New £100 cashback deal from Trailfinders for American Express cardholders

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• SultanOfCroydon says:

  31 Aug31 August 04:54

  These new Hilton properties really highlight the need to revamp the older Hilton properties.
  (I am particularly prejudice towards the horrendous and very out-of-date Hilton Park Lane)

  • BJ says:

    31 Aug31 August 06:13

    I just ignore the old ones and focus on DT, Hampton and new Hilton openings. Also tried a couple of HGI but was less impressed with them. Overall, my experience has been extremely positive since avoiding the oldies with the exception of Doubletree Newcastle Airport where our stay was ruined by a very unpleasant woman working reception.

    • SultanOfCroydon says:

      31 Aug31 August 07:28

      Agreed. I was impressed and satisfied with my stay at the Hilton Deansgate in Manchester—although, the receptionist here was also a bit of a ….

      I hope the opportunity arises for a stay at the Lincoln Plaza Hilton in Canary Wharf.

      • Matthew says:

        31 Aug31 August 14:54

        Lincoln Plaza was my favourite Hilton stay. Although getting to the pool down some random network of corridors was random! Loved the a la Carte breakfast and very clever what they have done with the bathroom layout in the rooms. Happy to stay again when next in London.

    • John says:

      31 Aug31 August 07:31

      That’s a shame because the DT NCL is supposed to be one of the better DTs. I certainly had an enjoyable stay there.

      • BJ says:

        31 Aug31 August 08:50

        The hotel itself was fine, the other receptionist mouthed a ‘sorry’ to my partner and the ladies in the breakfast service were lovely. At first I thought this woman just had a problem with us but then I encountered her being an idiot with other guests checking in later. I really should have complained about her but we were just starting a two week vacation and I didn’t want to get things off to a bad start. I also like to try to just be patient and give people the benefit of the doubt, they may be having a very bad day for any number of reasons that might cause behaviour out of the norm.

    • TripRep says:

      31 Aug31 August 07:52

      Was at the NCL DT in July, thought staff were great.

      If I ever have cause to complain at any hotel I make every effort to speak with the manager while I’m still staying there.

      • BJ says:

        31 Aug31 August 09:01

        This receptionist was the only negative, everybody else was great so that was another reason just to let it go. Sometimes one person causes the problem but if we complain about it a whole bunch of people sometimes get grief as a result. I know this is not really a good reason to tolerate poor service but I made the decisions I made at the time. With hindsight, I probably should have complained after Ì observed her being difficult with the other customers too.

        • Jimmy Ledger says:

          31 Aug31 August 10:25

          Two weeks in Newcastle?! Thoughts and prayers!

        • BJ says:

          31 Aug31 August 10:52

          No, first night in a road trip. Still, I like Newcastle and NE in general.

        • Lady London says:

          31 Aug31 August 12:28

          +10,000, BJ

    • RussellH says:

      31 Aug31 August 11:28

      I do not know how they manage it, but Hilton in Newcastle do seem to have a bit of a knack for having reception staff who are somewhat lacking in friendliness!
      Our usual place is the Hampton, as it is comfortable and exceptionally convenient (opposite Central Station), but the actual check-in never makes me feel particularly welcome.
      Contrast that with both the HIX and the Indigo – I have only used the HIX once as the Hampton is usually cheaper (always cheaper on points) as well as more convenient, but the staff were great. The Indigo has great staff too, and someone there has an excellent sense of humour, providing guests with a printed glossary of Geordie speach and customs.
      Last time we stayed at the DT NCL the problem was some of the bar staff (possibly because there were far too few of them). But the staff who were around at 0430 could not have been pleasanter, encouraging us to help ourselves from the breakfast buffet while they were still working on it, telling us to make some sandwiches for the flight and giving us decent bags to put them in too.
      They do need to do something about their extortionate parking rates though.

  • Nick says:

    31 Aug31 August 07:45

    Brings back bad memories of the old Hilton Bournemouth, back in the 1990’s, which was like staying in a concrete bunker!

• Kerry Kenton-Clarke says:

  31 Aug31 August 06:12

  Just had a browse at the First fares and I would hate to be the person that needed to catch a last minute flight in First … e.g. LAS … £16,858 departing today and between £12,038 and £16,857 for departures up to 8 September!

