We do like to be beside the seaside …. at the new Holiday Inn hotel in Bournemouth

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• Grant says:

  16 Jul16 July 05:48

  OT and a bit niche but if anyone is planning on using the Clubrooms at BHX (well worth the £10 upgrade with PP in my opinion to avoid the scrums in the others) then you need to report to the No. 1 lounge to present your PP and pay the upgrade as they don’t have facility to do this at the Clubroom reception desk.

  Oh and they don’t take Amex which I found bizarre!

  • Chris L says:

    16 Jul16 July 08:07

    V useful…thanks for the tip!

    • Stu N says:

      16 Jul16 July 09:27

      Or you can pay £15 online to guarantee entry with “free” fast track (well worth it IMO) and go straight to the Clubrooms.

      • Grant says:

        16 Jul16 July 11:21

        Yes, this is probably the way I would do it next time especially if I was travelling at a busier time of the day.

      • Yorkieflyer says:

        16 Jul16 July 11:33

        Does this work at Gatwick?

• pablo says:

  16 Jul16 July 05:56

  Curve raises $55m for mobile payment app that combines multiple bank cards:
  https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2019/07/15/curve-raises-55m-mobile-payment-app-combines-multiple-bank-cards/

  • Mike says:

    16 Jul16 July 07:05

    Will this mean that it is likley Amex will now join with Curve

    • Memesweeper says:

      16 Jul16 July 07:21

      Unless there has been a major change of heart at Amex, and there’s nothing in the article to suggest that, my guess is ‘no’.

  • Neil Donoghue says:

    16 Jul16 July 07:45

    This is incredible! Some folks have money to throw at anything but long may it last. Should give the high street banks a run for their money now

• Anna says:

  16 Jul16 July 06:55

  OT – Bonvoy have released reward nights for The Langley at the 35,000 points per night rate beyond January 2020 – there is availability over the Valentine’s Day period and February half term. I’m going to cancel my booking for January 3rd and 4th as the Feb dates suit me better, so these nights may go back into the inventory.

  • Louise says:

    16 Jul16 July 08:06

    Thanks Anna, debating whether to book a night or carry on saving for Domes of Elounda.

    • Lady London says:

      16 Jul16 July 09:03

      You can always cancel and get your points back later Louise! Between now and Feb is a long time. Who knows what other promos could turn up that would let you do both?

      • Anna says:

        16 Jul16 July 09:44

        Absolutely – I am also hoping they will do another 25% bonus on buying points next February as my balance will be totally depleted with this booking!

      • Louise says:

        16 Jul16 July 12:27

        Great idea, booked valentines in the hope we can get some childcare! If not I can cancel.
        I moved my last Amex MR points across to Marriott last week so balance is healthy but need a few more still to get the full week at Domes

  • Anna says:

    16 Jul16 July 08:57

    The most recent TripAdvisor review references the HFP breakfast recommendation!!

    • Rob says:

      16 Jul16 July 10:26

      I saw a LinkedIn article from the General Manager where he was showing off about having just completed some ludicrously long charity bike ride after months of training. I wrote a comment saying that perhaps his time over the opening period might have been better spent making sure that his hotel was not a complete sh*tshow in its opening few weeks, but then thought better and deleted it …..

      • RussellH says:

        16 Jul16 July 10:58

        Or maybe he just ought to be running his hotel, full stop. Not messing about on (anti)social media!

      • Lady London says:

        16 Jul16 July 11:44

        Ouch.
        Good call, Rob, though.
        In your case defo not worth posting that.

• Bill says:

  16 Jul16 July 07:43

  Speaking of seaside towns with new hotels, the Isle of Man now is a Premier Inn in Douglas

  • Mervyn Miller says:

    16 Jul16 July 08:31

    And a new Travleodge is ‘in the works’ as well.

    The new Premier Inn is located in a quiet narrow street behind Marks and Spencer so not on the prom with sea views. For the TT Races next June they are asking at least £180 per night but some very good prices are available most other times and of course there are the usual Premier Inn sales and other promotions offering real bargains.

    It is worth noting that buses to and from the Airport are cheap and the frequency is every 20 minutes. Easyjet, Flybe, Aer Lingus Regional and Loganair have routes to Liverpool, Manchester, Gatwick, Luton, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh and Bristol – with the main routes having at least two flights each way per day. As always, early bookers can obtain some great fares. Easyjet offer many seats on the Gatwick, Luton, Bristol and, Liverpool routes for £50 – £60 return.

    Isle of Man Steam Packet ferries serve Heysham (near Lancaster) twice daily each way with a traditional freight, vehicle & passenger ferry and Liverpool once or twice daily each way by fast-craft vehicle & passenger ferry sailings from around late March until early November. During the summer there are also various fast-craft sailings to and from Belfast and Dublin and in winter the traditional freight, vehicle and passenger ferry on the Heysham route also serves the Liverpool route on Saturdays and Sundays. There are many Special offers: https://www.steam-packet.com/offers

    The island offers some fantastic food (check the Isle of Man listings on Trip Advisor), great local beers, gin and whisky, lots of terrific sightseeing, wonderful heritage museums and vintage transport – horse trams on Douglas Promenade, steam trains between Douglas and Port Erin, electric trams between Douglas and Ramsey and an amazing mountain railway from Laxey to the summit of Snaefell (the highest mountain at a little over 2000 feet). More than enough to occupy a week or two.

