My review of Kimpton Clocktower, Manchester
(08/2022 Update – just had a second stay here)
I was visiting Manchester again, and although I didn’t intend to stay at the Kimpton again, it’s very cheap using the Ambassador BOGOF voucher (£125 for two nights) so I decided to give it another try.
The current social password Stay Cool surprises with me a postcard, oh well…
The room I’ve got this time is on the 3rd floor. Although not as big as last time, it feels so much better – refreshed furniture, bright daylight from the massive windows, and very high ceiling.
Social Hour is hosted 6-7pm on weekdays and 5-6pm on weekends. There’s a nice selection of drinks.
Diamond members can choose breakfast as their welcome amenity, which is served in the Refuge bar.
It’s mainly buffet, but with a few cook-to-order options too.
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(Originally posted 07/2021)
I’ve stayed at both Kimptons at Edinburgh and Glasgow, and I like them both. Therefore I’ve chosen to try out the Kimpton Clocktower hotel at Manchester to use my Ambassador BOGOF voucher. The Clocktower is significantly cheaper than the other three Kimptons – I paid only £158 for both nights.
The hotel is located off the Oxford road. Despite its proximity to the road and train station I barely heard any noises in my room. It’s not central, but Canal street, the Piccadilly station and city centre are just a short walk away.
The highlight of the hotel is, no doubt the lobby, which is hugely impressive:
Built at 1895 it was originally an office building, and converted to a hotel nearly one hundred years later. If you are a history fan remember to request a free brochure when you check in.
The secret password gives me a Manchester Bee and a box of cream fudge.
Having booked the very basic Urban Double, I’m then upgraded to Deluxe room for which category-wise is quite generous. Upon opening the door you see a small vestibule:
And the actual room is actually on the higher floor. The whole setting is kind of a duplex.
However, the room looks nothing like the stock photos, in a sad way. Sorry for the bad photos, but it brings up the first point I want to make: because of the positioning most rooms are very lacking in natural light, which is worsened by the fact that windows are very small.
Furnishing is tired and dysfunctional. Bed is ok, but I have no idea why anyone would think that 18th-century desk and stool are by any means comfortable enough for anyone to sit. Instead of properly installing the mirror they just leave a standalone one against the wall which feels quite strange.
The bathroom actually looks much better. Maybe they are in the middle of refurbishing all rooms?
I have to stay that I have never felt as depressed in a hotel room like this before. It just doesn’t give you the cosy feel that a luxury hotel should aim for at all.
Breakfast is charged at £18.50pp and there’s no discount if you order upfront. After realising that it doesn’t even include the cooked-to-order items it is a definite no from me. However, a £10 drinks voucher is provided to IHG members, and you could spend it at the famous Refuge Bar.
Although I was really amazed by the glorious hall at first sight, the room unfortunately is a big disappointment and is nowhere near a five-star hotel’s standard. The hotel and its Refuge Bar is still worth a visit, but in my opinion there are many better accommodation choices in Manchester, e.g. the new Indigo near Victoria station.
Book Virgin Chauffeur service for 17,500 points
Like many other airlines that wanted to impress their premium passengers onboard and off the plane, Virgin Atlantic used to offer free chauffeur service to Upper Class customers. The service has died down over the years though, and they no longer offer it in-house, but have partnered with a third-party provider and it is not to free to anyone anymore.
However, it is still possible to book the chauffeur service with Virgin points. It has a very limited audience though: only Upper Class reward tickets (booking class G) are eligible, although upgrade from paid Premium tickets are booked in the same class so I believe they qualify too.
You can read about the benefit here.
- It’s available at UK and US airports
- You pay 17,500 points per way
- It covers a 75-mile radius from the airport
- In the US it’s possible to pay $3.5 per mile if your travel distance exceeds 75 miles
I live near Heathrow, so Uber or Bolt costs me only £30 therefore the benefit doesn’t really apply. However, if you live further away it might start to make sense.
As you can see, the 75-mile radius covers almost the entire Southeast, as well as many other counties around London (I never realised England was so small).
