News in brief:
Hampton by Hilton hits Bournemouth, Hilton on the way
I found out yesterday that a new-build ‘Hampton by Hilton’ hotel opened in Bournemouth recently. Given that the general quality of accommodation in British seaside towns is woeful, this could be a decent option.
You can find details of the hotel here. It is 30,000 points per night for a Hilton HHonors redemption – given that room rates are well over £100 per night for weekends in Autumn this is a good value redemption.
Remember that Hilton HHonors status members get 5 nights for the points of 4 which would bring it down to 24,000 points per night. Hilton Silver comes free with their free UK Visa card.
Tripadvisor feedback is that everything is shiny and new but the hotel is on a hill which may be an issue for some. The upside of that is sea views from some rooms! All guest receive free breakfast and free wi-fi. It appears to be a modest walk down to the town centre and beach.
A ‘proper’ Hilton is being built next door which should be even better – apparently the surrounding area does, literally, look like a building site at the moment however. The hotel website is here.
Qantas removes most Economy seat selection fees
In a move which goes against the global trend, oneworld member Qantas announced yesterday that it was removing the $25 each-way seating fee on Economy Saver tickets.
Tickets bought during a Qantas fare sale (booking classes O, Q, N) will still require payment to be made for seat selection – a fee which increases to $30 – but apart from that no-one should pay on international routes.
It is worth noting that Qantas never had a seating fee for Premium Economy or Busiiness Class, unlike BA. These changes come into effect on September 23rd.
About Head for Points
Does anyone actually want to stay 5 nights in Bournemouth?
Will be staying in the Hampton the weekend after this. According to the website, parking is chargeable. But as I am staying a Saturday night I am hoping for free parking nearby in the evening and Sunday.
Would agree that The Hampton is a breath of drag air. Writing from there now. Have been staying a couple of nights per week since it opened.
There is some limited on street parking nearby and opposite he hotel is a shoppers park that is less expensive than the he hotels.
30,000 points sounds high for a UK Hampton especially with no diamond benefits and all the same rooms, when the next door hilton will probably be the same.
Not sure on a good value for points. Would want £150+ for 30,000 points.
I paid 12,000 points plus £33 for a Saturday. Not the best value redemption but I need to stay with Hilton to get Gold through the TopBonus promotion before a 5 night reward stay. => 2×5 breakfasts and a possible upgrade.
Sounds good value to me. Assuming £100 cash rate (low for a Sat) you are getting over 0.5p per HH point. 0.5p is the normal value I expect for a cash and points (and 0.3p for a full redemption).
Good luck with that! 🙂
I only use points if the room rate is above £130 – below that it is not worth it. I stay in Hiltons on average once a week. And quite often it is especially around events,
However I would use them if they are 5,000 or 10,000 points whatever the rate.
Would also use them on a points + cash basis – but even then the rate needs to be £100+
Much rather keep the points for a holiday.
Not sure I agree with that logic – surely trading off price vs points is the better option? Hampton Sheffield is 10,000 points so it is a steal even if a cash rate was only £75.
I DID see excellent value at the Waldorf Astoria in Dubai recently, though. Over half-term in October all Dubai beach hotels are £500 per night but the W-A had redemptions at 80,000 points.
Does anyone else remember the old Hilton Hotel in Bournemouth? I believe it’s “moved around the groups” since then. Don’t know what it is now?
It’s a rough Premier Inn now.
Thanks Scott! TBH, it wasn’t all that good when it was a Hilton! 😉 I remember it mainly though because the fire alarm was set off at around 2 AM on a cold Sunday morning and everyone had to evacuate into the street outside and wait about an hour for the fire brigade to investigate! It’s got to be at least 15 years ago I believe.
I remember a fire alarm during a wedding we attended when everyone had to evacuate at the Bournemouth Hilton approx 10yrs ago.
Slightly OT. Amex have 50 of 250 Hilton spend in the offers section
I got excited since I staying in to weeks, but only Europe and a restricted list.
Nevertheless, useful for some.
http://merchantgeo.force.com/selectsImage/servlet/servlet.FileDownload?retURL=%2FselectsImage%2Fapex%2FselectsImage&file=00Pa000000hGZKT
Stayed there a couple of weeks ago. It has been open a few months and is all bright and shiny with very willing, helpful staff. It is a five minute walk from the charming Lower Gardens and about 10 minutes to the Pier. The climb back from either is quite steep, and not just the street the hotel is in. The main city shopping areas are all within about 10 minutes walk. It is certainly in a good city center location although if you want to be close to the sea with a real sea view, go elsewhere.
