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.
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.
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.
Earn Skyteam Elite Plus after two China flights
China made a drastic response in cutting almost all its international flights during the pandemic, and the recovery didn’t really start until the end of 2022. Although most of its international routes have resumed some level of service, there are still very few flights to/from the U.S. as a consequence of political wrestles.
The ice seems to have started breaking finally, and China Eastern, a member of Skyteam, launched an interesting promotion.
- Book by November 15
- Travel by December 1
- Buy one return flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai and earn Gold or Platinum status
- The upgrade take effect immediately after your first flight
- Both Economy and Business Class tickets are eligible
Like most of the promotions you see in China, the terms and conditions are very ambiguous. My assumption is that if you travel in economy then you get Gold, or Platinum if you fly business. Both statuses are Skyteam Elite Plus though so there isn’t much difference. Lounge access is granted even on domestic flights when you fly China Eastern or Xiamen Airlines.
It’s restricted to certain fare buckets though, which isn’t specified. If you are interested, call their customer service line 1-626-583-1500 for more details.
Qantas’ impressive A$999 China holiday package
I don’t do flight+hotel package holidays, nor have I ever been to Australia. However, Qantas Holidays has an excellent deal if you want to visit China next year.
You can find details of the China Discovery tour here.
- The all-inclusive price is 999 AUD (£508) per person, based on two sharing a room
- Return flight by Qantas from Australia to China is included
- 8-night 4-star hotel accommodation with breakfast
- English-speaking tour guides
- You visit Beijing, Hangzhou, Suzhou & Shanghai, whereas Xi’an (terracotta city) can be added for a surcharge
You can travel between March and early June, which in my opinion is the best time to visit China. The majority of the country turns into a hotpot in the summer, so exploring during the spring is much more enjoyable.
The only caveat is, you need to apply for the Chinese visa by yourself, unless your citizenship is one of the handfuls that are exempt. In summary I think it is a very attractive offer, suitable for those who reside in Australia and are interested in visiting China.
Business class deal: Air Serbia Berlin – Tianjin o/w for €650
Air Serbia launched a new route to Tianjin, China earlier this year, and there’s now a pretty good price for travelling there from Berlin in business class.
You can check the flight price on Air Serbia’s website or via Skyscanner. The flight operates only weekly and you’ll be looking at Thursdays. The sale seems to be wide open in August, September and October.
€653 is a very solid deal for a one-way intercontinental flight in premium cabins. I glanced over the fare rules and it appears to be fully refundable and changeable. Unfortunately you can only credit to Etihad Guest, and the fare bucket C earns you 175% miles.
The fare rules also mention one free stop-over permitted. However when I tried to search multi-city it always came up considerably more expensive. I’m not sure if you can book a one-way flight first and then call up to request a stop-over for free.
Tianjin is one of China’s ports that participate in the 144-hour transit-without-visa program. You don’t need a visa for flying into the city as long as you are continuing to a third country within 144 hours.
15% off your Airalo eSIM purchase
I’ve been using Airalo for the past year when travelling abroad, and I’m very content with the product. It’s true that they aren’t as cheap as if your purchase a physical SIM card locally, but being able to sort it out before the trip without moving SIM cards in and out is a deal-breaker for me.
If you are interested in placing an order, Airalo just launched a new promotion with Mastercard. Up until April 30 2023, you can use the promo code MASTERCARD15 for 15% off all your purchases.
In theory it’s a deal for Mastercard users in Asia Pacific, however I don’t think any check is performed.
IHG’s “Straight to Diamond” offer returns with a catch
Last year IHG initiated a “Straight to Diamond” offer for select corporate clients and made it public by mistake, and many people had signed up to it before the loophole was closed. IHG has brought back the offer now, but is being much more careful this time.
You can check the offer details here. Quite similar to what was offered last time, a member receives a 120-day Diamond trial upon successful enrolment, and they would need to stay 10 nights within 90 days to complete the status challenge.
However, you cannot sign up yourself this time. Only IHG’s sales team, or any full-service hotel in Greater China can enrol you manually. To be eligible, you need to work for a company that is invited by IHG to partake in this promotion.
If you believe you are eligible (e.g. your company has agreements with IHG), especially if you have a recent / upcoming stay with an IHG hotel in Greater China, it’s worth enquiring with the relevant department or the hotel to see if they can register you.