If you already have a Virgin ticket, you could make a dummy chauffeur booking online to see what kind of car and service to expect. If I remember correctly their partner is Tristar, which was acquired by Addison Lee in 2020.
17,500 points isn’t cheap, but if you travel from far and especially with many bags, it may be a great redemption choice.
Use Amazon Currency Converter to earn £5 voucher
While I was placing an order today on Amazon, I saw a new promo message about their Currency Converter service.
You can check out the offer here. Basically by placing an order using the Amazon Currency Converter by July 31st, you’ll receive a £5 off voucher on your next purchase of £50, to use by September 30th.
You probably have never seen Amazon Currency Converter before, as it only shows up when the chosen card’s set currency is different than the sales (i.e. GBP). I have a U.S. credit card saved in my Amazon account which is probably why I was targeted for this promotion.
If you change the currency of your payment card you should see the option too.
The problem is it’s not cheap. In the example above, it charges me $123.60 for £100, whereas according to Google £100 = $120.05. The actual handling fee here is $3.55, or 2.96%.
However, in order to trigger the offer you only need to buy something cheap. I went for a £15 item in the end, which is essentially equivalent to paying 50p for a £5 voucher, which isn’t a bad deal I suppose.
Best UK SIM options for data roaming
Due to Brexit, most of the major UK network operators have now reintroduced roaming charges when you are in Europe. You can always pick up a local SIM of course, but there are options you can consider whilst in the UK to avoid the roaming fees as well.
[O2]
As of today, O2 still doesn’t charge any roaming free when you are in Europe. Good news for those who are a customer with them.
[Three]
Three used to have a fantastic feature called Feel at Home / Go Roam that allowed free roaming in Europe and many other international destinations. Unfortunately it terminated last year and is no longer included for new contracts starting in or after October 2021.
However, Go Roam is still valid for Pay As You Go (prepaid SIM) customers. It sounds as if Three was punishing their loyal customers under a contract, which is a bit weird.
Go Roam supports many more territories than just Europe, including United States, Australia, Israel, Brazil, Hong Kong and Vietnam, just to name a few. If you are heading to one of these destinations, just grab a pre-paid SIM before you go – at the time of writing the cheapest plan costs only £10.
[Airalo]
If your destination is not included in Go Roam, or you don’t have time to order a SIM card, Airalo is your friend.
Airalo sells eSIM for over 190 countries, so wherever you are travelling it’s most likely that Airalo has an eSIM that works for you. Because you don’t need to acquire a physical card, it’s more convenient and the process is almost instant – that’s assuming you have a compatible device of course.
I travelled to the United States recently and tried it out. I purchased an eSIM with 10GB data for $16:
Installation was fairly easy and reception was satisfactory throughout my two-week trip. Note that it’s for data usage only and cannot be used to make/receive calls or SMS.
If you are interested you can sign up on their website or via the app. Use my referral code KAI2510 to save $3 on your first purchase.
Good London deal: 25,000 IHG points for Holiday Inn Bloomsbury on Saturdays
A friend of mine developed a tool for monitoring reward night pricing of multiple hotel chains, and recently added support for IHG hotels in London. It’s all in Chinese and lives within Wechat so I’m not sharing the tool, but I spotted a couple of great deals that are worth mentioning.
Crowne Plaza Kings Cross: 27,000 points for most Sundays from August 7th
Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury: 23,000 points for most Sundays from August 7th, and 25,000 points (or below) for Saturdays starting September 9th
London IHG hotels (as well as many other countries / cities) used to be very cheap point-wise when IHG started to introduce dynamic pricing, but unfortunately it’s no longer the case. It’s nice to see however that great redemption values are not completely gone. (shame on you, Hilton!)
The Holiday Inn Bloomsbury deal is well worth considering in my opinion. It’s not a brilliant hotel, but 25,000 points for a four-star in central London on a Saturday night can’t be sniffed at.
What are the benefits of UK American Express Centurion card?
A friend of mine has just received his UK Amex Centurion card. Usually nicknamed the Black Card by the public, it is probably the most prestigious bank card out there, and very few people are eligible to even receive an invitation to apply. Still, many people – just like me – are very curious about its eligibility criteria and benefits, and I’ll take this chance to briefly talk about them.
