Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch unveils its restaurant partners

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• TimM says:

  2 Mar2 March 06:41

  Turkish Airlines Holidays is indeed interesting news, as Turkish are an old-fashioned full-service airline like BA once was, 40 years ago.

  I do not approve of Turkey being called ‘Türkiye’, it is ‘Turkey’ in English, just as Venezia, Torino and Kerkyra are Venice, Turin and Corfu in English, respectively. Shudder the day when the UK tries to rebrand itself as ‘Nul Points’. Please don’t be so easily brainwashed.

  While lounge access appears attractive on the surface, those in Turkey are not great and there is very little time to enjoy them due to the UK-enforced extra security measures at the gate which can easily add an extra 30 minutes to boarding time and makes every single flight to the UK late.

  “Turkish Airlines also flies from Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham.”
  I am glad for a little mention at the very end for most of the population.

  • The Savage Squirrel says:

    2 Mar2 March 07:45

    I’m actually all up for using correct names, but usingTürkiye seems a doomed attempt when so much communication is by written electronic message, but adding diacritics is a faff in UK/US versions of communication software (and most of the population have no idea how to do it as they do not feature in our own written language).

    • RussellH says:

      2 Mar2 March 11:36

      This is an interesting one.
      I feel that when writing English, country names ought to be in English too – just as we would write “Spain” and not “España”. This makes even more sense when dealing with a country like Switzerland; which name would you use if you wanted to use the country’s own name? Schweiz, Suisse, Svizzera or Svizra? Or do you use the name that is used on the country’s postage stamps, but which is never used in common parlance (Helvetia)?

      However, when it comes to the names of cities there are situations where it it important that the local name is used, and travel is one of them. The International Railway Union has long mandated the use of local names only in timetables (so München Hbf., or Bruxelles Midi/Brussel Zuid), and I would like to see the EU push for the use of a city’s own name on road signs. It can be very concerning when you are heading to, say, Liège or Lille, and only seeing signs to Lüttich + Luik or Rijsel!

      For the people who have posted below and want rile Erdoğan, perhaps they should use the Kurdish name for Türkiye:-)

      • Bagoly says:

        3 Mar3 March 10:07

        A lot of departure boards cycle through the code-shares.
        But do any cycle through different names of destinations?
        Mailand from Germany and Rzym from Poland are confusing if one is from a third country.
        Rijsel is a great example – there’s also Bécs and Pressburg/Pozsony !

        • Londonsteve says:

          3 Mar3 March 11:50

          Yes, you only see Becs/Wien on roadsigns in Hungary which can be very confusing for English speakers (or speakers of other languages who will likely be most familiar with the English names of major landmarks). Interestingly, Bratislava appears to only ever be referred to by that name on the same road signs, no mention of Pozsony or Pressburg.

  • Peter says:

    2 Mar2 March 08:49

    The TK lounge in Istanbul is probably the best of any airline lounge in Europe! Has more than 5 live cooking stations and the food quality is excellent!

    • Tom says:

      2 Mar2 March 12:49

      They are the best lounges in Turkey, that claim certainly seems a bit over the top, though. There are probably five in Heathrow alone I can name that are better. Also in Istanbul there are actually two Turkish lounges (the business class one and the Star Gold one) which are almost identical.

  • Rich says:

    2 Mar2 March 09:03

    Who says Rob needs your approval? Pompous.

    • Rob says:

      2 Mar2 March 09:10

      We don’t use the word – see our reviews from last year – but that line is a quote.

  • Can2 says:

    2 Mar2 March 11:18

    Also call it Bombay and Madras?

    • TGLoyalty says:

      2 Mar2 March 15:48

      There are political and post colonial reasons why Mumbai and Chennai have been embraced though it’s not as simple as the english vs local names.

  • Aston100 says:

    2 Mar2 March 11:38

    How are Holland and Rhodesia these days?

    • Mike says:

      2 Mar2 March 12:29

      Well, you’ll know it’s the Netherlands in English, as opposed to Nederland. And, as to Zimbabwe, there are plenty of country and city names that are written identically in the local language and in English, even if they are (and should) be pronounced differently (following each language’s phonetic rules): France, Paris, Marseille, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, Portugal, Berlin, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, etc., are just a few examples close to home. Even closer: Wales/Cymru and Cardiff/Caerdydd.

      Your example, though, is flawed, as you oppose a colonial name to its current form. So yes, it’s Zimbabwe and not Rodhesia, just as it’s Botswana and not Bechuanaland and Sri Lanka instead of Ceylon. But that’s beside the point of using the local language to refer to a country versus using the country’s name in the language you’re speaking in. It’s Nigeria in English, not Najeriya; Saint Lucia, not Sent Lisi; and Mauritius, not Moris.

    • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

      2 Mar2 March 15:29

      As they say the whole is it called Holland / Netherlands is complicated.

      Holland used to be the name of a country but that was a long time ago and is now more used for two of the individual provinces that formed the original country of Holland.

      Most Dutch people are fairly used to hearing it called both but there some parts of the country who don’t like the use of Holland as it doesn’t reflect the history of their province.

      • Tim W says:

        2 Mar2 March 21:39

        All explained in this simple handy watch: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eE_IUPInEuc

  • Stuart says:

    2 Mar2 March 11:50

    It’s another one-sided argument based on some of the replies that we should switch to using the names as per the local language. No problem by me, just be reciprical. Yet, those same don’t seem to mind the other way around. Good luck trying to get the French to stop using Londres and use London instead.

• Kevin says:

  2 Mar2 March 07:01

  I will not go on holiday to a country (and by connection, an airline) which actively supports Russia, and their war.

  Far,, far to many people say how wrong the war is, then hop on a plane to somewhere sunny with one of their supporters, because the price is right.

  • John G says:

    2 Mar2 March 07:34

    Well that’s UA AA and DL out then!

  • Blenz101 says:

    2 Mar2 March 07:45

    Perhaps if you don’t know about a subject better to say nothing? Not that it is relevant to the airline launching package holidays but just to educate you – Turkey has been supplying weapons to Ukraine since 2019, Turkey is a NATO member and in the Black Sea sees Russia as a hostile nation and just in the last week Erdogan has been looking to work ever closer with European allies including offering ground troops to Ukraine following Trumps erratic behaviour.

    I think you would be better off boycotting Delta if you want to show solidarity with Ukraine.

    • Callum says:

      2 Mar2 March 11:01

      A rather snotty response given you’ve deliberately provided a one sided view, conveniently ignoring that Turkey condemned sanctions on Russia after they annexed Ukraine, condemned describing Putin as a killer, abstained from a vote expelling Russia from the Council of Europe, refuses to impose sanctions on Russia, welcomes Russian tourists, businessmen and airlines, is plotting with Russia to break EU energy sanctions and is trying to join BRICS. But yes, apart from all that, they’re a great friend to Ukraine….

      I do agree that if that’s your criteria you need to be boycotting a hell of a lot more countries than just Turkey (potentially now including the US), but don’t act like they’re being unfairly maligned.

  • Novice says:

    2 Mar2 March 08:12

    Kevin, will you be boycotting USA?

    • patrick C says:

      2 Mar2 March 08:29

      I am. Say no to fascism. As simple as that.
      Though Turkey might actually be coming around to the truth…

    • TimM says:

      2 Mar2 March 09:01

      I refuse to go to or via the USA not because of the recent downturn in the political situation but because of years of unpleasant, uncivilised treatment at US airports when I had to travel to the US with work. If I were a billionaire, I would have sued them for inhumane treatment. I am not, so I didn’t. I can only vote with my feet. I will never, ever visit the USA, or pass through it, again in my life.

    • Kevin says:

      2 Mar2 March 18:52

      Yes.

    • Londonsteve says:

      3 Mar3 March 11:58

      I was planning to sail Cunard (US owned) on a Transatlantic crossing and visit NYC but won’t now be doing that. It’s a big world with lots to see and as consumers we have responsibility where we spend our money. Individually we’re a drop in the ocean, acting together we and we alone constitute a country’s inbound tourist market.

  • Aston100 says:

    2 Mar2 March 11:40

    I guess I must have imagined Turkiye shooting down a Russian warplane a few years ago.

• JDB says:

  2 Mar2 March 07:13

  It’s a shame the new WA has to go with with a couple of brand name chefs (one of retirement age and the other not very cutting edge) that won’t even be present rather than creating something original and setting up new talents.

  • RussellH says:

    2 Mar2 March 11:44

    I would imagine that as a new establishment the owners feel that they need someone recognised to attract custom.
    They could consider “new talent” later, perhaps in a separate restaurant once they feel established.
    That said, I agree that name recognition does not always work. Thinking here of the Midland in Manchester which appointed Simon Rogan, who was present for some of the time, but it did not seem to work for either the hotel or for Simon.

    • dundj says:

      2 Mar2 March 14:02

      Similar to how when the Caledonian in Edinburgh brought in the Galvin brothers’ to run the brasserie, and now have Mark Greenaway in said space. That is not even mentioning the Pompadour.

      What desire to be top hotels will look to make their restaurants a destination in and of itself, simply for the extra revenue to push for higher room rates.

