don’t have a jacuzzi.
(Originally posted in August 2020)
I was in Scotland for a week a couple of weeks ago, as my “Escape trip” from London 🙂 My second stop was Edinburgh, where I stayed for three nights.
For the first two nights I booked the Courtyard hotel in the centre – you really can’t beat their flash sale, thanks to which I paid a total of £79 for two nights. This is an incredible deal, as the regular rate you expect for late July and August in past years was usually £150+, if not more.
I needed to find something for the third night though, and decided to give the new Kimpton a try. This was one of the two Principal hotels in Edinburgh, and the other converted into an InterContinental instead, in George Square.
I redeemed 25,000 points for a one-night stay, which was pretty good. An alternative would have been £165 via Amex FHR, which I’ll talk about at the end of this article.
The hotel is located near the West End, which is at the edge of the city centre. This is still a good location right next the the Prince Street, but you should expect moderate amount of walk to the train station and Royal Mile etc.
On the day of arrival, I received an SMS in the morning asking if I needed anything for my stay, which is very rare in Europe.
There are a retro bike and some other cute items at the hotel entrance, which I find really adorable. The restaurant has also got a very unique look, that makes you feel like being in a greenhouse.
I had no problem checking in at 1pm. Due to sanitary concerns only half of the rooms were open at the moment, however the hotel could still get relatively busy during weekends.
I got a one-level upgrade from Standard room to Superior as Spire elite. I’m not sure what the differences are, but it does feel very specious at least. A friend (Platinum) booked via Amex FHR and got the same upgrade, which we find not very generous.
Again I quite like the retro deco in the room.
As the fitness room was not open at this point, yoga mat was provided in each guest room. I was quite impressed by its quality.
Complimentary “Social Hour” is offered at the hotel bar from 5pm to 6pm daily, during which soft drinks and house wines are provided to all guests for free.
When the hotel just re-opened and this was not permitted due to the circumstances, I think they comped all guests’ breakfast instead, which is probably more valued by someone like me 🙂
I find all the hotel staff I interacted amicable and professional. My 4pm late check-out request was also granted, although it took some time to confirm.
In general this Kimpton is probably my favourite hotel in Edinburgh so far. I’ve stayed at the Waldorf Astoria which is two minutes’ walk away, and although the latter does have more history and great castle view, I prefer Kimpton for its very comfy refurbished guest room.
If you want to book this hotel, using points may be an excellent option. Paying cash, Amex FHR is great especially for one-night stays as you pay the best flexible rate and also get privileges like free breakfast, $100 hotel credit, room upgrade and guaranteed 4pm late check-out – none of these is included as IHG elite benefits except room upgrade.
If you don’t have Amex Platinum card, you could also book via an agent who participates in IHG’s Luxury Collection programme, which offers almost identical benefits to FHR, except that late check-out is only guaranteed at 2pm. Virtuoso is probably the most convenient platform for this.