[Background]
First of all, my friend already has the US Amex Centurion card. Having been a customer with both Amex US and Amex UK, he was quite frustrated with the difficulty to obtain a Centurion card in the UK, and shifted all his spend to the US Amex cards from late 2020.
He spent roughly two million dollars over a span of eight months, and then successfully received an invitation to apply for the Centurion card after querying the Platinum Concierge services.
Interestingly, he is based in the UK and none of the two million dollar purchases was made in the US.
[Get the UK card]
If you already hold the US Centurion card, you can acquire one in other countries through Amex Global Transfer services. It’s a privilege of the US card though, as Centurion members in other countries can’t acquire a US card through the same procedure.
Since my friend is based in the UK, it’s sensible to apply for a UK Centurion card too. After receiving the invitation, he still needs to fill out a form.
[Fees]
Because he’s already a Centurion cardholder, the joining fee is waived. Last I heard the fee was £3,000, although I’m not sure if it has increased since.
The annual fee is £3,400.
Unlike the US counterpart, the UK Centurion card comes with a free supplementary card.
[Welcome Box]
It took five days for the application to go through, and then two more days for the cards to arrive.
[Card Designs]
Similar to the US Platinum card, the Centurion card offers two artist designs besides the classic design, by Kehinde Wiley and Julie Mehretu respectively.
The two UK cards and one US card completes the collection 🙂
[Status Benefits]
The Centurion card offers elite status with the following airlines:
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club – Gold
- Emirates Skywards – Gold
The following hotels:
- Hilton Honors – Diamond
- Marriott Bonvoy – Gold
- IHG One Rewards – Platinum
- Melia Rewards – Platinum
- Radisson Rewards – Gold
- Jumeirah One – Gold
And two car rental companies:
- Hertz – President’s Circle
- Avis – President’s Club
It may strike you first as an extensive array, but once you dig into the details you will feel much less excited. Hilton Diamond has substantial benefits but it’s not difficult to get; Melia Platinum and Jumeirah Gold have good perks, but their footprint is limited. Marriott Gold and IHG Platinum are next to useless…
In terms of airlines, the two offers are good, however neither VS or EK belong to any major alliance so the memberships don’t get you very far. In contrast, US Centurion card offers Delta Diamond status which is accepted across the entire Skyteam, and my friend also availed Star Alliance Gold and Oneworld Sapphire via status match programs.
[Lounge Benefits]
Lounge access benefits are almost identical to the Platinum card:
- Priority Pass (+1 guest only)
- Amex Centurion Lounge
- Eurostar Lounge
- Plaza Premium / Lufthansa / Delta / Escape Lounges etc.
The Centurion card only makes a difference when you access the Centurion Lounge or the Lufthansa Lounge. You can read more about the Amex Lounge benefits here.
The US Centurion Card issued Priority Pass can bring in unlimited number of guests.
[Other Benefits]
Fine Hotels & Resorts: stay a minimum two nights and enjoy an additional $200 credit on FHR bookings at select luxury hotels.
Limousine Transfers: eight complimentary two-way airport transfers, but the snag is you must book the flight with Centurion services.
Airport Fast Track: available at Heathrow, Stansted, Manchester and East Midlands.
Lifestyle Credits:
- Harvey Nichols: £500 annually
- Clos19: £500 annually
- Addison Lee: £20 monthly
[Travel Insurance]
From what I’ve heard it’s way better than the US card.
[Spa, Fitness and Clubs]
[Refer A Friend]
Something that you surely didn’t know – The Centurion card also has an invite-a-friend feature:
However, the referral link opens an application for the Platinum card…
Okay that’s it! I’ll probably never qualify for this card, but to be honest the benefits are underwhelming and I wouldn’t pay £3,400 anyway. What do you think?
My review of Virgin Atlantic Upper Wing & Clubhouse at London Heathrow T3
I have been to most of the lounges at Heathrow. Amongst the remaining ones (that are still open) Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouse definitely tops my list. I didn’t fly with them that much, and never from Heathrow with a qualifying ticket so had no chance of trying the Clubhouse out.
