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Bits: IHG 5000 points PointBreaks preview – with a London-ish hotel, HfP on Rip-Off Britain

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News in brief:

Shock as London-ish property hits IHG PointBreaks

IHG Rewards Club will be releasing the list of new ‘5,000 point per night’ PointBreaks redemptions during Friday.

We will run it on HfP on Saturday and the rooms will become bookable on Monday afternoon.

IHG released a teaser list yesterday.  There are 120-150 hotels on the list usually, and this time they will include:

  • InterContinental Bandung Dago Pakar (Indonesia)
  • Crowne Plaza Johannesburg – The Rosebank (South Africa)
  • Holiday Inn Manaus (Brazil)
  • Hotel Indigo Columbus Architectural Center (US)
  • Holiday Inn Express Buffalo Downtown (US)
  • Holiday Inn Express Williamsburg Busch Gardens Area (US)
  • Holiday Inn Clermont – Ferrand Centre (France)
  • Holiday Inn Express London – Croydon (UK)

Yes, for the first time EVER, a London hotel is included.

Technically, of course, Croydon is not in London.  However, I have done a couple of mattress runs at the Croydon hotel in the past (booking, checking in and leaving immediately, to earn promotional credit) and it is as near as you’re ever going to get for 5,000 points per night.  It is under 10 minutes walk to East Croydon station where you can get a mainline train every few minutes to London Bridge etc.

It obviously isn’t the greatest place to stay for a London holiday, but come on …. a lot of people would take 12 nights at the Holiday Inn Express Croydon (with free breakfast) over 1 night at the InterContinental Park Lane.

You can book from Monday afternoon.  I imagine that these rooms will go very quickly.

Head for Points on Rip-Off Britain

We were in Manchester yesterday to film a segment for the BBC’s Rip-Off Britain programme.  This won’t be broadcast for a few months, unfortunately.

The story involves two people who were struggling to use their Avios points.  One person was having trouble finding seats to Tokyo – a notoriously tricky route.  The second was more complex, because the person involved had spent over £1,500  on 135,000 Avios during a ‘35% bonus’ promotion without fully understanding what he was getting into, especially as he lived in Scotland with few direct BA options.

With Simon Calder clearly on holiday, I was there to help out the two contributors which basically involved defending the commercial strategy of Avios Group / British Airways.

A photo from the session is above.  I’ll let you know when it is due to go out.

PS.  For anyone who thinks the BBC is blowing your money day in and day out ….. the total budget for this segment (not the whole episode) was £400.  That is not a misprint.  This included travel costs for all participants plus some home filming for the two contributors.  I was not paid.

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Comments (161)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Nick says:
    28 Jul28 July 06:55

    £400?! Was that because it will be presented by a female

  • JamesB says:
    28 Jul28 July 07:08

    There have been PointBreaks in London before, even at Crowne Plaza, but it feels like a lifetime ago.

    • tony says:
      28 Jul28 July 07:17

      Must admit I was thinking the same re PB in London.

      As for the BBC piece, it will be interesting to see how they cut this as I would assume editorially they want to pan BA as being a rip-off, so any attempts to defend the commercial strategy of an entity that is posting billions in profits whilst selling people miles “they can’t possibly use” could be subject to some rather selective editing…

      • JamesB says:
        28 Jul28 July 07:46

        Yes, I’m sure Rob was aware of this but any news is good news as they say so good publicith for HFP.

      • John says:
        28 Jul28 July 08:18

        Personally I think the BBC is a ripoff, it would be less of one if you weren’t obliged to pay the licence fee even if you only want to watch other channels.

        • Genghis says:
          28 Jul28 July 08:23

          They used to produce some reasonable programmes (less so these days) but I certainly don’t get VFM vs say Netflix.

        • Olly says:
          28 Jul28 July 09:33

          They have a captive audience thanks to the TV licence and pretty much do as they wish. The recent story regarding the fees some of the people command I think has been a real eye opener for the public. A lot of what they run now and for some time, seems to be repeats. If you think of how much of the licence fee goes to all of those people reading from an autocue, it is little wonder they complain of not having funds for new productions. Perhaps it is time the BBC should be made to fend for themselves like everyone else.

          • RussellH says:
            28 Jul28 July 11:34

            I cannot think of anything more depressing than making the BBC ” fend for themselves like everyone else”. The licence fee is a tiny price to pay for being able to watch programmes without endless interruptions from adverts. The social obligations of ITV have been drastically watered down too.

