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What a great place! However end of an era for my extreme redemptions/status.
Got to Diamond IHG with the old uk Mastercard and bought Ambassador. This hotel is awesome and so is Marseille for a long weekend. Redeemed my last credit card free night and used Ambassador free weekend night. So paid EUR 345 for three nights and was upgraded to the most amazing king deluxe with full balcony facing the Vieux Port and the Basilica Norte Dame. Was priced at EUR625 per night so got EUR1500 of value for my trouble. Well done IC Marseille.…and hope to get GBP75 rebate from Amex BAPP
Sadly won’t be able to retain Diamond so will see what we can get for the next Ambassador upgrade in 2025. Have to lower my expectations!
We’re doing something similar at the IC Lyon in August, though I’ve used my last Creation voucher for New Year’s Eve at the Kimpton Fitzroy!
I’ll also be losing Diamond (not sure if you then drop to Platinum or just nothing). Plan for 2025 is to book cash stays via Emyr as there are several perks, including breakfast, and I’ve never not had at least a one cat upgrade when using Bon Vivant/Virtuoso. I should be able to put 40 nights per year through to get a suite upgrade/lounge pass.
I’m not convinced Ambassador is worth much, especially with a number of properties converting to Regent etc, I may well not bother with it again. I prefer Kimpton and Indigo for the quirkiness and there also seem to be more of them in places I want to visit!
Strange I found Marseille a massive dump when I went 10 years ago especially around the train station area.
Has it improved or is there a certain part around the port that’s decent? The stories around the Euros that took place in France didn’t sound glowing either.
I’ve never fancied the city itself due to its reputation for organised crime and general shadiness, but it may have undergone regeneration in recent years. Of course it’s also the gateway for some lovely coast and more attractive towns.
Also I think MRS is one of the LHR T3 departures, which is always a bonus!
All a matter of taste, I suppose. I love Marseille. The city is interesting – not just an overly sanitised tourist town. Interesting streets to wander round in Le Panier (just at the back of the IC), with nice bars and restaurants. The old port itself is quite lively, but it’s the most tourist orientated part, with the restaurants and bars to match. And it’s just on the edge of the calanque national park, with great walking, some lovely coves for swimming, or cycling if that’s more your thing.
I really liked the IC there, too.
Spent a couple of weeks last year driving from Lyon down to Marseille and then back to Lyon via Annecy. We stayed at both the IC Lyon and IC Marseille. The whole holiday was built around a cheap redemption at the IC Lyon (40k points per night…an IHG reward promo where I also bagged the IC Rome for 40k pn…don’t think we will see those rates again).
We were upgraded to suites at both Lyon & Marseille…a duplex suite in Lyon overlooking the Rhone although I preferred the huge suite with balcony we were allocated in Marseille overlooking the Basilica Notre Dame. Absolutely loved both Lyon and Marseille.
According to our waking tour guide, Marseille completely changed after 2013 when it was European Capital of Culture. It received 250m euro for a massive redesign and clean up under Norman Foster architects instruction. Lots of pedestrianisation and new buildings/museums. The IC is superb, except it’s an indoor pool (if the city beaches are no good to you) and there is the national park on the doorstep (by boat or by e-bike, superb)
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