The new HFP chat thread – Wednesday 15th July

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• Jamie S says:

  15 Jul15 July 11:13

  Just booked the Kimpton Fitzroy for late September (15 year anniversary mini trip to london – making the best of the situation). 82500 points for a two night redemption (Friday and Saturday night standard room). Great value considering previously it was 70K per night.

• old bob says:

  15 Jul15 July 11:52

  I stayed in the Kimpton Fitzroy in the 90’s when it was the Russell Hotel , the place had an air of faded glamour about it. Small rooms but very willing staff, and a well stocked bar as I recall. The cleaning regime wasn’t really up to scratch, but I was delighted to find a couple of Jazz mags in the bottom of the wardrobe. Moving forward two decades and I had the pleasure of staying in the now renamed Kimpton, still the same rooms, slightly less friendly staff, and sadly no disgarded porn as the cleaning was significantly improved. There is a happy hour from 5-7 pm which is free to guests, I managed the equivalent of two bottles of rather agreeable red in the company of two attractive young ladies before passing out and being awoken by the bar staff at 11.30. minus my wallet.

  • Anna says:

    15 Jul15 July 14:34

    Very expensive free wine!

  • Chris K says:

    15 Jul15 July 17:37

    Looking forward to seeing this review in the next instalment of ‘My favourite hotel’! 😁

• BJ says:

  15 Jul15 July 12:01

  Some background on what amex and other credit card providers have been faced with:
  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53416676

• MadeUpName says:

  15 Jul15 July 12:07

  Wow, you really want those bonus points!

• Aston100 says:

  15 Jul15 July 12:09

  Asked the IC in Bangkok about potential complimentary upgrades for someone who is only an IHG Platinum.
  They replied saying they would do an upgrade to an executive room and provide complimentary breakfast in their Espresso restaurant.
  Looking at the dates I have in mind, the executive room looks to be identical in size but costs an additional £40 a night. So I’m unsure what benefit this offers over their standard ‘grand room’. I did see a note about pressing 2 items per day (not dry clean or laundry) but that cannot be all surely?

  Secondly, club lounge breakfasts at IC properties: how limited in range are these in comparison to the buffet breakfasts in the main breakfast restaurant? generally speaking.

  Thanks.

  • mutley says:

    15 Jul15 July 12:51

    Call Emyr and get a better deal.

  • BJ says:

    15 Jul15 July 12:53

    Hmm, are you paying cash or points, and did you tell them? Did you ask for guaranteed benefit and did they provide it? This is Thailand, they are much more likely to bill you extra for an extra person, starting with the second person even if you book for two. To be fair though, I think that stunt ended years ago but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

    • Aston100 says:

      15 Jul15 July 13:03

      Sorry yes, will be booking on points. The hotel are aware of that fact and that it is two guests and that I’m an IHG Platinum only, no Ambassador status or anything else.
      The tangible benefit I am seeing with this upgrade is the saving of 800THB pp for breakfast. That’s around £40 between us per day, for 7 days, so I guess it’s good enough for me.

      That said, the Chatrium Riverside seems to offer so much more for a somewhat lower price including river view and bigger rooms (factored into the price I’ve obtained). Decisions decisions…

      • memesweeper says:

        15 Jul15 July 13:10

        >> The tangible benefit I am seeing with this upgrade is the saving of 800THB pp for breakfast. <<

        That's a decent benefit IMO given the chain are obliged to offer you nothing at all…

      • BJ says:

        15 Jul15 July 13:32

        If you are a first time visitor I strongly recommend IC over riverside. It is arguably the best location of any hotel in Bangkok. I am sure you got that offer because you are staying 7 nights. I am guessing with new pricing you are paying 30-35k points per night. If so I recommend you play this offer off against the much newer HI Sukhumvit. It is only 12.5k/night under the new dynamic pricing. It has a great reputation for status-recognition. I would guess at a suite and breakfast is likely even as platinum; a suite here would trump an IC exec. Location is good but not quite as good as IC but better for taxi to/from airport. Do yoh really need 7 nights in Bangkok?

        • Aston100 says:

          15 Jul15 July 16:14

          Thanks for the info.
          The IC dynamic pricing is currently 27.5k (£142 cash) per night, for the dates I have in mind.
          Which sounds good to me.

          I know nothing of the areas within Bangkok. There is a HI next door to the IC at 12.5k (£86 cash) per night and the one in Sukhumvit you referenced is 10k (£63 cash) per night on my dates.
          Would you recommend one of those over the IC given the points rates?

          In regards to 7 days, don’t worry, I enjoy spending ages in famous cities, absorbing all the history, museums, and everything.

        • BJ says:

          15 Jul15 July 17:32

          If you can get either of those HI to commit to a decent upgrade and breakfast then I’d take it over IC. That is not a slight on IC in any way, personally I would just prefer to bank the 100k+ points difference for another adventure. I have stayed at all three hotels and they are all good; you should not make the mistake of thinking the HI might be comparable with those in Europe or north America because they are in a whole different league. The IC and HI Bangkok are adjacent to each other and the skytrain. HI Sukhumvit, the newest of the three, is in a different area but only a few minutes walk to the skytrain too. As a newbie to the city whether you intend to rely on the BTS and MRT or if you have the confidence to use the taxi could be a factor. It is perhaps easier to get more places more quickly from HI Sukhumvit than the others. However, I’m pushing that to the limit as traffic in both areas can be a real pain, often your choice is a crowd on the mass transit or a traffic jam in a taxi, I find the latter the more comfortable option myself. If you do choose an IHG hotel then it certainly should be one of these three IMO, the other options don’t come close on comparable value under current dynamic pricing. Choosing a hotel in Bangkok is always a headache for all the right reasons, you’re spoiled for choice.