            The BBC is one of the very few instutions left in this country that is both widely respected throughout the world AND worthy of that respect.

            And what is wrong with repeats? Not everyone has a PVR to allow them to watch when convenient!

          • Rob says:
            28 Jul28 July 12:08

            Look at what Eastenders actors get. Relative peanuts in return for huge loss of personal privacy. There was no-one I met yesterday dripping with designer labels.

        • RussellH says:
          28 Jul28 July 11:47

          At £2.90 per week a UK TV licence is not expensive.Indeed, the cost of a TV licence in the UK barely covers the cost of a radio only licence in Switzerland; TV and radio is more than twice what you pay here.

        • Fenny says:
          28 Jul28 July 13:23

          I have only paid the licence fee for approximately 4 quarters since the 2010 World Cup ended (for Olympics/World Cup/Euros). The closure of the iplayer loophole just means I no longer watch any BBC programmes, but I can watch anything via catchup services on other channels. But since Downton finished, I think my entire viewing of current UK shows is the 9 eps of Handmaid’s Tale, I don’t think I’m taking advantage.

          OTOH, £5/month for a Now TV pass is essential. That gives me access to the things I actually do want to watch without ever having to accidentally see a trailer for what we keep being told is “quality” television on the UK terrestrial channels.

  • the real harry1 says:
    28 Jul28 July 07:51

    Good job Simon Calder was on his hols – motto: ‘the man who always pays his full price for Avios points’ 🙂

    He wouldn’t have understood how Person #2 got them so cheap!

    • Genghis says:
      28 Jul28 July 08:24

      🙂

      • Oh! Matron! says:
        28 Jul28 July 09:25

        Simon Calder is a relic of a bygone age. There’s not one amongst us who doesn’t strive to get the maximum out of flying and rewards, and that includes my parentoids and associated family members.

        I’ve love for Simon to try and see what the best / cheapest way of getting from the UK to DCA is with Virgin, getting the most out of points and tier points

        Paul
        PS: It’s MAN>JFK>DCA at £6 per tier point, substantially lower than flying out of the london borough of Hillingden

        • Rob says:
          28 Jul28 July 12:12

          Simon actually buys Avios from BA and can’t be bothered with our stuff. This was in an Indy column last year if anyone wants to dig it out.

          I’ve met him and he’s a nice bloke but clearly not wealthy. He should have done a site like this – with his ‘brand’ he could have cleaned up. He will be getting £100 max for his press columns and they are not driving him ancilliary revenue.

          • Fenny says:
            28 Jul28 July 13:24

            Genuine question – who is Simon Calder? I am clearly missing out by not knowing of him!

          • Rob says:
            28 Jul28 July 15:26

            He is the nearest person to a travel TV journalist ‘personality’ these days. Has a decent analytical mind which leads to decent newspaper columns. Likes the no-frills way of travel though and doesn’t use monetise his fame properly. Has a slightly unfortunate ‘poor and bedraggled’ look.

            More here – http://www.simoncalder.co.uk/

            “The people with the best stories to tell live life in the cheap seats.” Which may be true, but I’m not desperately keen on chatting to my fellow passengers when travelling anyway …..

            As an example of his business …. his most-watched YouTube video (on his home page) has 2,200 views. This is despite his ‘brand’. Our most-watched video – which is hardly record-breaking either – has 6,000 views and I’m not on TV and in the press umpteen times a week self-promoting.

          • Genghis says:
            28 Jul28 July 15:53

            I know I shouldn’t but I’d also like to pick up on Simon’s maths in his article here:
            http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-airways-easyjet-virgin-atlantic-air-france-klm-competition-a7864386.html
            specifically related to the statement, “During the first six months of the year, it made £2 per second in profits.”

            Now I looked on the IAG website at the IMS for the period in question and the PBT before Group Overheads for BA was EUR664m. Now going a bag of a fag packet method of apportioning Group costs of EUR192m based on this PBT figure, BA’s share comes to EUR142m and the same for the Group tax costs of EUR331m, coming to EUR244m, so I make BA’s specific PAT of EUR278m, or using a six month average exchange rate of 1.16 = £240m.

            Now I make it just under 16m seconds in half a year and 240m/16m = £15 a second in profit.