  • Tom says:

    31 Aug31 August 06:27

    Does anyone ‘need’ to catch a flight in first class? I’m sure that more affordable options are available!

    • Kerry Kenton-Clarke says:

      31 Aug31 August 06:37

      Perhaps I should’ve said “that wanted to catch a last minute flight ….” – that said LAS in Y ranges between c. £1000 and £1200 for the next couple of weeks!

      • John says:

        31 Aug31 August 07:44

        You know, some people would happily decide to go to LAS right now and drop £16K on an F ticket, and £1000 might seem an impossible sum to others.

        I have a cousin who has been both these people and I am trying to become the former 🙂 though I don’t ever want to go to Las Vegas.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          31 Aug31 August 09:28

          Not sure I ever aspire to be someone who drops that sort of money for anything last min.

          But I do understand the time vs money aspect changes as you have more of one and less of the other. Would I search the net for 5 mins to save to £50 yes would I for £5 nope (tbf I’ll still sometimes look for the £5 and wonder why I wasted my time after)

  • Lady London says:

    31 Aug31 August 12:30

    You could buy a house in some parts of the UK for that.

• r* says:

  31 Aug31 August 07:12

  Currently at the no1 lounge at lhr t3, they have jars of nuts behind the bar where you order the solitary bacon roll they allow you to have, asked for some nuts, was given them.

  Gf goes up to get a drink, asks different server for nuts and is told they are only available after 11am so she says they had just given me some (and they have given them every time ive been to this lounge previously) and she huffs but gives nuts.

  I go up a while later for a drink, all of the jars of snacks have been removed.

  For some reason that seems a bit pathetic lol.

  • Andrew says:

    31 Aug31 August 07:37

    No1 lounges are horrendous. The coffee machine uses instant coffee and the water is filtered tap water. My house has better amenities! Always full of kids and stag dos making the most of the unlimited free beer.

    • Froggee says:

      31 Aug31 August 08:08

      I always limit how much beer I give my kids before getting on a flight as do most responsible parents.

      • Peter K says:

        31 Aug31 August 08:55

        😂

      • Andrew says:

        31 Aug31 August 09:26

        I find the more they drink the more they sleep and leave me in peace on the flight!

    • Doug M says:

      31 Aug31 August 10:02

      What’s wrong with filtered tap water?

      • TokyoFan says:

        31 Aug31 August 10:49

        Just what I was thinking. I’m fact, there not much wrong with tap water without a filter!

        • @mkcol says:

          31 Aug31 August 13:32

          God forbid we should drink what’s already been cleaned by the water companies.

          Some people….

        • Genghis says:

          31 Aug31 August 13:50

          Water may be safe to drink but not pleasant. You clearly don’t live in London.

        • Doug M says:

          31 Aug31 August 15:11

          I do, live in London, and like tap water.

        • Genghis says:

          31 Aug31 August 19:20

          I drink tap water but in London it really needs to be filtered.

      • Lady London says:

        31 Aug31 August 16:56

        Just kinda feels cheap in a lounge (weirdly, not in a restaurant). A bit like things like Coke only being available from a dispenser rather than a bottle (Aspire T5) or can or worse, hosed into your glass by a barman from a tube that looks like a garden hose (No.1 North Gatwick).

        Just feels cheap and as though every thing is ‘counted’. Not a relaxing feeling.

  • John says:

    31 Aug31 August 07:39

    That’s why I can never get excited about “No1” lounges. More like no-one than number one (though they are always crowded)

    • ankomonkey says:

      31 Aug31 August 09:55

      +1. And I would never pay the reservation fee for such a mediocre offering.

      • Shoestring says:

        31 Aug31 August 12:03

        No1 quality seems to vary according to lounge/ airport

        knowing No1 T3 pretty well, I would say it is one of the best lounges in T3

        comparing it to Club Aspire, BA Business, Cathay Pacific Business, American Airlines Business, Qantas Business – I would say it ranks pretty highly in terms of a light airy feel, nice & quiet, good drinks selection

        food could be more generous but at least it is freshly served individually to you

        if you have a free pass, paying the £5 reservation fee is a no brainer – £5 gets you all the lounge advantages 🙂

        £20 + £5? harder question

        £30 + £5 – no, not a better option than a few pints of Guinness in the ‘public’ pub

        • ankomonkey says:

          31 Aug31 August 17:35

          We tend to travel as a family of 4, so £5 each becomes £20. It also winds me up how arrogant the staff can be when telling you you can’t enter. Like their offer is really special and so highly in demand. Gatwick are my main beef and don’t think I’ve been to any LHR ones. BHX is okay, but the LGW smugness is always in the back of my mind…

        • Shoestring says:

          31 Aug31 August 20:57

          yep but if you paid the reservation fee, you wouldn’t get arrogant staff saying you couldn’t enter

  • Lady London says:

    31 Aug31 August 16:48

    Seeing the jars had been removed Id have made a point of asking for nuts again.

