My review of voco St David’s Cardiff
IHG doesn’t have many (any?) inspirational properties in the UK. I have already visited all the InterContinentals and Kimptons, and the voco hotel in Cardiff is the only five-star hotel left for me to complete the bucket.
It was a Principal hotel that became part of IHG due to an acquisition. Principal hotels have been branded differently since then – except Principal York the name of which is still unchanged, allegedly due to its very slow renovation progress.
voco is a conversion brand relatively new to IHG. It doesn’t have a unique brand standard, so existing hotels can join with minimum refurbishment effort involved. voco’s presence can be seen in a few UK cities now, including Edinburgh, Glasgow and Solihull.
I paid only 24,000 points for a Monday night which is a good deal. The hotel’s rate tends to be quite reasonable from what I can see, as they usually charge less than £150 except for Saturday stays.
The voco sits on the Cardiff Bay by the wetlands. It’s location isn’t great for browsing Cardiff, but more like a retreat for a weekend getaway.
The wetlands is ideal for a short stroll. There are a few restaurants, bars and a cinema in the neighbourhood.
The hollow and tall front part of the building, besides the massive window, is a great design.
Upgrade could have been generous. I’m assigned a Deluxe King room but on the third floor only (the hotel has seven floors). I prefer a higher floor so they exchanged it for a (lower-category) Premier room on the sixth floor instead.
Premier room is basically a standard room but with balcony, and Deluxe room has slightly better interior. The hotel is fairly quiet on Monday, but still stingy with the upgrade.
On the flip side, the room is already pretty nice.
The sea view takes away my breath and lights the entire room up, which gives you the best first impression. The interior is simple but refreshing and technical, consistent with the tone set by the view. The television is really small though.
Nothing is better than chilling on the balcony, admiring the summer view when the wind breezed through . There’s more than abundant sunlight – I feel really warm although it’s only like 22 degrees.
I didn’t know hotel rooms with a real sea view do exist in this country!
Hotel guests can use the spa before 11am or after 3pm. The slot between is probably reserved for public paying guests.
As you can tell from the pictures, the facilities are of very high standard and you won’t be disappointed. Given its location though it’s a shame they don’t have an outdoor swimming pool.
A sea-view gym:
Diamond members can opt for the breakfast buffet in the restaurant as a welcome amenity.
The choice and quality are decent. There’s very limited cold spread though, no fruit or yogurt which is bit weird.
In general I am very happy about the stay, and it’s probably my favourite IHG hotel so far in the UK (not counting the Mr & Mrs Smith ones as they are at a different level). If you are looking for a reasonably-priced spa weekend, or a sea-view hotel without going abroad, look no further!
Free cocktails at Kempinski hotels
We wrote about GHA’s local offers a while ago. Although it’s not as exciting as the local experiences that the old program used to provide, the new local offers are much wider in range and accessible to all members.
Kempinski is celebrating their 125th anniversary, and you could claim a free drink if visiting one of the following hotels:
- Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest
- Kempinski Hotel Adriatic Istria Croatia
- Kempinski Palace Portoroz Slovenia
- Grand Hotel Kempinski Vilnius
- Kempinski Residences & Suites Doha
- Djibouti Palace Kempinski
- Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski Dominica
- Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Accra
- Villa Rosa Kempinski Nairobi
- (Plus most hotels in China)
Other Kempinski hotels, feeling less generous, are doing a 2-4-1 deal instead. In terms of the drink, most hotels offer a specially-crafted anniversary drink, but some may have a different menu. The offer is for one or two persons, but GHA is free to join anyway.
You don’t need to be a staying guest to claim the offer. You do need to however, make a reservation beforehand.
If this particular offer doesn’t interest you, it’s still worth checking the other local offers nearby. Some hotels offer complimentary access to their gym, swimming pool or even executive lounge – you just never know!
15 Best Radisson redemptions in UK & Europe
Radisson Rewards doesn’t get much attention nowadays, after they ceased all the ludicrous promotions and made a total mess when having to split the program into two and eventually sold the Americas one.
However, Radisson does have some decent redemption opportunities in the UK and Europe, which we will talk about today. If you have the UK Amex Platinum or Gold card, you can transfer your membership rewards points to Radisson Rewards at an impressive 1:3 ratio.
You could view Radisson’s hotel directory here, although it’s not very easy to navigate.