This June I bought a ticket in Premium to the States, and used my credit card voucher to upgrade to Upper Class. In fact I status matched to Virgin Gold last December so should gain access to the lounge anyway.
In short, the following passengers can access the LHR T3 Clubhouse:
- Virgin Atlantic Upper Class / Delta One passengers
- Virgin Atlantic Gold / Virgin Australia Gold or above, when flying with Virgin Atlantic
- Delta Platinum and Diamond / Flying Blue Platinum, when flying with Virgin Atlantic or Delta
What I find really confusing is, Delta and Flying Blue elite members can use the lounge when flying with Delta, but Virgin Atlantic Gold members can’t. It must be a mix-up?
The entry rules were once very generous to VS Gold, as they could use the Clubhouse no matter which airline they were flying with (even BA). Sadly due to the overcrowding issue introduced by Delta passengers, it’s no longer the case.
Similar to BA’s First Wing at T5, Virgin Atlantic has an Upper Wing at T3 as well. If I interpret it correctly, only Upper Class and Delta One passengers are welcomed here so elite members aren’t allowed. It even has a dedicated driveway, and they verify your name at the entrance.
Don’t quote me on this, but I think it’s outside the Heathrow £5 drop-off charge zone.
The inside is much smaller than First Wing though, with only a couple of desks.
Thanks to its exclusiveness the check-in is really fast. When ready you can proceed to the security checkpoint.
Unfortunately Upper Wing doesn’t have its own security check facility, and it’s simply a reserved corner of the T3 screening facilities. After it’s done, you’ll merge with the general public and find your way to the Clubhouse.
The experience is a bit underwhelmed and not comparable to BA’s First Wing, as the latter has their own security checkpoint and you arrive into Galleries First within seconds. If you are travelling peak times (for example half-term) it might save you significant time, but otherwise I’m not sure if it’s necessary.
The Clubhouse is nicknamed Lounge H. When you enter the area of airline lounges, Qantas and Cathay Pacific are on the left, whereas BA, AA and the Clubhouse are on your right.
It’s above American’s Admirals Club.
Today happens to be the Platinum Jubilee and they’ve added some special celebratory decorations.
I was a bit shocked by how busy the lounge is…
You should notice the very long bar right away, which is deemed as the best at Heathrow.
There are many different kinds of seats in the lounge.
Going past the dining area (I forgot to take photos there) and you’ll reach the quieter business zone.
You can watch TV here.
Behind the bar there are some window seats shielded by a glass wall. They are probably the best spot in this lounge for good privacy and runway view.
The lounge is very purple-y, just like Virgin’s planes. There is also a mini-gym with three Peloton bikes, although I don’t think it’s a good idea to exhaust yourself before boarding a flight.
This is the other side of the lounge, with a couple of hanging pods.
A very Instagram-able spot:
This is the very quiet relaxation area.
On the first floor there’s a small entertainment room with a pool table.
Further up there’s a nice terrace if you want to enjoy the sun.
Bathroom:
Dining is mainly table service. You can either order from the waiter or scan the QR code.
I had a big breakfast here.
There’s also a deli counter where you can grab some stuff yourself.
What do I think? Well, don’t get me wrong – Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouse at Heathrow T3 is still a pretty decent lounge, but it’s not at the same level as it was years ago. Before its partnership with Delta and Flying Blue the Clubhouse was a quiet paradise reserved for its own passengers and members only, and now it simply doesn’t feel exclusive at all anymore. In fact I find it even busier than BA’s Galleries First Lounge.
Virgin’s cost cutting measures in the past years are also to blame. The Clubhouse used to offer a hot tub, free haircut and massage services, yet now there’s nothing left besides food. Unfortunately it can no longer differentiate itself from the other lounges at Heathrow. In fact I probably prefer the Amex Centurion Lounge or Cathay Pacific Business Lounge unless I really crave an a-la-carte menu.
My review of Cliveden House, A Mr & Mrs Smith Hotel
Its partnership with Mr and Mrs Smith adds a lot of excellent hotels to IHG’s portfolio. IHG members enjoy Smith Extras when staying with them, which usually means a bottle of Champagne, a box of chocolate or sometimes free breakfast. Ambassador members are also entitled to GoldSmith benefits, which includes space-available room upgrade and potentially enhanced Smith Extras.
