Bits: DoubleTree Docklands becoming a hostel!, double Bonvoy points with Homes & Villas

News in brief:

A Hilton property in London is becoming a hostel

DoubleTree by Hilton London Docklands Riverside is an odd hotel.

It is in Rotherhithe, on the south side of the Thames, in a residential area. What is novel about it is the shuttle boat which runs from the hotel to Canary Wharf, directly opposite.

The building was originally meant to be apartments, but construction coincided with the collapse of the 1980s property market and it became a hotel instead. Originally a Hilton, it was downgraded to a DoubleTree some years ago.

A notice on the Hilton website says that it is leaving the chain on 20th November. It won’t be swapping to another hotel brand though – it will become a hostel!

It is already bookable on the a&o Hostels website here, as a&o London Docklands Riverside.

You can’t argue with the pricing, with a twin room for Friday 28th November bookable for €83 (yes, Euro pricing).

Get double points with a Marrott ‘Homes & Villas’ booking

Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy has launched a new double points promotion.

The standard Bonvoy earning rate with Homes & Villas is 5 points per $1. This is doubled to 10 points per $1 for all stays booked by 25th September.

Your stay can be for any date in 2025.

A three night minimum stay is required. Existing bookings do not count and registration is required via the site here.

As a reminder, when you make a Homes & Villas rental, you earn points based on your total spend less booking fees, taxes, cleaning fees and extra add-ons.

Elite members of Marriott Bonvoy will earn a status bonus:

• Silver Elite: 5 base points per eligible dollar plus 10% bonus
• Gold Elite: 5 base points per eligible dollar plus 25% bonus
• Platinum Elite: 5 base points per eligible dollar plus 50% bonus
• Titanium Elite: 5 base points per eligible dollar plus 75% bonus
• Ambassador: 5 base points per eligible dollar plus 75% bonus

The status bonus is based on the standard ‘5 points per $1’ and not the promotional rate of 10 points.

Gold and above receive additional points as a welcome gift:

• Ambassador Elite, Titanium Elite, Platinum Elite: 1,000 points
• Gold Elite: 500 points

Each night you book counts towards elite status with Marriott Bonvoy but, oddly, does not count towards lifetime status (although some readers have found that it seems as if it does ….)

You can find full details of the double points offer on the Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy website here.

If you want to learn more about the programme, our full review of Marriott Bonvoy is here.