Preferred Hotels program revamp, and potential status match opportunity
Similar to LHW, SLH and Mr & Mrs Smiths, Preferred Hotels is also a hotel alliance for independent boutique hotels. They have been in the process of revamping their loyalty program in case you are interested.
[I Prefer Program]
There are currently two tiers in the I Prefer program: you sign up as an Insider and immediately enjoy room upgrade, early check-in and late check-out. After earning 50,000 points (=$5000 spend) you are elevated to Elite, with enhanced point earning rate and welcome amenity.
Two new tiers will be added on August 1st: Explorer requires half of the status points of Elite, but with more or less the same benefits; and new benefits such as food and beverage credit will be added to the Elite status. Authority, which is the invitation-only top tier, will enjoy free breakfast and executive lounge access where applicable.
Unfortunately the benefits still look quite weak. As a comparison, LHW offers all members free breakfast, and for SLH there are ways to immediately qualify for Indulged / Inspired that offers the same benefits too. Why Preferred Hotels thinks breakfast is such an exclusive privilege that can only be awarded to their top VIP guests is beyond me.
[Redeeming Points]
The way I Prefer points work now is similar to Accor – 12,500 points are converted to a $25 gift certificate which can be redeemed when booking any hotels on their website. Considering you earn 10 points per dollar spent, that’s equivalent to a 2% return which is incredibly poor.
They probably have realised it too, and are now moving to a redemption system that are more similar to mainstream programs such as Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton. Having launched in North America, hotels now cost a fixed price of between 15,000 points and 150,000 points a night:
This definitely looks much more interesting.
[Status Match]
I Prefer runs frequent fast track promotions that provide easy access to their Elite tier. At the moment there is one for Mastercard World / World Elite / Black card holders, where you get the status after only one eligible stay at participating hotels.
According to their FAQ page:
I currently have elite status with another hotel rewards program. Does the I Prefer Program offer status matches?
Yes, you may contact [email protected] and provide proof of your status at another hotel rewards program.
You can also request a direct status match by sending them an email.
[Refer a Friend]
If you are interested in joining I Prefer, they have started a refer-a-friend program as well. Sign up using my referral link and both of us will get 1,000 points as a bonus.
7,500 Bonus Miles and Qatar Airways Silver Fast Track
Qatar airways has re-launched their sign-up offer from last year. It makes sense to sign up if you intend to fly with them in the next few months.
The offer page is here. To participate you need to enter code OALSMH121 (which is already pre-populated) during the sign-up process.
You’ll receive 2,500 bonus miles straightaway when your account is created. And after your first revenue flight operated and marketed by Qatar Airways, you’ll receive a further 5,000 bonus miles plus 50 Qpoints.
7,500 bonus miles is a good welcome gift, and 50 Qpoints is no doubt an icing on the cake – starting from scratch you need 150 Qpoints to reach Privilege Club’s Silver status.
Qatar Airways has recently reverted its huge devaluation to the Privilege Club program, and it’s not a bad idea to join if you fly frequently with them. You need to sign up by September 30, and take the first flight by December 31.
Promo codes: Bolt, Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Bolt & More
Just sharing a few taxi and food delivery deals 🙂 Note that some codes may be targeted so they don’t work on all accounts. For more referral codes please check out this page.
(more…)Success: Hyatt Globalist challenge registration
(UPDATE: I successfully registered for this promotion via Andaz London Liverpool Street)
I wrote about the new Hyatt status challenge offer not long ago, and decided to give it a try myself. Although I don’t see myself being able to stay 20 nights for the bump to Globalist, Explorist benefits are also nice in case I’ll stay at any Hyatt hotels by the end of this year.
I emailed Andaz London Liverpool Street, the reason being I have just completed my first-ever Hyatt stay there in June. The sales department had never heard of this offer so I forwarded the following poster to them:
It didn’t take them long to come back to me, saying that the registration had been done 🙂 The new status was reflected in my account the following day:
So give it a go if you are interested. There’s another similar challenge available to American Airlines elite members, however less generous as you have only 90 days for Explorist trial and to complete the challenge.
My review of Intercontinental the George, Edinburgh
In a bid to take advantage of the IHG LuxLife 3-for-2 offer (which actually ended up being extended), I planned a spontaneous trip to Edinburgh where there were two participating hotels. Since I’d already stayed at the Kimpton once, although I quite liked it I decided to give the InterContinental a try.
Location-wise I prefer the InterContinental. It sits right next to St Andrew Square so fairly central, with a few restaurants, pubs and cafes next door. But on the other hand it’s very quiet at night so you won’t be bothered by any noises.