    • Cat says:

      31 Aug31 August 20:24

      🤣

• John says:

  31 Aug31 August 07:48

  Trailfinders had a £75 fee last time I tried them and they also send me 10kg of paper to recycle every year now.

  • Mikeact says:

    31 Aug31 August 07:57

    +1
    No online booking…..not interested.

  • Spurs Debs says:

    31 Aug31 August 08:16

    I have used Trailfinders quite a lot, currently have a cruise booked with them. If you don’t want their brochures asked to be removed from mailing list and what was £75 for?
    As for not booking because you can’t online, that’s your choice but very short sighted and dismissive.
    Or have you tried them either on the phone or in a shop and decided you didn’t like them?
    I’ve never been in their physical shops always called them it’s not exactly difficult and they are always helpful and willing to negotiate.

    • Nick_C says:

      31 Aug31 August 10:41

      I used to use the Trailfinders Travel Clinic in Kensington. Great expert advice, fairly quick to be seen, reasonable prices. I tend to stick to more developed parts of the world these days and haven’t needed their service for a while.

      Before the Internet, they were the best place to go for cheap flights and hotels. Don’t see the need for them anymore, and don’t understand why they don’t sell on line.

    • John says:

      31 Aug31 August 15:15

      I did send back the “change of details form” twice (two different addresses) with a request to stop sending them, but they didn’t stop.

      Nothing wrong with their service.

      I had a complex set of flights to book about 8 years ago which I had found on ITA Matrix. I went to trailfinders and they said they would charge £30 on top of the price I had found. That was fine since I couldn’t get it to work with any online TA,

      When the Amex £200 offer came up 2 years ago I found another set of flights on ITA and went to the same branch, they said the fee was now £75. No big deal as I saved £125.

      With only £100 on offer this time it’s not worth it for me.

  • The Savage Squirrel says:

    31 Aug31 August 09:56

    Indeed, they have a role but the type of person who would find Trailfinders valuable is unlikely to be on this site. My parents (a lot better off than me but not internet savvy) use them quite a lot booking trips to Aus. At the time they normally go they say that for whatever reason TF Bristol is invariably full of gap-year backpackers booking complex but low-cost itinerarys. When they wander in and mention Biz/F-class tickets to Aus and NZ the agents pretty much literally boot out their current customers to serve them. More than once they’ve had to insist they really don’t mind waiting a while and made the agents finish serving their current customers properly.

    • Lady London says:

      31 Aug31 August 12:39

      Trailfinders original business was the UK-Australasia thing. Including selling overland bits. Complex but cheap, as you say, probably the backbone of where they came from. Known for detailed expertise in places between Oz and UK when previously hard to find.

      They do now do Business and not just backpacker market but check their tsand cs on what you buy carefully for charges for things not covered or refundability. Id trust them over most agents in their market.

    • Jill (Kinkell) says:

      31 Aug31 August 15:48

      Well, I read this site and have done for years, and use Trailfinders. They are consistently excellent.
      We do a mixture of research, plan and do it all ourselves trips, diy trips with elements that TF can add on as well as book totally with them if ,after researching, it’s a good deal for us.

      • Lady London says:

        31 Aug31 August 21:36

        They are one of those agents that an airline with seats to shift will give a special price that only Trailfinders have.

      • Spurs Debs says:

        31 Aug31 August 22:21

        Same here Jill.

  • @mkcol says:

    31 Aug31 August 13:33

    What was the fee for?

    • John says:

      31 Aug31 August 15:16

      Booking fee.

