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IHG 8 Night to Diamond offer is back!

A reader has just messaged me about an offer email that he received from IHG.

IHG brought back is fast track to Diamond offer and you can check if you are eligible here.

  • Stay by March 24
  • Stay 8 paid nights to get Diamond status
  • Status is valid through the end of 2024

Another reader managed to sign up successfully although he didn’t receive the email.

It is almost exactly the same offer as last year. Note that however, according to the email your status will only last till the end of this year, which is unusual. Normally the status you earn (no matter how) is valid for the next calendar year too.

IHG Diamond has some solid benefits including free breakfast and room upgrade, and you should consider this offer even if you are an occasional stayer.

Accor: bonus points with Qatar and great hotel redemption deals

[Qatar Airways]

Accor has had a partnership with Qatar Airways since 2022, which allows Accor elite members to acquire Qatar’s status, as high as Oneworld Emerald, after only one flight. You should consider this fast track offer if you are qualified.

They have also just launched a new offer for account linking:

  • Link your Accor and QR accounts by Feb 29th
  • Fly once with Qatar Airways by March 31st for 1,000 bonus Avios
  • Stay once with Accor by March 31st for 1,000 bonus points

Accor has a similar reciprocal scheme with Flying Blue and Qantas. I think you can switch every 12 months.

[Limitless Experiences]

Similar to Marriott and Hilton, Accor has an auction / redemption platform named Limitless Experiences, where you can exchange or bid for experiences including hotel stays and events.

I’ve being paying attention since I’ve accrued 10k+ points from the All Signature promotion last year, and it seems that they are finally offering something interesting. There are discounted redemptions for hotel stays in Asia, Africa and Middle East.

Here are some examples:

  • Japan, Grand Mercure Ise-shima Resort & Spa (half-board) 7,000 points
  • Japan, Mercure Kyoto Miyazu Resort & Spa (half-board) 5,000 points
  • Abu Dhabi, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr (breakfast) 4,000 points
  • Bahrain, Mövenpick Hotel Bahrain (breakfast) 4,400 points
  • Qatar, Pullman Doha West Bay (breakfast) 4,000 points
  • Kenya, Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club (two nights all-inclusive) 20,000 points
  • South Africa, Mercure Hotel Midrand (two-nights breakfast) 2,000 points

They will contact you with further details within 14 days of redemption, and be careful as there are various stay dates requirement. There are many cheap options in South Africa and India – paying only 2,000 points (€40) for two nights is insane.

The Fairmont hotel in Abu Dhabi is also a great bargain, as it can cost as much as €300 on some days in February. You must stay by the end of March though, and it doesn’t work me unfortunately.

In addition there are some other on-property experiences available, such as:

  • Dubai, Pullman Dubai Jumeirah Lakes Towers, 30 minutes’ PT – 200 points
  • Jordan, Mövenpick Resort & Residences Aqaba, buffer dinner for 2 – 1,500 points
  • Jordan, Mövenpick Resort & Spa Tala Bay, underwater discovery – 700 points
  • Bahrain, Mövenpick Hotel Bahrain, dinner for 2 – 1,500 points
  • Saudia, Mövenpick Hotel Al Khobar, seafood buffer for 2 – 3,000 points
  • Maldives, Raffles Maldives, sunken dinner for 2 – 10,000 points

Marriott Q1: double elite credits and 1,000 bonus points

There were rumours last week about a repeating Marriott offer from last year, which turned out to be true. You could sign up to Marriott’s 1000 Times Yes offer here.

  • Register by April 15th
  • Stay between February 13th and April 29th
  • Earn 1,000 bonus points per paid night, plus double elite night credits

It is exactly the same Q1 offer as 2023. If you are wondering why February 13th, Chinese New Year is on February 10th so Marriott expects enough demand and no need for a promotion before that date.

It is a great offer to score some elite night credits for status, the annual choice benefit or lifetime status, but remember that only paid nights count. Marriott awarded its China members many night credits a few months ago and many regretted have stayed too much, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen again this year.

My review of NEW Hotel Athens

After Melia Athens I wanted to move closer to the Acropolis, and decided on the NEW Hotel, a member of Marriott’s Design Hotel collection. 65,000 points for two nights is pretty good, and perfect for me to spend the 35k free-night certificate.

The location is excellent as you are only five minutes away from the main square and tube station, very convenient but also quiet at the same time. The Acropolis is within walking distance. In short it’s an ideal location for tourists.

The property is run by Yes Hotels, who owns a couple of other Design Hotels in Athens including Periscope and Semiramis. Unfortunately Marriott elite members receive very limited benefits at Design Hotels, and as a Titanium member all I get is 1,000 welcome points and room upgrade. Breakfast is not included, and the €35 price is bit insane in my opinion.

Good news is Superior Room is bookable using points, and I received a further one-category upgrade to Superior Plus.

The way how the basin just sticks out is quite weird, so is the mirror behind it.

