Bits: good Etihad sale deals from Manchester, Renaissance St Pancras rebranding

News in brief:

Etihad launches business class sale deals from Manchester

Etihad has launched a short premium sale which runs until Wednesday.

There isn’t a lot happening from Heathrow but Manchester does have some interesting deals. These include (in business class):

• Bangkok £2,286
• Beijing £2,277
• Colombo £2,281
• Delhi £1,695
• Doha £1,681
• Jaipur £1,982
• Johannesburg £2,082
• Kuala Lumpur £2,038
• Muscat £1,781
• Seoul £1,978

You must travel between 3rd June and 30th September 2025.

A free Abu Dhabi stopover (with two free hotel nights) is available if you want to add it during booking.

Our most recent review of Etihad’s Business Studio seat (the A380 version) is here. Manchester does not get the A380 but the Boeing 787-9 – used on at least one of the two Manchester flights on most days – has the same seat. If you’re lucky you may get one of the newer 787-9s with the brand new seat.

To maximise your miles on the ticket purchase, your best bet is American Express Preferred Rewards Gold. It offer double Membership Rewards points (2 per £1) on flight tickets booked directly with an airline.

You can check schedules and pricing on the Etihad website here. The prices I quoted are ‘Value’ fares which exclude lounge access, although the supplement for a ticket which includes it is not huge. Upgrading also gets you free seat selection and, if doing a stopover, free chauffeur rides to/from the airport in Abu Dhabi.

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel London to rebrand

Marriott’s St Pancras Renaissance hotel – the home of many past HfP summer parties (although not this year – we’re at Christ Church Spitalfields, with tickets hopefully on sale next week) – is to rebrand.

Ahead of refurbishment, it will switch to ‘St Pancras London – Autograph Collection’ on 3rd June.

This is also a Marriott brand, so from the point of view of Bonvoy points and elite night credit nothing will change.

A bigger issue is the permanent closure of the Chambers Club.

Chambers Club was a ‘private’ executive lounge for guests who had booked into specific ‘Chambers’ rooms. Platinum members of Marriott Bonvoy were not given access, although Titanium and Ambassador members were.

Because access was restricted, the quality of the Chambers Club offering was reportedly good.

Chambers Club was a core reason for staying at this hotel if you had Titanium or Ambassador status and were only booked into a standard room, so qualifying elites may want to look elsewhere – potentially to the Great Northern Hotel next door which seems to be better regarded. Of course, if you have the budget for a lavish suite then St Pancras London will remain the place to be.

The hotel website is here.