            So Simon, where do you get your numbers from?

          • @alastairtravel says:
            28 Jul28 July 17:22

            SC makes his living from speaking at conferences etc where corporates / industry groups pay large sums for a day/weekend work.

            He’s carved himself out a niche to be honest – his number seems to be on speed dial for anything to do with travel.

          • Rob says:
            28 Jul28 July 18:10

            Ah yes …. http://www.nmplive.co.uk/simon-calder

    • Alex W says:
      28 Jul28 July 12:11

      SC was on radio 4 this morning though – pillock

      • Mark says:
        28 Jul28 July 14:58

        he eats in my favourite thai cafe in waterloo, definitely not rich but could be if he were smart to enhance his brand.

        • Callum says:
          28 Jul28 July 20:47

          Had to believe for many people, but not everyone is obsessed with being rich…

          • Aeronaut says:
            28 Jul28 July 22:25

            Quite.

            I’ve read his stuff since way back, and catch him every now and then on the radio, and it’s quite clear he’s not of the avaricious mindset and is quite happy being just so. As are many other folk.

          • Rob says:
            29 Jul29 July 10:17

            Despite asking £2,500 to £5,000 to give a speech to your conference 🙂

          • the real harry1 says:
            30 Jul30 July 20:14

            heh heh 🙂

      • Aeronaut says:
        28 Jul28 July 22:27

        “Pillock” – How so? Just because he’s not a ‘smooth operator’?

  • chris says:
    28 Jul28 July 08:15

    This list gets more dissapointing every time.

    Aberdeen X2 , Wakefield, Ipswich and Croydon!

    • Genghis says:
      28 Jul28 July 08:26

      I know. The HI at Scotch Corner isn’t on there…

      • RussellH says:
        28 Jul28 July 11:16

        HI at Scotch Corner is quite nice now. And a good, central location for visiting a lot of interesting places between Scotch Corner and home.

        And the HIX in Wakefield is there too – I already have a cash reservation there to complete my Accelerate target, but as it is the Ebor meeting at York at the time it may not be available at the time for a PB.

    • Mark says:
      28 Jul28 July 20:29

      I’m looking forward to IHG maybe including the Holiday Inn Brent Cross at some point in a future promo. My partner and I have said if we ever get married it will be in the Amaryllis Suite there. Locked in on all 4 sides by 17 lanes of traffic – what more could you ask for 😉

  • NFH says:
    28 Jul28 July 08:29

    Why were you “defending the commercial strategy of Avios Group / British Airways”? British Airways releases insufficient Avios seats to honour the number of Avios that it issues. It fails to disclose this significant deficiency to consumers in breach of Regulation 5(5)(a) of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Avios operates as a Ponzi scheme, whereby considerably more Avios are earnt than can be redeemed.

    • Genghis says:
      28 Jul28 July 08:32

      I don’t seem to be suffering. Learn the game, play the game

      • Ro says:
        28 Jul28 July 08:43

        “the game is rigged, but you cannot lose if you do not play”

        • NFH says:
          28 Jul28 July 10:27

          Genghis, you might not suffer because of this, but I do. I find it incredibly difficult to find Avios availability, particularly for long-haul and when using Amex 2-4-1 vouchers. There are too many passengers chasing too few Avios seats, and that is because British Airways disingenuously releases insufficient Avios seats to honour the number of Avios that it issues. If lots of holders of Avios can’t get flights, then the system is not working. The fact that a minority do manage to get flights does not remedy this situation for the majority.

          • Clive says:
            28 Jul28 July 10:49

            NFH – how far in advance are you trying to book though? We’ve used 4 241s so far without trouble but booked almost a year ahead each time.
            This commitment is less of a problem than it might seem because they can be changed/cancelled if nec.

          • Peter K says:
            28 Jul28 July 19:47

            I’m not a genius and have only tried booking one 241 and it was a doddle. I read a lot in advance and planned it out and it was fine. As with many things, you get out what you put in.

        • Fenny says:
          28 Jul28 July 13:26

          “In the Game of Avios, you win or you die!” 😉

          • the real harry1 says:
            28 Jul28 July 13:35

            “when there’s 1000 clubcard points on a £12 ink, take no prisoners” 🙂

    • tom H says:
      28 Jul28 July 08:56

      People can, and do redeem avios for things other than flights.

