‘The Travel Brief’, the weekly Head for Points travel trade newsletter

Welcome to your weekly trade round-up of UK business travel and travel loyalty news as well as our latest reviews and features.

You are receiving this as a previous subscriber to Malcolm Ginsberg’s Business Travel News, which Head for Points has acquired. If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up here to receive this free newsletter in your inbox every Monday.

Malcolm’s new monthly forward-looking Travel News Update is available at travelnewsupdate.co.uk.

FINAL WEEK: HfP reader exclusive:

Earn up to 30,000 Avios with Capital on Tap’s exclusive HfP credit card offer for SMEs. You need a Limited Company or LLP to apply.

The latest UK business travel news:

Flybe has gone into receivership, with all flights cancelled. Read our take on the biggest story of the week.

Travelodge unveils its ‘budget-luxe’ upgraded hotels – are they worth a visit?

Manchester Airport announces a £440m Terminal 2 expansion and the closure of Terminal 1.

Eurostar and Thalys are rebranding under the Eurostar name – and have a new logo.

SCHLOSS Roxburghe, near Kelso in Scotland, is now officially part of the ‘Destination By Hyatt’ brand.

Hilton is allowing Diamond members who did not retain their status to keep it with one stay by the end of March.

Accor has launched a partnership with Italy’s ITA Airways, allowing the two-way conversion of Accor Live Limitless and ITA VOLARE points.

Finnair has launched a sale with attractive business class fares from the UK to Mumbai, Seoul and Hong Kong via Helsinki. A good way to top up your British Airways tier points.

You can now spend and earn Avios on duty free at Doha’s Hamad International Airport. In a twist, Qatar Airways flyers will get their Avios at check in so they can spend them in transit.

Business travel stories we recommend from other sites:

Maybourne Hotel Group to open The Emory in London’s Knightsbridge (Business Traveller)

Ryanair cuts carbon emissions with winglet retrofit (Aviation Business News)

Two retired RAF Red Arrows aircraft are being auctioned this week (Simply Flying)

Wizz Air cuts eight more routes from London Gatwick & Luton (Simple Flying)

Is Swansea Airport set to have scheduled flights again after 22 years? (UK Aviation News)

The Dorchester reveals first images of renovated spaces (TTG)

Industry events:

We’ll be attending the Airport Operators Association annual conference at Park Plaza London Riverbank tomorrow (Tuesday).

Tickets are still on sale for the first Aviation Club lunch of 2023 on Tuesday 7th February. Jonathan Hinkles, CEO of Loganair, is the speaker.

Our latest travel reviews:

Whilst in Antwerp with Luxair (see last week’s newsletter), Rhys tried out the NH Collection Antwerp Centre hotel and was impressed.

He then hopped on a train to Rotterdam to review Motto Rotterdam Blaak, Hilton’s new hostel-hotel concept.

The following night he reviewed Hilton Rotterdam. How has the city’s first international hotel (1963) stood the test of time? Image above.

The latest UK travel loyalty news:

REGISTER NOW: IHG One Rewards launches its new Spring bonus points offer. The registration page is here.

and once you’ve registered with IHG ….

REGISTER NOW for Marriott’s new ‘1000 bonus points and double elite nights’ promotion. The registration page is here.

Win 300,000 Avios! British Airways is giving 300,000 Avios to 10 people in a free draw. Click here to enter.

Fly EL AL? You can book it via Qantas Frequent Flyer using Amex Membership Rewards points.

Club Eurostar may disappear, as Eurostar’s merger with Thalys will lead to a new combined loyalty scheme.

Thank you for reading

Thank you for reading. Please drop me a note at rob@headforpoints.com with any feedback.

Head for Points is the UK’s largest business travel and frequent flyer website with 2.3 million page views per month. The majority of readers are London-based professionals who travel heavily for business and leisure. We have won five Business Travel Journalism Awards including ‘Editor of the Year’.

Want to work with us? We can offer you unrivalled audience engagement and a range of bespoke advertising opportunities including sponsored content, product reviews and tenancy placements. Please contact sinead@headforpoints.com for more information.

See you next Monday.

Rob, Rhys and Sinead @ Head for Points

PS. If you were forwarded this email by a colleague, you can sign up for a free subscription by filling in the form here