You can redeem IHG points on reward stays at Mr & Mrs Smith hotels too, at a rate of $6.2 per 1K points roughly. Even better, the free night voucher issued by the UK Creation credit card is valid on them as well, although I’m not sure if it’s a bug.
One of the best redemptions in Europe is probably The Retreat at Blue Lagoon in Iceland.
There are many outstanding choices in the UK too, and my decision went with the Cliveden House in the end simply because it’s closest to London. There are a few properties in the same league, such as Lucknam Park, Chewton Glen and Heckfield Place.
IHG paid £1,200 for the night.
Cliveden House is at the centre of the Cliveden National Trust, which is about one hour’s drive from central London. Hotel guests need to pay £18 per person as a result, unless you have a valid National Trust membership.
The only other similar property that I’ve ever stayed at is the Langley, a Luxury Collection hotel. In terms of the neighbourhood Cliveden House wins hands down. Langley is only a local park which isn’t well taken care of, whereas Cliveden is a very well maintained National Trust site and probably one of the nicest parks you can find near London.
A beautiful boulevard leads you to the house.
There are a huge lawn and mazes at the back of the house. You can follow the steps down to River Thames.
Cliveden House was built in the 17th century by Duke of Buckingham as a hunting lodge for his mistress and guests. It was bought by William Waldorf Astor in the 19th century, and you can still see the name Astor in many places.
Meghan Markle stayed here in 2018 the night before the Royal Wedding.
The house was last renovated in 2015. It doesn’t look as new as The Langley, but ages well.
IHG’s IT system is a mystery, and I don’t know how they decide what room type you can redeem vouchers for. I was able to use mine on Deluxe Room with Hot Tub, which is only one level below the suites and almost doubles the cost of a standard room.
The room is located at the same wing as the spa centre.
Cliveden House has no room numbers, and instead rooms are named after titles. I’m Load Lothian obviously, which doesn’t sound bad at all 😉
There’s a wardrobe once I enter the room, with the bathroom to the right and bedroom to the left.
The room is nothing much to write about, except for the bed which is quite comfy. There’s a nice tub in the bathroom, but trust me you won’t need it!
Best feature of this room is a small terrace:
Plus a private hot tub:
The terrace is connected right to the swimming pool. I don’t even need to check in at the spa centre!
The facilities are great. The swimming pool is quite deep though (1.83m) and too scary for an amateur like me.
According to my observations, there are a total of four rooms with a terrace, and mine is the only one that has direct access to the swimming pool. Privacy may be one concern though.
My friend who visited the following week told me there’s actually an indoor swimming pool, and took a photo for me.
Smith Extras are a small bottle of Laurent Perrier and some chocolate / snacks. No room upgrade is offered, but to be honest I don’t really want to sacrifice my terrace for a suite 😛
For breakfast there are two options:
- Continental only: £20
- Continental + hot breakfast: £25
They’ve put some good thoughts in furnishing the restaurant, however the continental selection is very limited.
I ordered eggs benedict and porridge for my breakfast. Honestly they are mediocre at best, although £25 is a fair price for an expensive hotel like Cliveden House.
Besides the main restaurant, you can also dine at the Aston Grill or the bar.
Cliveden’s visitor centre is a short walk away, where you can get some simple food and refreshment.
Check-out time is 11am, and you can probably request a one-hour extension but no further. You are still invited to use the pool after check-out which is a nice gesture.
There’s a problem with my door, and they can only unlock the room with a special device which causes a lot of inconvenience to me. The staff are very apologetic though. Not sure if it’s related, but they didn’t charge me for the breakfast in the end.
It is truthfully a very unique experience for me and no doubt Cliveden House is the best hotel I’ve stayed at so far in the United Kingdom – although according to the staff they usually refer to is as a House rather than Hotel. I’m not sure if it’s worth paying cash here via IHG (as prices may be lower elsewhere), but if you have sufficient points or some free night vouchers to burn, I highly recommend staying here for a couple of nights.