    • AL says:

      2 Mar2 March 17:08

      I can’t help but think the the Midland’s current biggest challenge is that Manchester isn’t the Manchester of years gone by, and that issue is seen across its operation.

• Pawel says:

  2 Mar2 March 07:26

  “There are five daily flights from Heathrow in summer ….”

  I counted 10 (9 widebodies) but mayby I see double…..

  • Rob says:

    2 Mar2 March 08:24

    I am literally quoting what the CEO told me, so blame him!

    • kevin86 says:

      2 Mar2 March 16:03

      A CEO not having a clue what happens in the business they run? I’m shocked!

  • ADS says:

    2 Mar2 March 10:52

    i tried 3rd July … and I counted six!

    although the 6pm and 6.15pm flghts may not both be regular!!

    • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

      2 Mar2 March 19:35

      Does he have his own special set of hi-viz though?

      They should probably be in the waterside museum in the “history but we don’t like to talk about it” section.

• Jonathan says:

  2 Mar2 March 10:08

  Do we know if TK Holidays will be similar to BA Holidays or VS Holidays ? Just about all of us know that booking a VS Holiday, you’ve got to book a hotel for the entire duration of your trip, and BA Holidays allow as little as a single night’s stay in a hotel or a day of car rental, but booking a single night’s hotel stay along side a plane ticket that’ll put you back thousands is a good and easily way to be picking up extra Avios, no matter how much you’re spending

  • ADS says:

    2 Mar2 March 11:01

    looks like there’s no option to book shorter hotel element – it’s a standard package holiday setup

    with so many flights into LHR and LGW, the TK website design makes the flight selection user interface a bit clunky!

  • AL says:

    2 Mar2 March 17:04

    “Just about all of us know that booking a VS Holiday, you’ve got to book a hotel for the entire duration of your trip”

    I’ve booked a number of VS Hols without this requirement ever being stipulated.

• David S says:

  2 Mar2 March 10:19

  I love it when almost every major full service overseas airline flies from multiple locations in the U.K. and BA flies from (need to think hard about this) just London.

  • Callum says:

    2 Mar2 March 11:03

    Crazy isn’t it. It’s almost like their hubs are outside of the UK.

    • Throwawayname says:

      2 Mar2 March 13:47

      BA and KL must be the only network carriers in the whole of Europe that don’t have any flights at all fly to the second city in their respective countries. But, even if Rotterdam’s population is barely a fifth of the ‘Greater Birmingham’ conurbation and it has a train getting directly into Schiphol in less than half an hour(!), AFKL have an entire hub there (for Transavia) whereas IAG have not even been capable of sustaining the BHX-MAD route.

      • Throwawayname says:

        2 Mar2 March 13:49

        I suppose there’s Luxair, too, but there’s no second city in Luxembourg. Not sure about the likes of Albania and Moldova though.

        • Dubious says:

          3 Mar3 March 04:17

          No just lacking a second city, also lacking a second airport (if you exclude small airfields and heliports).

      • TGLoyalty says:

        2 Mar2 March 23:19

        Birmingham needs a better rail link to Heathrow rather than BA flights from BHX

        Objectively if BA were to fly from another UK airport Manchester would make far more sense

        • Throwawayname says:

          3 Mar3 March 10:40

          BA flights from BHX wouldn’t be particularly useful as such- there’s probably already half a dozen airlines flying to the likes of AGP, having one that does the same with a fake business class wouldn’t add much value, but they could at least ensure connections to their partner hubs in HEL, MAD, and the USA. Sending even more people to LHR isn’t helpful when it’s at capacity, particularly since BHX is already on the mainline rail network and it makes sense to fly from there if you’re in Milton Keynes, Northampton etc.

  • kevin86 says:

    2 Mar2 March 14:00

    That explains why ba isn’t profitable. Oh wait.

    • Throwawayname says:

      2 Mar2 March 14:16

      High risk comes with high reward. Sustainable businesses tend to be more diversified, but IAG aren’t very good at that – Openskies is dead, attempts to take over other airlines haven’t been successful, the Vueling minihub at ORY and getting their shareholders QR to adopt Avios seem to be the only successful examples of IAG diversification.

• Ruralite says:

  2 Mar2 March 10:21

  Many, many years ago I worked in Admiralty Arch so I’ll be very curious to see what’s been done with it when it eventually opens as I can’t imagine some of the offices in there being turned into comfy hotel bedrooms!

  • ADS says:

    2 Mar2 March 10:49

    I suspect you will have a good while to wait … I cycle underneath Admiralty Arch most days … and it isn’t looking anywhere close to being finished !

• TGLoyalty says:

  2 Mar2 March 15:52

  What are the chances of St Regis opening in 2026 let alone the WA lolll

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