News: free £6 Uber credit, IHG flash sale, Holiday Inn Kensington Forum escapes demolition

News in brief:

Get £6 of free Uber credit

Uber has launched a new promo code to encourage you to get out and about now that restrictions are lifted.

If you add the code ‘DiningIsBack’ to your Uber account, you will receive a 50% discount on your next ride, up to £6.

The discount is valid until 30th May and is valid for the first 20,000 people to add it to their account – if it isn’t accepted, the cap will have been hit.

IHG flash sale now on

IHG has launched a UK and Ireland flash sale, running until Sunday 23rd May. Full details are here.

Here are the headlines:

• book by 23rd May
• stay by 17th December
• bookings can be cancelled, usually up to three days before arrival, and do not need to be pre-paid
• price is 25% off the Best Flexible Rate with an extra 5% for logged-in IHG Rewards members

For once, because sale bookings are ‘pay on departure’ and flexible, this is a genuine discount over Best Flexible Rate.

The sale doubles up with:

• the ‘check out up to 11.59pm’ offer at selected hotels, which we covered here

• the new IHG Rewards promotion, which offers double IHG Rewards base points on your 2nd stay and triple points on your 3+ stay until 16th August (register here)

There seems to be some decent deals out there. If you’re after a midweek London break, for example, Holiday Inn Express Stratford is £48 per night from 7th to 10th June, whilst Holiday Inn Express Earls Court is £54 for the same dates. This includes breakfast as it is included in all Holiday Inn Express rates. The ‘ugly as hell but great location’ Holiday Inn Kensington Forum is just £62.

Full details of the IHG flash sale are on this dedicated page of their website.

Holiday Inn Kensington Forum lives to fight another day

Speaking of Holiday Inn Kensington Forum, the bad news is that the demolition of this eyesore has been delayed, potentially for some years.

Kensington & Chelsea Council refused planning permission for its replacement – which was bulkier but potentially less ugly than the existing hotel – but was overruled by the Greater London Authority.

In February, the Government overruled the GLA and ordered a public inquiry. The developers folded at that point and withdrew the application.

It had taken around four years to get to this point, so unless the site owners propose something new which everyone loves – unlikely as the hotel is in a residential area and construction traffic is a major concern – the Forum may be safe until 2027ish.

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IHG One Rewards update – April 2024:

Get bonus points: IHG One Rewards is offering 2,000 bonus points for every two cash nights you stay (not necessarily consecutive) between 1st April and 31st May 2024. You can read our full article here and you can register here.

New to IHG One Rewards?  Read our overview of IHG One Rewards here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our article on ‘What are IHG One Rewards points worth?’ is here.

Buy points: If you need additional IHG One Rewards points, you can buy them here.

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.