The “ladder” by the wall is actually a chair. As a Design hotel there are for sure some design elements in the room, whether you agree with the concept or not is a different matter!

There’s no bathtub but the rain shower is powerful.

I received a bottle of water and some local delicacies as a welcome gift, and some more during the turndown service. I love baklava, but don’t think I’m a fan of Greek desserts otherwise…

As a result of the upgrade, my room comes with a balcony.

I went to the restaurant on the rooftop for some pictures.

Gym is at level -1. I’m sure there’s a jacuzzi hidden somewhere as well although I didn’t find it, as I was told by the staff.

I’m not necessarily fond of the hotel’s design choice, but the room is good in general and the location is perfect. Compared to the other Marriott hotels in Athens NEW does have some advantages, and is a decent option if the price is right.

Work for a big company? Enjoy instant Marriott Platinum status and fast track

Marriott’s Platinum status is well sought after, as it comes with handy perks including room upgrade, free breakfast and lounge access. If you work for a large company, you may qualify for a fast track offer that grants you access to such elite status immediately.

The following companies are eligible for the Platinum Challenge:

Offer rules are:

  • You need a corporate email address to validate
  • You can enrol as a new member, or with your existing Member/Silver/Gold account
  • A three-month Platinum trial is awarded immediately
  • Complete 15 paid nights during the trial to keep your Platinum status
  • You can only participate once every three years

The trial terminates at the end of the third following calendar month, so it’s best to enrol at the beginning of a month. For example if you register on February 1st, your challenge lasts until May 31st.

Once you’ve managed the challenge, you will enjoy Platinum benefits through March 2026 which is great. If you (or anyone you know) works for an eligible company, it’s worth considering undertaking the challenge.

GHA D$20 for completing a survey

(Edit: now fixed and only works for targeted members)

GHA sent out a new survey lately, and it’s your chance to earn some free D$!

To participate, use this link https://bondb.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0q4vCM59tu6Vgai?CUSTOM1= and add your membership number in the end. It’s not a public offer, but I don’t think it’s targeted either.

The survey takes 5-10 minutes to complete, and you’ll earn D$20 as a reward in the end.

The reward will hit your account by February 16th. I’ve had a couple of experiences redeeming D$ now and it’s usually quite easy. My main complaint is, D$ earned though promotions such as this one is usually very short-lived, with a 6-month or even 3-month expiry, and thus very restricted.

My review of Melia Athens

Back to Athens after nine years, and it’s the rare chance for me to stay at a Melia hotel again. €178 for two nights with breakfast included is a satisfying price, until it dropped again by a further €30 not long after I booked, oh well…

Location of the Melia Athens is good, but not great. The neighbourhood seems a bit rough, but it’s just 25 minutes on foot to the Acropolis which is a nice stroll for walkers. The Omonia metro station is fairly close, which brings you to the Acropolis and seaside directly.

I got trapped in a big traffic jam in Thessaloniki, followed by a flight delay, and was exhausted when I arrived at the hotel. Man from the front desk learned Chinese for a few years – we had a short but delightful conversation before I went to my room.

I am Melia Gold, but it doesn’t come with room upgrade as a benefit. I did however claim a room-upgrade voucher as my birthday gift, and it is time to test it. The voucher allows you to choose the room of a higher category during online check-in:

It’s only one-category, and only confirmed 48 hours before arrival, so not hugely useful. On the bright side, they are very efficient and I could see my room number in the app in the morning.

I got an upgrade to Supreme Room VIP Experience:

View from my room:

The bathroom has a very funky design, which converts part of the bathtub into a shower cabin.

The tub has built-in jacuzzi jets for a nice massage:

Dates and preserved fruits as the welcome gift for my Gold status:

The room is more or less the same with a standard Supreme Room, but with some VIP Experience addons:

  • Welcome drink
  • Free breakfast
  • 20% dining discount
  • Free fast wi-fi
  • Coffee machine
  • Upgraded bath amenities
  • Early check-in and late check-out

Although its rooms are tired, the hotel has a nice rooftop swimming pool on the 8th floor.

Nice view of Mount Lycabettus.

It looks quite fancy in a different way at night.

Gym, sauna and steam room are on the same floor.

My welcome drink:

Breakfast is served at the Vivendo restaurant on the mezzanine floor until 10.30am. There’s also a late breakfast option at Cafe Mondo afterwards, but I’m not sure whether the offering is the same.

This is the usual buffet you find in Europe. The Spanakopita – Greek spinach pie – is pretty good.

It’s not a top-grade hotel, but in general it doesn’t have any major flaw and the rooftop pool is a big highlight. If you don’t mind the slightly odd location, Melia Athens is worth considering when the price is right.

New IHG targeted offers: 8K points every 4 nights and more

IHG currently has a double point promotion which ends at the end of January. They have just revealed the next round of promotion, which seems to have different targeted versions.

We have found two versions at the moment:

You check try signing up and see if you are eligible. For both offers, Stay between February 1 and March 31 to earn the bonus, and nights don’t need to be consecutive.