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Six Senses announces a five star hotel in Whiteleys

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We very rarely write about new hotels which are just announced, as opposed to just about to open.  Experience shows that a large percentage never happen, or open years late, or open with a different operator to the planned one.

This one is so weird that I couldn’t resist however.

Six Senses, the uber-luxury chain recently acquired by IHG, is to open a hotel in the old Whiteleys department store in Bayswater in 2023.  It will have 110 rooms and there will be an additional 14 Six Senses-managed apartments for sale.

If you don’t know Bayswater then you won’t fully undertand how odd this is.

Whilst, on paper, it looks close to very wealthy parts of London and only seconds from Hyde Park, Queensway – the road where Whiteleys sits – is, to put it mildly, not exactly upmarket.  Six Senses London guests will not be short of places to buy fried chicken, place a bet, visit a £1 emporium or launder their clothes.

That said …. the developer is someone I used to work with, Alex Michelin of Finchatton, who is responsible for the Four Seasons Private Residences currently approaching completion in Grosvenor Square.  His judgement is usually sound, so perhaps we are about to see major change in Bayswater.

The hotel will, when open, be bookable on IHG Rewards Club points and should be the most luxurious IHG property in London.

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IHG One Rewards news

IHG One Rewards update – July 2025:

Get bonus points: IHG is currently running TWO global promotions. You can register for both.

Promo 1: IHG One Rewards will give you your choice of either 2,000 bonus points for every two nights or 8,000 bonus points for every four nights you stay.  The offer period is 20th May to 31st August. Click here to register and learn more.

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Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from IHG and the other major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

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Comments (186)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • AJ says:
    19 Dec19 December 10:24

    OT – has anyone received the 25k Barclays Premier avios yet? If I recall correctly, they are meant to be sent to us by tomorrow (20th).

    • AndyW says:
      19 Dec19 December 11:50

      No x 2 for the wife and I. You are right, by 20th Dec it said, I saved the T&Cs down.

    • tom H says:
      19 Dec19 December 12:11

      Nor me, did you receive the original offer email?

      • Benilyn says:
        19 Dec19 December 12:52

        No I haven’t but also didn’t receive original email.

        • Andyw says:
          19 Dec19 December 13:23

          Be a short Barc relationship that we have if they don’t cough up. I actually moved across to use them properly as a result of this after getting bored of the non existent NATWEST premier perks

      • AJ says:
        19 Dec19 December 13:32

        No I didn’t receive the original email however I was advised by my ‘relationship manager’ that I am eligible and would be receiving the avios. Hopefully they honour it

      • tom H says:
        20 Dec20 December 12:28

        an email to premierrelationship_bankingteam at barclays dot com and all is sorted.

        • Miguel says:
          20 Dec20 December 12:40

          Were you able to get the 25k Avios? It’s the 20th and still nothing, I performed the switch in time and nothing so far (I did get the email from BA as well!).

          • tom H says:
            20 Dec20 December 13:33

            i received the code today after emailing barclays. Avios should land within 5 days of redeeming the code.

  • Paul says:
    19 Dec19 December 10:33

    O/T: Has anyone flown from Lisbon to Cape Verde (VXE or RAI) on TAP recently? Is the business class Europe-style (effectively economy seat with the middle seat blocked) or with a proper business seat? I’m asking as our return flight is a night flight (TP 1544, 1am take-off) so wondering whether it would be worth upgrading to J?

    Thanks for the kind help!

  • AndyW says:
    19 Dec19 December 10:41

    Are there any Hilton group hotels in Europe that are good for families? Looking at higher end properties.

    • Mr(s) Entitled says:
      19 Dec19 December 11:51

      There are a couple of decent options that readily spring to mind in Portugal but it depends upon what good for families means.

      • AndyW says:
        19 Dec19 December 12:13

        Thats a fair point. Young kids, 3 and nearly 1 next summer. Just seeing of there were any sweet spots, did Domes a couple of times on points but that has shot up so much I don’t see the value now.

    • Anna says:
      19 Dec19 December 11:52

      There’s one in Mallorca which Rob seems to like, can’t remember the name off the top of my head.

    • Rob says:
      19 Dec19 December 13:46

      Conrad Algarve?

      • AndyW says:
        19 Dec19 December 13:50

        Thanks, looked but the prices for a suite (points) are obscene. Such a shame about Domes, will just have to pay £ I reckon this year!

        • Anthony says:
          19 Dec19 December 18:48

          We use the adjoining rooms option at the Conrad Algarve for the kids and it all works out pretty well. Certainly the kids enjoy the independence. Also what I like about this hotel is that it’s really short drive from Faro airport and within walking distance (ie outside the gates) there is a very useful range of eating and shopping options so not restricted to the hotel.

          • Rob says:
            19 Dec19 December 21:14

            Yup, never quite got my head around hotels that charge 3x as much for a suite as for two connecting rooms occupying the same floor space. Typing this from two connecting rooms in Hamburg …

    • Kai says:
      19 Dec19 December 14:38

      Hilton Malta is a solid property.

