Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

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

Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission.  See here for all partner links.

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).

a&o London Docklands Riverside hostel

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.

Category

Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy

Comments (56)

  • Ian says:
    14 Aug14 August 08:48

    I stay at this Doubletree semi-regularly. Good rate of suite upgrades as a Diamond as well as free drink and starter with each stay. The ferry is used a lot by non-guests as there are no bridges nearby. The current boat is about to be replaced by an electric boat after they built new piers and charging dock. It’s not the most convenient location, but I like the chilled start to the day with the ferry crossing and Westferry DLR is not that far from the pier and Canary Wharf only about 10 minutes walk as others have pointed out. Overall, a shame to lose this as a Hilton option in London.

    Reply
    • SBIre says:
      14 Aug14 August 11:32

      Are you the person that had 300 stays there!? I remember the story on a rival blog (not sure if I should link)

      FYI, the ferry is a Thames Clipper and not owned by the hotel (though user often take a shortcut through it)

      Reply
  • Bagoly says:
    14 Aug14 August 08:55

    Why not go back to the original idea of apartments?

    Reply
    • SBIre says:
      14 Aug14 August 11:33

      Most of the complex has always been apartments, I used to live in one. Only a small part was made into the hotel

      Reply
  • Richard says:
    14 Aug14 August 09:13

    It was originally a Scandic Crown Hotel with 2 great restaurants.

    Reply
    • Barrel for Scraping says:
      14 Aug14 August 10:35

      How could they fit 2 restaurants in there, or was there no bar back then?

      Reply
    • JD says:
      14 Aug14 August 14:58

      I remember it as a Scandic Crown! I also seem to remember it was a Holiday Inn afterwards. Stayed there around 1994/95 so got a huge Deja vu when I stayed there as a Hilton in 2011.

      Reply
  • Paul says:
    14 Aug14 August 09:22

    Interesting that Doubletree is considered a ‘downgrade’, give me many doubletrees over Hilton’s in the UK any time.
    Doubletree Kensington over Olympia or Kensington Hilton all day longs,
    Doubletree Edinburgh Queensferry is a stunning hotel.

    Reply
    • AnotherUser says:
      14 Aug14 August 10:11

      I’ve looked at staying in the Doubletree Queensferry. You were impressed?

      Reply
    • Barrel for Scraping says:
      14 Aug14 August 12:26

      Just because Rob says it’s a downgrade is just his opinion. Doesn’t have to be fact. The problem was for many years Hilton didn’t have the many brands in the UK and so some really awful hotels used to have the Hilton branding. Newer Hiltons tend to be nice but there’s still some terrible old ones around.

      Reply
      • The real Swiss Tony says:
        14 Aug14 August 21:48

        I don’t think it’s “Rob’s opinion”. Hilton have a pecking order where each level has to supply certain things. The higher you go, the more they have to deliver.

        https://hoteltechreport.com/news/hilton-hotel-brands explains the ladder. Hilton Hotels & Resorts (i.e. “Hilton” hotels are in the Upper Upscale category.

        Doubletree is in the Upscale category.

        Whether you agree with that or not is down to you, but in Hilton’s eyes, moving from a Hilton to a DT is a downgrade.

        Reply
        • John says:
          14 Aug14 August 23:54

          Hilton doesn’t care about whether its hotels follow its brand standards, so Hilton’s eyes are meaningless.

          Reply
      • JPK says:
        14 Aug14 August 22:33

        There are far too many brands. Just call it Hilton, Marriott or whatever. How can anyone keep track of so many names?

        Reply
        • The real Swiss Tony says:
          15 Aug15 August 08:38

          Maybe because the vast majority of people don’t give two hoots as to the chain behind the hotel? They are either driven by price, or because they like a certain brand – i.e. Moxy. And the Hilton/Sheraton/Marriott shtick of 1980s beige hotels (which were admittedly a great trade up from teh guest house vibe of the 80s) means they really need to stop using those core brands?

          Reply
  • Trickster says:
    14 Aug14 August 10:29

    That’s a shame. I stay occasionally despite working in the Westminster area, for a change in scenery or especially when prices are out of budget closer to work. I also enjoyed the commute on the Uber Boat.

    I agree it’s an odd hotel, especially the part that was the apartments. But always been treated well as Gold with room upgrades and food vouchers.

    Might have to squeeze one more stay in before it goes.

    Reply
  • Louie says:
    14 Aug14 August 11:12

    How do you differentiate between a hotel and a hostel?

    Reply
    • SammyJ says:
      14 Aug14 August 11:26

      Just thinking the same – it’s a very fine line these days. The backpacker hostels of our youth still exist, but these newer brands are better than many hotels.

      Reply
      • Barrel for Scraping says:
        14 Aug14 August 15:25

        Would there be any surprises for those of us who’ve never set foot in a hostel? For example do you have to bring your own towels (or ‘hire’ some), is there housekeeping every day, etc?

        I doubt I’d ever stay there after it changes but I’m one of the odd people who loved the location.

        I think they’re making a mistake though. I often stay there and see the meeting rooms are often booked but which companies are going to host an event in a hostel?

        Reply
    • Rhys says:
      14 Aug14 August 16:57

      Hostels often offer shared dorms (in addition to private rooms) which hotels don’t?

      Reply
  • Lichtie says:
    14 Aug14 August 13:12

    Saddened by this – stay here a lot. That bit of Rotherhithe is good for going out for early morning runs. Usually got the 381 to/from Waterloo when I stayed there which was nice and easy (if slow in rush hour). Always got an upgrade as a Gold.

    Reply
  • Bob says:
    14 Aug14 August 18:00

    The way Hilton prices are going we could do with a Hilton Hostel brand.
    Gold & Diamond members recieve free bed sheet hire and ear plugs !

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Rhys Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Please click here to read our data protection policy before submitting your comment

New to Head for Points?

Welcome!  We’re the UK’s most-read source of business travel, Avios, frequent flyer and hotel loyalty news. Let us improve how you travel. Got any questions? Ask them in our forums.

Get 25,000 Avios with the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

GET A SIGN-UP BONUS OF 18,000 VIRGIN POINTS!

Latest Forum Posts

Get 50,000 bonus points (worth 50,000 Avios) and £400 of dining credit with The Platinum Card

Check reward flight availability instantly for free!

See a whole year of reward seat availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Get 10,000 bonus Hilton Honors points and instant Gold status!

Booking a luxury hotel?

Our luxury hotel booking service offers you GUARANTEED extra benefits over booking direct. Works with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz Carlton, St Regis and more. We've booked £1.7 million of rooms to date. Click for details.

SME? Get the only free credit card with points which convert to Avios

Get points worth 20,000 Avios with 'first year free' American Express Gold

The UK's biggest frequent flyer website uses cookies, which you can block via your browser settings. Continuing implies your consent to this policy. Our privacy policy is here.

Got it!