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A Hampton by Hilton hotel comes to Torquay

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Whilst this is now unlikely to happen before the 2020 Summer season, Hilton is gearing up to open a Hampton by Hilton hotel in Torquay.

The website is here.

Situated in the town centre, as part of a long-delayed redevelopment project, this is a new-build hotel.

The generally poor state of mid-market UK coastal holiday accommodation is well known – when I visit family in Scarborough I end up in the Premier Inn, the best hotel in town – so this will be a welcome boost.

Reader Matt sent me this picture of the construction work:

Hampton by Hilton Hotel Torquay

…. and here is an image of how it will end up:

Hampton by Hilton Torquay hotel

Torquay is currently undergoing a hotel renaissance of sorts.  The famous Palace Hotel, where I remember going for a conference whilst a student intern at KPMG back in 1990, is currently being demolished and will be rebuilt as a five star property by a Singaporean group.  No operator has been appointed.

Until that happens, the Hampton will give you an opportunity for a UK seaside break in a brand new hotel funded by your Hilton Honors points.

The hotel website is here.  It says it is due to open at the end of July but bookings are not being taken and I very much doubt that date will be hit.

PS.  My review of surprisingly impressive (and fairly new) Hilton Bournemouth is here and a review of the adjacent Hampton by Hilton Bournemouth is here.


How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards

How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Did you know that the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are a great way of earning Hilton Honors points? Two Virgin Points can be converted into three Hilton Honors points. The Virgin Atlantic cards are the only Visa or Mastercard products in the UK which can indirectly earn Hilton Honors points. You can apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

and for small business owners:

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points

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

Comments (58)

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

  • John says:

    If it’s open in August I shall go.

  • SammyJ says:

    Any idea where this will leave folks with Norwegian flights booked? They seem to be saying they won’t fly until next April, but do they need to cancel my flights to LAX for Feb? I knew they could go under when I booked (before Covid) but figured it was worth a punt with S75 and end supplier failure, but wasn’t expecting a stalemate situation where they survive but won’t fly the route, and don’t cancel it either!

    • ChrisBCN says:

      Sit and wait, things will become clearer over the next few months as to how things return.

  • Hotel-User says:

    Totally agree about Scarborough hotels. Bridlington has nothing to offer either. We found that just outside Hull and also near York were the best of the chain bunch, but nothing special ( and an 1h travel to town to add on slow roads )

    Filey has some interesting offerings, but stick to the Premier. Avoid the ‘Lodge 🙂

    • John says:

      Since I’m a Hilton loyalist I just stay in any of the York properties or the DT Hull (all of them are good) and take the train / bus to Scarborough or anywhere along the coast.

      • xcalx says:

        Similar for me if heading to Blackpool. We stay the night at the Preston marriott. and drive in.

        • Anna says:

          The Preston Marriott is excellent for the price. The restaurant is worth a visit as well.

    • The Savage Squirrel says:

      The rise of AirBNB has defined and somewhat captured the higher end market in English seaside towns, I think, but in these places with little business travel, this does mean they are even further away from being able to support “mass-luxury” of higher end full service hotels rather than those designed for Shearings coach trips. For a quick trip, Rob is right – Premier Inn will often be the best option, and certainly the safest in terms of setting and then meeting your expectations.

    • the_real_a says:

      I hadn’t stayed in a guesthouse for 30 years until recently – however there are some really great hospitality to be found in the B&B sector in Scarborough. Fantastic fresh breakfast and a better room than than many warn Hilton’s i stay in (Sheffield looking at you here). Many of guesthouses offer a permit for parking in the zone areas (so free parking on street for your stay). Extremely friendly hosts.

  • CT says:

    The Hampton Inn is a very impressive build, it is next door to the flat I lived in until last year. Overlooking the harbour, close to some great places to eat and drink with plenty of quality places to choose from as well as some cheap and cheaply places oh and 2 kebab shops opposite.

    A brand new premier Inn is being build behind it as well.

  • Simon says:

    Not really convinced that the Norwegian thing is throwing good money after bad, and there will be another crisis down the line.

    If they disappeared today I doubt anyone would be taking their place for some time.

    • Rob says:

      They’re not even taking their own old place back until next April!

  • Frank says:

    Does anyone have any experience with downgrading the Virgin Atlantic credit card? I don’t want to pay the renewal fee, but I have a few pending refunds so don’t want to cancel the card completely and risk any problems with receiving those. If it’s possible to downgrade the card I suppose all transactions would carry over?

    • Rob says:

      Can’t be done. You need to cancel the paid card and then reapply for the free card. You will be rejected due to not having a 6 month gap. You then call and say you are downgrading. New card is manually approved.

      • Secret Squirrel says:

        How long for boost upgrade to rewards plus card take Rob? Applied last Friday but no email as yet!

        • Rob says:

          No idea. I know VM has big issues over staffing at present. A lot of bank stuff simply can’t be done from home for security reasons.

    • D says:

      Just a warning, I’m struggling to cancel at the moment. My yearly renewal date was April 30th, but the annual fee was charged ahead of time on April 3rd. I attempted to cancel around the middle of the month but was told the fee wouldn’t be refunded as was already charged. Currently on the 3rd round of escalating to a different department.

  • Charlieface says:

    But will Basil and Sybil run it that’s the question? And is it in Torbay or Torquay?
    🙂

    • Bigmaggot says:

      Torquay. Torbay is Torquay, Paignton and Brixham.

      There are many million pound hotel developments happening in Torbay. Paignton will have a new Mercure currently being build, I believe next door will be a new Ibis.

      Corbyn head hotel looks like another striking hotel for Torquay just approved.

  • ADS says:

    on page 22 of the Norwegian slides they mention 737-800s and 737-8s

    took me a minute to realise that they were trying to avoid using the word “MAX”

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