1. Radisson Collection Royal Mile – 60,000 points
Edinburgh can be very expensive in the summer (especially August due to the Military Tattoo), and 60,000 points is a bargain for a five star hotel. However, I stayed here once when it was still a Quorvus (what a weird name), and frankly I wasn’t impressed at all.
2. Radisson Blue Hotel Cardiff – 30,000 points (Review here)
The Park Inn used be a better option, but both properties cost 30,000 points now under the new pricing system and Radisson Blu is obviously a fancier hotel. Their room is very basic, but the price is great for a busy night in central Cardiff.
Honourable Mention: Radisson Blu Liverpool is also at 30,000 points.
3. Park Inn by Radisson York – 30,000 points
York is a small town but extremely popular with tourists. Its town centre has acquired a few more hotels in recent years such as the Hampton and Hotel Indigo, yet a Saturday-night stay is usually still eyewatering expensive, when 30,000 points is really a steal.
4. Blackpool FC Stadium Hotel – 15,000 points
It’s a Radisson Individuals hotel, a newly adopted concept copied from the likes of Autograph Collection and Curio. The hotel is built within the football stadium which means some of their rooms feature pitch view, a fun experience similar to the Marriott hotel at Twickenham.
5. River Ness Hotel – 45,000 points
There are few choices when you want to stay at Inverness, and this newly-flagged Radisson Individuals gives you an option to spend your points. From online reviews I don’t think it’s a qualified four star as the service is very limited, but at least it’s a clean and cosy hotel.
6. Radisson Blu Waterfront Jersey – 45,000 points
Hotel chains are almost non-existent on the Jersey Island, and 45,000 points for a short weekend away in the summer is pretty decent.
7. Radisson Blu and Spa Sligo – 30,000 points
A good property in Ireland for a spa break it seems.
8. Park Inn by Radisson Dresden – 15,000 points
Radisson’s presence is very strong in Germany, but good redemptions are very rare in general (partly due to lower hotel rates in the country). Dresden’s Park Inn is one that I can find with some value.
9. Radisson Blu Resort Swinoujscie – 30,000 points
Apparently Swinoujscie is beach city near the Poland-Germany border. The hotel’s swimming pool looks very nice and its night rate easily passes the €200 mark in summer.
10. Park Inn by Radisson Budapest – 15,000 points
I stayed here for one night on a late-night arrival. The hotel is fairly remote and very basic, however for a one-night transition it’s acceptable when rates are high.
11. Park Inn Hotel and Spa Zalakaros – 30,000 points
It’s a family spa resort in Hungary which used to cost only 9,000 points at the beginning, but at 30,000 points it still seems to be a great deal.
Honourable Mention: Park Inn Sarvar Resort & Spa is a similar hotel in Hungary.
12. Radisson Blu Hotel Larnaca – 45,000 points
Cyprus almost seems be to a Virgin island when its comes to international hotel chains. 45,000 points is a good deal compared to the cash rate, and breakfast is included.
13. Metropolitan Hotel Sofia – 15,000 points
Both InterContinental Sofia and Hotel Sofia Balkan are very solid luxury hotels in the city. But if you are on a lower budget, the four-star Metropolitan Hotel could be on your list.
14. Royan Hotel Hagia Sophia Istanbul – 15,000 points
When in comes to great hotels, Istanbul offers you countless options but most of them are in the northern part of the city. If you are looking for something in the old town, this Radisson Individuals right by Hagia Sophia might be the right (and cheap) choice.
15. Radisson Blu Hotel, Kayseri – 15,000 points
Kayseri may not sound familiar to you, but tourists going for the hot air balloon experience usually have a stopover here first when in Turkey. This Radisson Blu is a five-star and ranked #1 on TripAdvisor. Breakfast is included for redemptions.
Marriott Q3 offer: 4,000 bonus points per stay
Marriott has revealed its promotion for 2022’s last quarter and you can register now.
Rules are:
- Register by December 1st
- Stay between September 21st and December 15th
- Only paid stays count
- Starting from your second stay, earn 2,000 bonus points per stay
- Marriott co-branded cardholders only: starting from the second brand, earn 2,000 addition bonus points per brand
There are two Marriott co-branded credit cards in the UK, issued by American Express and Creation respectively, but the latter stopped receiving new applications years ago.
The offer isn’t very generous, but is beneficial if you are looking to requalify for Platinum / Titanium in the next few months. Marriott at 20+ brands (excluding the non-participating ones), so you could design your itinerary of cheap one-night stays with every brand to bag some bonus points on your mattress run.
