News: the Emirates T3 lounge reopens, Hilton opening a 37-room hotel in Santorini

News in brief:

Emirates reopens its lounge in Heathrow Terminal 3

The Emirates lounge in London Heathrow Terminal 3 reopened yesterday.

It will be open from 5.30am to 10pm. The ‘premium seasonal buffet’ is back – no table ordering here – alongside a complimentary bar. Showers are available.

Our last review of the Emirates lounge in Heathrow T3 is here. It is a good size and the 2015 refurbishment made it feel less like a Holiday Inn lobby, but it doesn’t aim for the premium experience delivered by the Qatar Airways lounge in Terminal 4. There is no dedicated First Class area and no facilities for children.

That said, the wine selection was always exceptionally good and you get direct boarding from the lounge, which is a novelty at Heathrow.

The Emirates lounge is quite a walk from the Terminal 3 shopping area, so it is best to get any purchases done before you head down there.

Hilton announces a Curio boutique hotel in Santorini

Hilton is continuing to pick up new independent hotels for its Curio Collection brand.

This one sounds especially interesting, and the good news is that it is due to open in Spring 2022.

The Sea Breeze Santorini Beach Resort has its own private beach. At just 37 rooms, it definitely falls into the category of ’boutique’.

Each room will have its own private terrace as well as a private hot tub or swimming pool. Despite having just 37 rooms, the hotel will have two restaurants and two bars, two of which will be on the private beach. There will also be two communal swimming pools and a spa.

I don’t know the geography of Santorini, but it is described as being on the southern tip, less than 2km from Vlichada.

The hotel isn’t listed on hilton.com yet, and the only image released is the one above. It does sound very promising, however.

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (December 2023)

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th January 2024, you will receive a huge 100,000 Membership Rewards points (convertible to 100,000 Avios) with The Platinum Card. You receive 75,000 points if you spend £10,000 in six months and a further 25,000 points if you hold the card for 15 months. You can apply here.

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:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th January 2024, you will receive 30,000 Membership Rewards points (convertible to 30,000 Avios) with American Express Preferred Rewards Gold. You receive 25,000 points if you spend £3,000 in three months and a further 5,000 points if you hold the card for 15 months. You can apply here.

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

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.)