Thameslink and Great Northern declassify First Class carriages

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• testpie says:

  1 Jul1 July 13:48

  Shi!!annia – the worst hotel chain I’ve ever stayed in. Once put up there for work on an overnight job; finished at 7 AM, walked in to hotel for kip and breakfast… Walked out and commuted home instead.

  They are handy for a cheap pint, however.

  I think the chain stays afloat on top of “first time never again” victims and elderly guests, presumably reliving the nostalgic opulence a given hotel had in the 50’s rather than the dump they are actually in, present day

  • Craig says:

    1 Jul1 July 13:51

    Yep, many an elderly coach party including the dreadful club singer. Smallest breakfast plates I’ve ever seen too.

  • 1nfrequent says:

    1 Jul1 July 19:34

    Britannia remains the only hotel where I was literally presented with a storage cupboard with a single camper bed in it when I checked in. Hotel had overbooked. Reception denied it was a cupboard. I pointed out it didn’t have an en suite bathroom and there was a bucket and mop in the corner. Ended up checking into a different hotel and after a couple of months culminating in my threatening legal action, I got a refund. I wouldn’t keep a dog in a Britannia hotel.

• Anna says:

  1 Jul1 July 15:28

  OT – has anyone tried booking a long haul redemption on BA.com today? Availability is showing on the flight finder tool but when I come to make the actual booking I keep getting an error message telling me to try again later. I’ve tried changing destinations and cabin classes but the same thing keeps happening.

  • Kevin H says:

    1 Jul1 July 15:37

    Anna – this happened to me a couple of days ago. I gave up.
    Have just tried again and I get the same error message as you. Seems to be yet another BA IT issue.

    • Anna says:

      1 Jul1 July 15:58

      It doesn’t seem to be affecting cash bookings…

• Craig says:

  1 Jul1 July 16:48

  OT: What happens to a partially refunded card fee when an Amex account is closed to leave the account in credit?

  • Rob says:

    1 Jul1 July 17:13

    Your account has a credit which you can move to another card or request a refund.

• Kevin says:

  1 Jul1 July 17:46

  OT – When moving points from Tesco to Virgin are those points then able to be moved from IHG or are they locked in Virgin? Also, can I send my Tesco vouchers to any Virgin account or does it have to be linked to my name? Thanks!

  • Clive says:

    1 Jul1 July 18:16

    They just become Virgin miles and you are free to do as you wish with them.

  • Alex W says:

    1 Jul1 July 22:02

    I have successfully transferred from a Tesco account in one name to a virgin account in another name. Last name was the same, first name was different.

    • the real harry1 says:

      1 Jul1 July 22:15

      I had a couple of mates at Univ, bro & sis twins, one was Alexander and the other was Alexandra (not sure what the parents were thinking!)

      I guess one Alex sending points to the other Alex would not exactly have been difficult

      • Alex W says:

        1 Jul1 July 22:43

        Me, the wife and son are all AW. It has its advantages!

• Graham Walsh says:

  1 Jul1 July 19:25

  Amex Plat referrals. Anyone else seen that the link you generate can only refer other Amex charge cards? Not able to select credit cards such as SPG Nectar etc. My brother is seeing this. I referred him for Gold, he then made the spend and then upgraded to Plat. Now can’t refer for anything else.

  Anyone else experiencing this?

  • lev441 says:

    1 Jul1 July 19:45

    So i’m seeing the same page as always. Brings up the page for the Platinum card but then you click ‘view other cards’ and there’s the various different types.

    Maybe try a different browser?

    • the real harry1 says:

      1 Jul1 July 19:54

      yep when you refer somebody, you don’t choose the ‘only’ card the referred person can get – they follow your referral and can select whichever card they want

      so you didn’t actually refer your bro for Gold, despite appearances

      you referred him to take out the Amex card of his choice

    • Graham Walsh says:

      1 Jul1 July 20:00

      How odd. I tried chrome on iOS and bingo it works. Safari is a no no.

      • S says:

        1 Jul1 July 21:28

        Adblock.

• Mark says:

  1 Jul1 July 21:29

  The other Blackpool hotels run by Britannia (Savoy, Norbreck and Metropole) are ranked 68th, 70th and 71st out of 73 hotels on Tripadvisor.

  • Mike says:

    2 Jul2 July 00:38

    Where does “Trades” rank?

    • Nailloh says:

      2 Jul2 July 13:35

      Probably 69th?

  • Will Squires says:

    2 Jul2 July 08:34

    Jesus. And the standard of guest accommodation in Blackpool is really not that good to start with.

    If anybody is looking for an off-chain recommendation, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend The Big Blue, and as long as you get a decent room The Imperial is fantastic too. Those two places, and occasionally the Village hotel are the only places I’d consider staying. The football club has what looks to be a decent hotel too but I can never find a tempting enough rate.

  • Andrew says:

    2 Jul2 July 08:58

    It’s funny how a brand name can change a perspective…

    One day it’s a Hilton and you pick up the phone to complain if the room isn’t quite right. The next day it’s a Britannia and it’s a relief that the linen has been changed and the carpets aren’t too sticky.

• Susan Smith says:

  2 Jul2 July 12:27

  Those two places, and occasionally the Village hotel are the only places I’d consider staying.

• Lady London says:

  2 Jul2 July 19:21

  Apparently Blackpool has a nice hotel out of town that used to be called the De Vere? Wondering if anybody knows what it’s called now.

  Otherwise I’ll be trying the Premier Inn or the Hampton next time. I certainly wouldn;t go back to the IBIS Styles (the old Clifton/Travelodge) despite its marvellous location. Not even if I got a free room. And sadly it’s nothing like the worst in Blackpool. Is there anyone that doesn’t get depressed visiting the place?

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