My review of Radisson Blu Cardiff
The voco St David’s hotel in Cardiff has been on my checklist for a while, and I’ve decided to tick the box on this bank holiday. It’s quite far from Cardiff’s centre though, so I was looking for a central hotel to complete my trip.
Saturday night is quite expensive everywhere even when paying points. The Radisson Blu hotel at 30,000 points (or 10,000 Amex points) has turned out to be the best choice. The Park Inn hotel, which is literally one minute away, used to be a better deal at 28,000 points (Radisson Blu was 38,000 points at that time). However they both cost 30,000 points now and it’s a no brainer which one to choose.
Sunday night is cheaper on which I redeemed my Hotels.com free night reward. I’ve made a note for the hotel to link my reservations.
I didn’t realised it’s Pride weekend at Cardiff until I saw all the rainbow flags when getting off the train 🙂 The hotel is only 5 minutes’ walk from Cardiff Central, and from what I can tell is probably one of the tallest building in the city.
The lobby looks fine.
The room on the other hand is, well, very basic…
It feels like all the furniture were from the 1990s and they were never changed. It’s probably one of the saddest room that I’ve every stayed at.
The bathroom floor is very thin for some reason. I’m very careful with my steps 😛
My room on the 10th floor faces a residential block.
This is what you see on the top floor (21st).
At check-in I inquired about the Gold welcome amenity. They couldn’t deliver it on that day so comped my breakfast as an apology. I’m quite happy about the resolution!
Breakfast on the 1st floor is a standard buffet.
The hotel is only 3 minutes from the Ivy, which I recommend if you want to spend the £150 dining credit from the Amex Platinum card.
For this particular occasion, the Radisson Blu was good value for 30,000 points. However it’s not a good property otherwise, and the Hilton wins hands down with its better interior, executive lounge and spa.
Buy InterContinental Ambassador to extend your Diamond status
In addition to its One Rewards program, IHG has a separate paid membership InterContinental Ambassador designed exclusively for its luxury brands. The value of this membership is arguable, as you can already earn free breakfast and even club lounge access with One Rewards, however its true merit is unpublicised.
The Ambassador membership comes with complimentary One Rewards Platinum status. If you are already Diamond however, joining or renewing your membership has a certain chance of extending your Diamond status by another year.
It’s not guaranteed to work, and since it’s just an Easter egg you can’t complain to IHG if the trick fails. I just renewed my Ambassador online for £200 and it worked (again) like a charm, phewww!
(The bug has been around for at least five years, so it would be really naive to think that IHG isn’t aware.)
There are some rules of thumb though based on many real-life reports:
- Paying £200 at an InterContinental hotel directly, whether it’s a sign-up or renewal, stands a very high chance (if not 100%)
- Renewing online for £200 is also fairly probable
- Signing up online, whether for £200 or 40,000 points is the least likely option
When purchasing the membership at a hotel, since they get a commission you could possibly negotiate additional benefits (e.g. suite upgrade or lounge access) in the meantime.
Diamond members are entitled to free breakfast when staying at IHG hotels so it actually means something now, compared to the old Spire tier. If you have Diamond status but cannot requalify, it’s well worth considering booking an InterContinental hotel and purchasing the Ambassador membership there.
Hilton luxury hotels complimentary night offer
Hilton is running a complimentary night offer for its luxury brands – LXR, Waldorf Astoria and Conrad. You can check the details and book here.
The promotions is advertised for “Fourth Night Free”:
- Book between 4 and 7 nights at participating hotels
- Enjoy 25% off the Best Flexible Rate
- Use the promo page to book, or enter promo code PBBOG1
Here are some nightly rate examples:
- Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – £264
- Waldorf Astoria Berlin – €321
- Conrad London St James – £326
- Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus – €245
- Conrad Algarve – €245
Remember to check the cancellation policy when you book.
Hyatt selling points at 30% off
Hyatt has brought back its best-ever promotion for buying points. Until September 30th, you can enjoy 30% off when buying at least 3,000 points, and the annual cap is 55,000 points.
The promotion used to come in the forms of 25% off or 30% / 40% bonus in the past, so 30% off is as best as it gets.
However, GBP and EUR are extremely weak at the moment, which means buying points in USD may not be ideal. With the discount 10K Hyatt points cost $168, or £145.5.