There is a charge of £10 per 24 hours for underground parking. The NCP car park almost opposite charges £6.50 for 24 hours but I don’t know if they let you come and go as Hilton do. On street parking is available but not plentiful and time limited with some of the spots chargeable 7 days a week. In the Council car parks there are a few electric charging points.
The rooms are typical Hampton by Hilton, i.e. well but minimally designed. The sliding door to the bathroom doubles as the sliding door to the wardrobe. I didn’t notice this as I was in the shower [no bath] but my wife did and it annoyed her to see the wardrobe open. The water pressure was somewhat pathetic. There are no individual amenities, just large bottles of soap, shower gel etc. If you forgot your pen don’t expect to find one on the desk, nor bother to go looking for the bath robes or slippers. The room was bright with a feeling of spaciousness; no fridge. The Internet speed was good. It was fine with one bed but I hate to think how crowded it would have been with two beds, as they advertise is an available option. The rooms are all of uniform size, so no upgrades. As I said a typical basic Hampton by Hilton.
What was not so typical was the quality of the included breakfast. This was better than I have seen at many a “real” Hilton. Plentiful, fresh and with a great choice.
I was encouraged to return and sample the Hilton next door when that opens. My guess is that the rates there will be somewhat higher both for cash and point redemption. If it is a “real” Hilton with Hilton Europe standards, there is no point in making the charges similar.
Thanks Harry, I appreciate the feedback – very useful.
£50 back HILTON
Spend £250 or more, get £50 back
Save to Card to get a £50 statement credit on a transaction of £250+ on all spend at checkout, when paying and staying at participating Hilton Hotels by 31/12/15. Valid once for the first 10K Cardmembers to save.31/12/2015
I guess the £250 is cumulative?
T&C says ‘on a transaction’ and it is only Europe
See my list above, plenty of UK options incl Bournemouth.
Last time i managed to blag several stays as it didn’t say anywhere on the terms and conditions that it needed to be one transaction, but this time it says “£50 statement credit on a transaction of £250+” so i’m guessing we can’t do it anymore.
The Hilton is accepting reservations from 5th January. It appears that from 1st December the Hampton rate drops to 20k points, and the Hilton comes in at 40k. 8k+£26 for the Hampton would seem pretty good if the breakfast is good. There was also some suggestion Hampton guests would be able to use the Hilton facilities (the pool?).
Oh but they go back to 30k/50k in May. I didn’t know HH have seasonal pricing.
Oh yes, the hotel where I want to stay in Venice doubles the cash price between March and April 2016, but probably not the points.
They’ve had it for about 18 months now I think – see http://hhonorspointssearchtool.com to check on pricing at all their properties for each month of the year.
From what the Hilton building site looked like a couple of weeks ago, I wouldn’t dream of going there in January!
Same with Halifax
Does anyone know whether you would still get the Amex statement credit if the spend was for restaurant/room service/etc and the room itself was paid for on another card? I presume they would have no way of knowing what the spend was actually on?
It depends how the payment goes through. Trader Vics at the Park Lane Hilton goes through on your statement, I am 99% sure, as Trader Vics and so would not credit it. If the restaurant is fully integrated into the hotel and it comes up at ‘Hilton Bournemouth’ on your card statement you’re fine. Best to ask first.
So the Hilton next door is scheduled to open in January… a breath of fresh air in my opinion, as the local hotel options are awful. Currently best in the area is the Hotel Du Vin and that’s in Poole….
TBH if someone wants a trip to the area, the highlights are the New Forest, Purbecks/Jurassic Coast and a visit to some part of the beach, not Bournemouth itself. I’d suggest you stay in Poole or Christchurch.
Just found this on FlyerTalk, seems this Hampton can arrange a status match from others to Hilton !
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilton-hilton-hhonors/1710335-status-match-offer-hampton-bournemouth-uk.html
That’s the first I’ve heard Hilton do that!
Wonder what the other chains levels translate to? Already have Hilton Gold… But would love Diamond!
Anybody tried? (I’ve got the following)
Accor Platinum
IHG Ambassador Platinum
Carlson Gold
SPG Gold