• Tetly1967 says:

  31 Aug31 August 07:49

  Stayed at the HGI T2 last week and left a very positve review on FT – it is a great place to see across the whole of the airport and as Rob mentions there is an outside balcony / viewing area which is a bit special. Was there in the transition from day to night and enjoyed it so much I bought a second glass of wine so i could take in the view!

  It has a high end feel (compare and contrast with the Hatton Cross HGI!), drinks are expensive and they will add a 12.5% service charge to the bill – but they did bring the drinks over and bought me nuts too (sorry r*).

  A couple of plane enthusiasts have already clocked this is a great place to watch the traffic as there were a couple of guys with big cameras clicking away but I couldn’t see a way in without having a key card.

  Had the very early FRA flight next morning which is why I stayed there but well worth a visit anyway for anyone who wants to get a feel for just how crazily busy Heathrow is.

  • Lady London says:

    31 Aug31 August 21:42

    This makes HGI T2 sound a lot better. Previous reports made it sound only worth paying for, for its location (which is not to be sneezed at).

    However maybe I’m weird but the last thing I want to see out of my hotel room if I’m in an airport, or out of the windows of the lounge, is the airfield or planes manoeuvring or taking off. I get quite enough of that anyway.

    If I’m relaxing when I’m travelling, I don’ want to be reminded I’m in an airport, In the open air I don’t need to get that breath of aviation fuel. I walk to and from enough planes without airbridges, where I get the sniff of aviation fuel. so when I’m in a lounge relaxing or in a hotel bar, with a terrace, please can it not face the airport and can I not see and smell planes? 🙂

    • Shoestring says:

      31 Aug31 August 22:09

      yep there’s a very clear division between genuine common av-geek interest (seats & food) and OTT
      av-geek stuff (not sure most normal people give a monkey’s about viewing planes from the outside, knowing anything much about their history or their engines etc)

    • mvcvz says:

      31 Aug31 August 23:21

      Could not agree more Ms London

• Cam says:

  31 Aug31 August 07:49

  IIRC, some of these routes don’t even offer F. Isn’t PIT in a 3-class 787, possibly also BNA?

  P.S. The ‘h’ at the end of Pittsburgh is missing in the post (presumably copied from BA).

  • DerekH says:

    31 Aug31 August 08:17

    BNA certainly does have F as I’m booked on it for mid September, strangely enough through Trailfinders who had better prices than the ones currently offered by BA. Nice cabin of only 8 seats.

    • DerekH says:

      31 Aug31 August 08:18

      Also with no Trailfinders fee at all.

      • tony says:

        31 Aug31 August 08:46

        I think it depends what you book. If you try and get a published airfare where they make no commission from the airline, then they have to cover the costs somehow.

        I used to think they were brilliant, but the advent of sites like kayak has really diminished their value to me. The web also makes it far easier to source the ground arrangements that they used to have great access to. Don’t think I’ve booked with them in over a decade now as the times I’ve asked for quotes they’ve never been competitive.

        Presumably they still offer a quality product for those without the inclination to do it themselves, but for me a lot of the fun is in the planning anyway.

        • Spurs Debs says:

          31 Aug31 August 09:10

          Not a case of not being able to do it myself, in my case I wanted a particular cabin they had it available, I couldn’t even book it direct on celebrity’s website. Trailfinders are just another tool or resource to use when planning trips. I book 95% of my trips myself, for my Japan trip I’ve booked all flights, hotels etc myself only thing I outsourced was the cruise portion. Before I booked I had researched every ship and itinerary till I found what I wanted and what cabin I wanted. I couldn’t get that cabin myself I had to use an agent. Again it’s a choice use or don’t use what ever suits your needs.

• TGLoyalty says:

  31 Aug31 August 08:07

  6 million.

  • meta says:

    31 Aug31 August 09:16

    I think it might be 7 million. 4 direct with Monese and 3 through other sites.

• Chelseafi says:

  31 Aug31 August 08:33

  O/T Marriott Bonvoy – London, United Kingdom
  28 Dec. 2019 or 29 Dec. 2019
  Be Enchanted by The Nutcracker Ballet 62.5k points
  3 packages left for anyone that might be interested

  • Rob says:

    31 Aug31 August 09:09

    Yes, saw this last night. Decent package actually.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      31 Aug31 August 09:22

      are these packages transferable? I.e parents or sister?

      • Rob says:

        31 Aug31 August 12:47

        Yes

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