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Free Sunday night and free Sunday lunch with Thistle and Guoman Hotels and Thistle Signature

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I don’t write about Thistle Hotels much on Head for Points.  They did have an American Express cashback offer last year which I covered, and one HfP reader contacted me afterwards to say how impressed he had been with the hotels he visited.  The bottom line is that I don’t stay in many city centre properties in the UK and Thistle rarely comes across my radar.

Reader Ashley encouraged me to take a look at Thistle Signature, the loyalty programme for Thistle Hotels, which was launched in 2012.  This covers the 35 Thistle and Guoman properties in the UK plus two in Malaysia and one in Shanghai.

Thistle Signature has a lot to recommend it:

Membership is free

New members get a voucher for a free Sunday night stay at any Thistle or Guoman hotel when staying a Saturday or Monday night at ‘best flexible’ rate

New members get a voucher for a free Sunday lunch.  This can be used on the same visit as the free Sunday night stay voucher.

Thistle Signature has three membership tiers with very low thresholds:

Blue – base level, receive a £10 food and drink voucher after your first stay

Ruby – requires 4-10 nights spread across at least two separate stays

Gold – requires 11+ nights from at least two separate stays

The tier benefits are:

Blue – 6pm check-out on Sundays (a great benefit given that you are a Blue member as soon as you join)

Ruby – £15 food and drink voucher when you qualify, voucher for a free Friday or Sunday night when you stay Saturday, free tea, coffee and mineral water at weekends, free newspapers, voucher for a free meal for two when you hit 8 nights

Gold – £25 food and drink voucher when you qualify, free room upgrade, voucher for a free 2-night weekend stay when you stay 20 nights in a year

There are terms and conditions (click here) attached to these benefits which I recommend you read.  For example, the free Sunday night voucher you receive on joining must be used within three months of signing up.

As a primarily UK-based chain, Thistle Signature cannot offer you redemption nights at glamourous global hotspots!  The benefits seem sound, though, and a free 2-night weekend stay (which you could use at one of their expensive London hotels) for 20 nights is not bad.

You find out more about Signature and sign up at the Thistle Signature website here.

Thistle sale now on

On a separate note, Thistle is running a January sale this week.  You must book by January 14th but the rates are valid for stays until the end of June.  This may allow you to lock in a good deal for any events during late Spring and early Summer, especially if you need to be in London.  Full details are here.


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Hotel offers update – December 2024:

Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

Want to buy hotel points?

  • Hilton Honors is offering an 80%-100% bonus when you buy points by 31st December 2024. Click here to buy.
  • IHG One Rewards is offering a 100% bonus when you buy points by 13th December 2024. Your annual purchase limit is increased to 300,000 points plus the bonus. Click here to buy.
  • Marriott Bonvoy is offering a 40%-45% bonus when you buy point by 23rd December 2024. Your annual purchase limit is increased to 150,000 points plus the bonus. Click here to buy.
  • World of Hyatt is offering a 25% bonus when you buy points by 4th January 2025. Your annual purchase limit is increased to 110,000 points plus the bonus. Click here to buy.

Comments (11)

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

  • Andy says:

    I think it was me who liked the Guoman hotels (no recent Thistle experience). Worth noting that the above Signature benefits seem to be valid for third party bookings (I’ve been able to double dip with an Australian hotelclub site). On the downside, I’m not in London very often and have missed out on Signature freebies with the expiry policy you mention

    • James67 says:

      Regarding third party bookings, I have noted that Thistle and/or Guomen properties in London are often heavily discounted on BA web site. Usually it is just one or two hotels at a time but discoubt appears to cycle through the London portfolio pver time. Somerimes there are no discounts at all, other times 50%.

  • Nick Massey says:

    Great stuff!! Does anyone know how long it takes to receive the voucher for the freebie??

  • Martin says:

    The vouchers are not predictable. They can take several weeks to arrive. When I used the free Friday/Sunday night voucher this year, it offered me a discount of only about £20 off what I would have been for the non-flexible rate for Friday and Sunday.

    Worth noting that there are actually three hotel chains. Amba has been created recently and covers the former Guoman hotel, the Charing Cross Hotel. Signature benefits work there as well,

    I’ve been a top-level Signature member for a couple of years. Benefits vary by hotel with some being particularly generous and some particularly mean. I seem to get treated very well at the Thistle Manchester and the Amba Charing Cross, but I would definitely avoid the Guoman Victoria.

    The 6pm Sunday late check-out is especially useful, but there is confusion as to whether this is subject to availability or not. The published terms and conditions now say it is, but a front-desk manager showed me an internal document that said it should be guaranteed. It can be a struggle to get it, which rather devalues the benefit.

  • ysb41 says:

    New amex offer, get a £50 statement credit when spending £100 or more when you pay and stay at UK Thistle and Guoman Hotels by 12/04/15…

  • pazza2000 says:

    After signing up, how long does it take for the free Sunday Night / Lunch vouchers to come through?

  • Andy says:

    Does anyone know if the free Sunday night is restricted by room type or does your room booking for the saturday night just carry on. E.g. if you’re booking a junior suite (so you can fit the kids in as well), would that be included?

  • FormalHall says:

    Is the free lunch for one or two guests? Is is set menu, set value or some other way of limiting it?

    • pazza2000 says:

      When and how do you receive the voucher? The sign up email implies it will be received within 24hrs via email though I’m yet to be in receipt of it 24hr+

      • pazza2000 says:

        Interesting, I’ll reach out to them, by phone? How did you receive the upgrade to a junior suite, is that part of the offer? I also have my mind on a stay at the property.

      • Alan says:

        Top result 😀 Enjoy your trip!

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

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