The hotel is comprised of multiple buildings, and has quite some history to it. Built in the 18th century they didn’t have a pre-defined purpose at the beginning. Some of them was used as an office building by an insurance company which eventually turned into the main building of the hotel. A couple of the other buildings started operating as hotel later, and eventually occupied the entire block.
Hotel rooms are split into two sections: Townhall which is more original and recommended by the hotel staff, and Forth Wing which was the purpose-built hotel, and therefore may lack in some uniqueness comparatively.
I received a four-level upgrade to a Junior Suite.
I must say it’s probably my favourite hotel room in the last couple of years. It’s got such a boutique feel which even becomes a bit weird for an InterContinental, as you’d usually find this kind of design at Kimptons.
The room is not huge, but all space is very well used, and the small living area is quite cozy.
The only downside is it being on floor 1 so privacy could be a slight issue.
The bathtub is quite classy too. All bath amenities (Agraria) come in bottles of 100ml which is quite generous,.
Bottled water is replenished daily as an Ambassador benefit. I also received some Gin & Tonic plus some fudges probably due to the LuxLife rate plan.
The only onsite restaurant is the Printing Press. LuxLife comes with $100 credit, and combined with the Ambassador $20 credit I have a total of £90 to spend. Unfortunately I’m not a big fan of pub food and the menu is quite limited.
Breakfast is served in the same venue and all a-la-carte. Food quality is a let-down though – the eggs benefit are overcooked for example, and you don’t see any yolk coming out when cutting through them!
A major issue is the lack of pool or spa here, which is I believe why it’s always slightly cheaper than the Kimpton. However, if you really want to they could book Kimpton’s facilities for you, but remember it takes about ten minutes to walk there.
If you are edging between the InterContinental and the Kimpton, I think both are really worth visiting but here are some tips: the Kimpton is more thoroughly refurbished, with a much nicer public area, and more importantly swimming pool and spa, and potentially better food. However the Intercontinental has a better location, very unique and lovely rooms and is usually cheaper.
Free Ascott Platinum status and 35% off voucher
If you missed our previous articles, Ascott is a Singapore-based hospitality group focused on service apartments operating across the globe. It’s got multiple properties in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as other locations in Europe.
If you prefer serviced apartment to usual hotels, don’t forget to claim your free Platinum status with Ascott. All you need to do is visit this page and sign in with your credentials, and your status will be upgraded immediately. If you do not have an account yet you’ll need to create one.
It’s a promotion for Mastercard World Elite cardholders in Asia Pacific, however there’s no verification at all. Since they are a niche group, and Platinum doesn’t get you very far in terms of benefits, I don’t think they care enough to guardrail this offer.
Platinum members get room upgrade, early check-in and late check-out at participating hotels. You also get free breakfast in Europe (presumably continental only) and airport transfer in the Middle East.
A 35% voucher will also be deposited into your account once you’ve activated the offer. The voucher is valid through January next year and can save substantially if you have a longer stay.
Radisson new program live, and 1000 points per night promotion
In case you haven’t noticed, Radisson’s split of Americas and Rest of the World has already taken place, and their new system including the award night pricing has been live.
It appears that many hotel’s award availability has suddenly gone, and I have no idea what’s going on – is it a bug from the migration, or is Radisson now stealthily blocking award nights? Anyway, just a reminder of the category movement of UK hotels:
There are more hotels moving up than moving down, but in a nutshell there’s nothing too drastic here.
And if you have planned a Radisson hotel stay this summer (including the Park Inn and Park Plaza brands), don’t forget to register for their new promotion here. Between July 1st and September 30th, you can earn 1,000 bonus points for every night stayed at any hotels worldwide.
It’s not explicitly mentioned on the offer page, but from what I understand point bookings should also be eligible. However, it does seem that only bookings made after offer registration count, so you may want to cancel and rebook to participate.
Free vouchers from Amazon Music Unlimited and Mastercard
A couple of more offers from Amazon today.
First up is a new incentive for joining Amazon Music Unlimited. If you are eligible (haven’t signed up to the Unlimited service recently), you are entitled to a £5 Amazon voucher if signing up to a 30-day free trial. The offer ends August 4, and remember to cancel your subscription if you don’t want to pay after 30 days.
And a joint offer from Amazon and Mastercard. If eligible you’ll receive a £10 promotional voucher once you’ve switched your 1-click setting to a Mastercard. There’s no code needed and it’ll apply to your next purchase automatically.