      • NFH says:
        28 Jul28 July 10:28

        But the other ways to redeem Avios are not the primary purpose of Avios or the way the scheme is marketed, particularly for those to collect Avios via an American Express card with a 2-4-1 voucher.

    • Rob says:
      28 Jul28 July 08:57

      Part Pay With Avios nullifies that line.

      The 2 guys yesterday were great people. One had run his own company and travelled a lot. The scheme was simply illogical to them, though. Stuff we just accept (only some Y tickets can be upgraded etc) actually makes no sense to a layman.

      It’s ok for me to say ‘can’t get to Tokyo? Do what I did and fly in via HK and out via Beijing!’. But he goes ‘my wife is 70 and simply doesn’t want to do that just to visit her son in Tokyo’. You can’t argue with that.

      • JamesB says:
        28 Jul28 July 10:08

        80yo lady sat next to me in MH J a few years ago headed for a holiday in Europe would certainly have argued with that 🙂

      • Clive says:
        28 Jul28 July 10:52

        Aviation fans also forget that a lot of people simply don’t enjoy flying in itself – an extra flight sounds to them a lot like a very long extra dentist appointment…

        • RussellH says:
          28 Jul28 July 13:47

          Does anyone actually ‘enjoy’ either the whole ‘airport experience’ (queuing for bag drop, queuing for security, wandering through the duty free maze, queuing to board) or sitting in the ‘ecomonmy’ section of the plane?

          If travelling in the cheap seats, I reckon that breaking up, say, London to Tokyo into half a dozen separate legs would have a lot going for it, if you have the time.

          Travelling in Club is, of course, a completely different matter, both in terms of the cost and the overall comfort factor.

          • Peter K says:
            28 Jul28 July 19:49

            Weirdly I do actually enjoy the whole airport bit as I know I’m going on holiday or going home to my own bed. It as excitement to the journey.

          • John says:
            29 Jul29 July 03:04

            I don’t enjoy the airport experience in the UK (what is it about English-speaking countries that makes us generally awful in terms of security “goons” and immigration officials??), but I do enjoy the experience in some airports.

    • Callum says:
      28 Jul28 July 11:30

      Then why can I see thousands of available seats across dozens of destinations available for booking right now?

    • 1nfrequent says:
      28 Jul28 July 12:12

      It’s not a Ponzi scheme. A Ponzi scheme (or pyramid scheme) is where the initial investors are paid out by revenue obtained from subsequent investors in the scheme. That’s not how Avios works.

      Redemptions on popular routes are hard to come by but if you’re flexible and book in advance then it’s perfectly possible. I’ve booked CW redemptions to Tokyo and a First to KL using my 2-4-1 voucher and I’ve seldom had problems booking redemption flights to Europe using Avios – even during school holidays.

  • Bariummeal says:
    28 Jul28 July 08:49

    The Crown Plaza Rosebank in Johannesburg is an excellent option – it is near the big shopping centre there, it is close by with Uber to the old central business district which is a proper African city with art deco buildings and mostly black african shoppers (and perfevtly safe during theday) , close to Braamfontein and Maboneng hipster areas for cafes markets and evening drinks and near this historical sites. Far far better than boring Sandton!

  • Andrew (@andrewseftel) says:
    28 Jul28 July 09:16

    Is Wakefield any good for a weekend break? Looks like a decent enough city centre hotel and easy train from London.

    • Jonathan says:
      28 Jul28 July 10:41

      Yes, I stayed a night there as part of my Accelerate target. Nostell Priory a bus ride away just out of town and plenty else around the area, not least Leeds.

    • Gavin says:
      28 Jul28 July 11:14

      National Coal Mining Museum!

    • Rob says:
      28 Jul28 July 12:12

      Hepworth Gallery

    • Fenny says:
      28 Jul28 July 13:29

      I don’t know if it’s still there, but I once spent a week installing an AV presentation system in the old Court Room in the town hall. But that was 30 years ago when I’d just graduated and was working for my (not yet born) goddaughter’s father.

  • Cate says:
    28 Jul28 July 09:32

    There is nothing in China or Japan. Deliberate or not populated yet.

    • guesswho2000 says:
      28 Jul28 July 11:24

      No, that’ll be it. The others also start to disappear once they’ve sold out. Nothing at all in Oceania too, very rarely ever is…the HI at Melbourne airport at 5k points would be a dream for me!

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