    • ankomonkey says:
      19 Dec19 December 16:57

      Hilton Dalaman – you can get all 4 of you in a standard redemption room. It’s officially Asia rather than Europe, but BA flights are covered by RFS.

  • VP says:
    19 Dec19 December 10:56

    OT: I follow this blog quite regularly and thanks to Rob we are flying to Austin in F next week. I knew that BA offers 15 mins complimentary spa treatment for F but never had any idea that is offered to customers flying J as well !! (and we have done some J long hauls as well!!) Is this something new or was always there?
    As J class treatment is also 15 mins, it’s a bit disappointing that there is no differentiation between J and F in terms of Spa treatments.

    ‘A complimentary 15-minute treatment menu is available to customers travelling in First or business (Club World) and Executive Club Gold Members flying long haul through London Heathrow or New York JFK. Spas are located in the lounge areas of:
    London Heathrow Terminal 5 (5A South, 5B and Arrivals lounges)
    London Heathrow Terminal 3*
    New York JFK Terminal 7* ‘

    • Rhys says:
      19 Dec19 December 10:59

      The difference is that F passengers can book in advance, whilst J can only rock up and there are rarely any appointments left by then!

      • AndyW says:
        19 Dec19 December 11:51

        ring and book if you haven’t

        • Anna says:
          19 Dec19 December 11:54

          +1, increasingly difficult to get treatments when flying J so the facility to pre-book is definitely a perk of F.

          • Lady London says:
            19 Dec19 December 19:04

            I would be happy to pay for a regular beauty treatment at a proper salon airside. Flying is one of the few times I’ve got time. 15 mins is a bit meh. My sort of spa menu would be 1-1 and a half hours for 1 or 2 treatments and I’d be prepared to pay for it.

            If I can book duty free why can’t I book a beauty treatment?

      • AndyGWP says:
        19 Dec19 December 14:41

        Do you know if LHR ‘F’ arrivals (connecting to Club Europe domestic) pre-book it?

    • Rob says:
      19 Dec19 December 13:45

      Always been there, but unlikely to get a spot as a walk in. However, as you are flying F you can prebook via You First.

      • Nick Burch says:
        19 Dec19 December 14:00

        You need to be there 3+ hours in advance to stand a chance of getting a walk-up appointment

        You First can book spa treatments for F passengers between 28 days and 48 hours away, either via the webform or by phone

    • Ajdt says:
      19 Dec19 December 14:05

      I’m also flying F to Austin next week mainly as a result of all the advice on here. Have a great trip!

    • VP says:
      21 Dec21 December 07:24

      BA replied that all slots are full for F when we would be in lounge. So I will try my luck on the day.Thanks all for the info.

  • Boi says:
    19 Dec19 December 11:07

    OT: IHG ambassador weekend booking 27-29 in Madrid. Should I be expecting an upgrade? I got an email from the hotel offering me an upgrade to club access for €65. On my booking it still shows original room I booked. Thought upgrade is guaranteed?
    ( obviously club access not guaranteed but was surprised at their offer).

    • Kai says:
      19 Dec19 December 11:25

      Yes, one-level upgrade is guaranteed.

      • Secret Squirrel says:
        19 Dec19 December 17:18

        So do you need to contact the hotel direct to ask for the one upgrade or Don they apply it a few days away from arriving?

        • Paul says:
          19 Dec19 December 17:57

          Last time I stayed there they upgraded me to the penthouse suite booking a standard room, so anything is possible

  • N says:
    19 Dec19 December 12:25

    Anyone been to see Benefica with Emirates in the Skybox? Is it any good? How does it compare to PSG? Went to Olympiacos and was majorly disappointed with the experience!

    • Neil Donoghue says:
      19 Dec19 December 13:26

      I love the Emirates Skybox! It’s still a fairly new stadium but the view is bang on the half way line.

    • Flying Misfit says:
      19 Dec19 December 19:39

      Which Olympiakos game did you go to?

  • Colin MacKinnon says:
    19 Dec19 December 13:54

    Reward Flight Saver question:

    Do you have to earn an avios “flying” on BA in the past year to qualify?

    I have avios from Lloyds, the site that can’t be named etc, but haven’t been on a paid BA flight for more than a year.

    RFS just doesn’t come up on searches for EDI-LON-Zurich – except for a warning/alert type notice.

    If I need toi ëarn”a point, what are qualifying points? Other than flights?

    • Shoestring says:
      19 Dec19 December 14:09

      any new/ earned points, (including bought points, I’m pretty sure)

      • Shoestring says:
        19 Dec19 December 14:09

        so Tesco conversion, reward site Avios, purchase through Avios store, probably compo points for service recovery, Amex conversion from MR points etc

        cheapest would be £2 book from Abebooks or something like £2 batteries from 7DayShop on Avios store, fastest Tesco & Amex

    • Rob says:
      19 Dec19 December 14:28

      Earn an Avios via any route. All I can think of is that Lloyds points are still coded as ‘avios.com’ for some reason and are seen as a transfer in to ba.com – which does NOT count – rather than points earned directly in ba.com.

  • Colin MacKinnon says:
    19 Dec19 December 14:31

    Can I send to my Rev euro account?

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