News in brief:
Additional BA services to Santiago and Washington launched
British Airways has launched new services to Santiago (pictured below) and Washington for the Winter.
From 28th October, a fifth weekly Santiago, Chile flight will be launched. This will operate on a Sunday.
From the same date, an additional three weekly flights to Washington Dulles will be added. These will operate on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
The usual ‘two Club World’ Avios seats will be available on these new services. If you have been looking for Avios availability to Santiago or Washington from November onwards you should take another look today. You should find seats on these new flights.
Radisson Blu April sale – last chance
Radisson Blu’s April sale is about to end. We didn’t mention it when it launched but handily it has now been extended by a few days.
Until Monday 30th April you can save up to 25% off the Best Available Rate at participating Radisson Blu hotels in Europe and get a further 5% off as a Radisson Rewards member.
This offer is bookable until 30th April for stays between 29th June and 26th August.
Earning Radisson Rewards points via UK credit cards
As a reminder, you can earn Radisson Rewards points by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards. These include:
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold – 10,000 Membership Rewards points (= 30,000 Radisson Rewards points) sign-up bonus
The Platinum Card from American Express – 30,000 Membership Rewards points (= 90,000 Radisson Rewards points) sign-up bonus
American Express Rewards credit card – up to 5,000 Membership Rewards points (= 15,000 Radisson Rewards points) sign-up bonus
It is worth noting that holders of The Platinum Card receive free Radisson Rewards Gold status for as long as they hold the card. It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Shangri-La Golden Circle Jade and Melia Rewards Gold status. We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here.
Membership Rewards points convert at 1:3 into Radisson Rewards points which is a very attractive rate. The cards above all earn 1 Amex point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 3 Radisson Rewards points.
New underwater room at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
About a year ago we published a 4-part review of the fantastic Conrad Maldives written by one of our regular commentors.
The resort was already quite impressive but has now invested a further $15 million to offer guests the opportunity to sleep underwater.
From later this year guests will be able to book the underwater residence called Muraka (coral). The Muraka will have two floors of which the lower one sits five metres below sea level featuring a 180-degree dome for panoramic views of the marine life. The upper level will have a further two bedrooms, bathroom, gym, butler’s and private security quarters, a living room, kitchen and a deck facing the direction of the sunset. If you prefer sunrise, there is a further deck by the infinity pool facing the other direction.
You can find more information in this article by Hotel News Resource.
The Conrad Maldives site is here.
PS. Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Hilton Honors points. That page is regularly updated with the latest special offers and will still be accurate even if you are reading this article months after publication.
(Want to earn more hotel points? Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Promos’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)
About Head for Points
Was a bit late to see this, but managed to bag a 31st out, 7th return in Club World for the two of us, and daughter’s ticket coming in at £1,865.41. Unfortunately, first availability didn’t match our dates. Still, 1.796875p per avios in business isn’t too bad a deal (with the 2-4-1 voucher).
Very precise!
OT I’m in a Hilton Garden Inn tonight, in a “PROTOTYPE BRAND REFIT” room. General design is very nice, quite a lot of wood, fair bit of metal, quite a lot of yellow and green, but it all fits together nicely. Bathroom is very nice too, way better than most UK Hiltons have, and a big step up on the old HGI bathroom. Huge TV, nice sofa / chaise-longe thing.
One big complaint – the desk has gone! 🙁
And which Hilton Garden Inn would that be, please?
Hilton Garden Inn Luton North. Only 2 rooms in the new style, and I believe they’re only being assigned to regulars and Diamonds. Rooms pre-assigned a week or so out, and you get a survey. Mine said nice room, shame about the missing desk…
OT: Has anybody seen or used the Founders Card? For $395 it seems one can acquire the equivalent of BA Silver and other benefits such as 10% off flights and Hilton Gold…
I thought MP Silver = OW Ruby = BA bronze?
Yes. You are correct! Apologies. In this case it certainly is not as good!
Correct. Which is why I haven’t covered it.