    • Bill says:

      16 Jul16 July 09:43

      What a post ! 🙂

      • Lady London says:

        16 Jul16 July 11:45

        Needs to be in the local tourist guide.

    • Polly says:

      16 Jul16 July 12:30

      Lovely place. My parents honeymooned there!
      Agree, easy to get to.

    • Alex Sm says:

      20 Jul20 July 08:44

      Great post! Saved in my list for inspiration for future travels. My partner and I want to visit all these slightly weird small independent and semi-independent places in Europe. Next week is Faroe Islands, next year – Isle of Man

• David says:

  16 Jul16 July 08:06

  Unfortunately the Holiday Inn Bournemouth isn’t brand new – it is a rebrand of the Ramada Encore. They seem to have renovated the lobby and rooms (but not bathrooms). Very good location though.

  • Rob says:

    16 Jul16 July 08:37

    Thanks, will update.

  • RussellH says:

    16 Jul16 July 11:10

    Anyone know if Ramada actually plan to remain in the UK? While there are still plenty of Days Inns on the motorways, there seem to be hardly any Ramadas left. I have used a few over the years, and none are now a Ramada. Glasgow Airport->Courtyard; Dover->IHG; Crewe->the worst HIX I have experienced; Crewe (Encore)->Ibis Styles; now this one too.
    Only ones I know of still Ramada branded are Cambridge A14 services and Soutport, though there may be one or two others. But why would they bother with just one or two hotels?

    • Lady London says:

      16 Jul16 July 11:54

      I think Ramada brandname lost value over the years.
      There are a couple in London – a Days Inn at Ruislip that was rebranded upwards to a Ramada, but is still the same low end hotel, and one, I think, in Finchley.

      Otherwise as you say they are on motorways. Probably because a hotelt that has leased those locations is mostly guaranteed a certain level of trade and it’s not as related to quality as other locations.

      I will take a guess that Wyndham Hotels has decided that it’s better to stay at the bottom end (Days Inn or so) and/or be on a motorway in the UK. There’s too much competition in the midrange and their properties that I stayed in were old and poorly maintained.

      Their competition is now Travelodge and Premier Inn I would say (they own Travelodge in the US but not in the UK). Basically, if they’re closing non-motorway hotels and keeping the low end, I’d say that’s a good strategy for them here.

      • Alex Sm says:

        20 Jul20 July 10:13

        My partner and I stayed at Ramada in Crawley last year and while it has an AMAZING historic building as the front of the hotel, the backside where the actual rooms are is awfully dilapidated

• NP says:

  16 Jul16 July 08:17

  OT – Flights booked to KUL for the family using 2 x 2-4-1. Two in first for my wife and son age 17 and two in business for myself and daughter age 19. Is it possible to swap seats so my wife and I can travel in first and use the first lounge at LHR? If possible do we request at check in or at the lounge?

  • Rob says:

    16 Jul16 July 08:36

    Lounge is no issue as you can each being a guest into the Concorde Room. On board it isn’t an issue, just make sure the crew know.

    • NP says:

      16 Jul16 July 08:52

      Many thanks. We actually have one additional family member travelling with us also in business. Are they strict on the number of guests into the Concorde Room or might they allow one extra guest in?

      • john says:

        16 Jul16 July 09:53

        Infants under 2 do not count as a guest if that helps.

        • NP says:

          16 Jul16 July 10:03

          Many thanks but over 2 years old. Will ask the question but not hold our breath.

        • Rob says:

          16 Jul16 July 10:16

          Yes, they are strict.

• Ian says:

  16 Jul16 July 09:08

  Quite agree with your comments on Premier Inn, Rob. According to TripAdvisor, Premier Inn Inverness ranks as travellers’ no. 1 choice (mine too) in the city. Also my hotel of choice in Glasgow. They are a very standard design but, apart from the very reasonable price, you know you will get a decent size room, clean, well enough equipped and with a nice bathroom. Having a choice of bath as well as shower is getting rarer in hotels these days.

  • Lady London says:

    16 Jul16 July 12:11

    If only the price stayed as reasonable anywhere near London.

• Matt B says:

  16 Jul16 July 09:10

  OT – looking for a Paris hotel for a few nights at start of August. Budget is tight so looking for any hidden gems. I can get a couple of Melia properties using my gold 20% off voucher for under £100 a night. They are well located centrally but reviews seem hit and miss. Anything better I should aim for? Thanks.

  • Lady London says:

    16 Jul16 July 11:59

    have mentioned before but for qualilty of rooms and reachable location (but 65 from Opera/Haussmann/Gare St Lazare 25min almost ot the door) I really like Hampton Clichy. If you stay 3 nights I’ve seen rates can approach their best. Quality rooms, well run, new. All unusual for Paris.

    There is parking at, I think, about 12 eur pn. A new metro will open soon nearby. Can also get there by RER then a walk or short bus. Bus fiddly to find but close to RER and 2 or 3 stops. For a first visit use the bus 65 if you can or it cost me 15EUR on a Sunday from Gare du Nord with big luggages. So very reasonable to reach by taxi and might cost less other times.

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