        • Aston100 says:

          15 Jul15 July 20:52

          Thanks again BJ and others.
          Must admit I’m being swayed by the fact that my Holiday Inn experiences have all been within Europe – mostly in the UK. It feels odd to be spending a special occasion in a Holiday Inn, but then again I generally treat hotels as a place to sleep (and have breakfast if it isn’t extortionate) in between exciting days out.

        • BJ says:

          15 Jul15 July 22:34

          @Aston, if prices were identical I personally would choose HI Sukhumvit over IC. It’s more contemporary, has better high end rooms, and is better suited to travel by taxi and getting a taxi on the meter. HI Bangkok would be my last choice of the three.

      • Leo says:

        15 Jul15 July 13:48

        I agree with BJ that 7 nights is a long time in BKK. The IC BKK is nice with a great club but the pool area is very small, not such a great location for lounging about.

        • The Original Nick says:

          15 Jul15 July 20:36

          7 nights to me in Bangkok is fine if you plan it well. A train journey for the day up to Ayutthaya is an excellent trip. A day shopping. A day out on the Chao Phraya river and hit the Grand Palace on the same day. Jim Tompson’s house and luch on another day. There’s plenty to do.

        • Aston100 says:

          15 Jul15 July 20:56

          Bangkok is one stop in a trip around Thailand, which in itself is part of a larger 5 to 6 weeks trip around SEA.
          Within Thailand, I’m also off to Chiang Mai and Phuket for a week each.
          Nothing set firmly in stone yet so I can flex a couple of days in each location.
          However, 6 nights in Bangkok is the minimum for my draft itinerary around that city.

          Thanks.

      • Vit says:

        15 Jul15 July 13:56

        I am assuming you made some day-trip here and there along with some heavy-shopping day — but still 7 day! I normally hit the city for a couple night max and then cannot wait to get out! Don’t get me wrong — I would definitely be able find things to enjoy in BKK for 7 days but there are so many other interesting places to visit and relax.

  • Andrew says:

    15 Jul15 July 13:52

    I stayed at IC Bangkok last year (as Spire AMB) and they gave the free breakfast for both of us and the buffet is probably the best hotel breakfast buffet I have ever had, I would even pay for it if I went back and wasn’t given it free. If you’re thinking of a bit of non-city, beach time as part of your trip then the IC Pattaya is amazing and only a 2 hour (£40) taxi ride from the city centre (and only 1.5hrs from BKK).

    • Josh says:

      15 Jul15 July 13:56

      Pattaya?!

      • Vit says:

        15 Jul15 July 13:57

        Oh dear….. 😀

    • BJ says:

      15 Jul15 July 14:28

      Could stay in the hotel, it’s only 15k with dynamic pricing.

      • Andrew says:

        15 Jul15 July 14:54

        It’s probably one of the nicest hotels I’ve ever stayed in – the view from the restaurant at sunset was worth the 14 hour flight. Didn’t leave the complex but was only there 3 nights.

        • Aston100 says:

          15 Jul15 July 20:50

          I’ve only ever heard negativity about Pattaya.
          But I suppose if you aren’t leaving the hotel grounds then it doesn’t matter hugely where the hotel is situated.

• Tony says:

  15 Jul15 July 13:03

  Can anyone else not see older comments on this page?

  • Aston100 says:

    15 Jul15 July 13:05

    Works for me. I just went back to older comments and forward to newer comments again, no problem.

    • BJ says:

      15 Jul15 July 13:34

      +1

• Yawn says:

  15 Jul15 July 14:41

  Query about the TAP matching status programme. How long have people generally waited for them to get back to you? I became a member on-line just fine, and then sent an e-mail with evidence of my KLM Gold status. That was Saturday evening and I still haven’t had a response.

• Mel TS says:

  15 Jul15 July 14:55

  Has anyone tips for a WhatsApp to Virgin about a cancelled and re- routed airmails flight? (hmm yes 19 minutes is a really practical connection time). The first time for a different cancelled flight was easy. This time I’ve been messaged back by an agent at 8.30 this morning, I replied straight away, they replied 1 and 1/2 hours later, I again replied within 2 minutes and so far had no reply for 4 and half hours! I now cant get out of the WhatsApp conversation to get back in the queue. I assume I not alone in this!!

  • Pat the Postie says:

    15 Jul15 July 17:49

    I suggest phoning as whatsapp went down the pan a while back, took me 4 days to get a reply last time and then cut off after 30m

    • Mel TS says:

      15 Jul15 July 18:44

      Thanks I will try phoning tomorrow – It not urgent but if I can never get through it will turn into urgent!!

      • thehornets says:

        15 Jul15 July 19:50

        I phoned them three times today. The operator cut me off on two separate occasions after 30-60 minute wait times. Very frustrating.

        NB: My flight from Orlando to LHR in late August was cancelled today. At least I received a more definitive ‘cancellation’ message than an earlier flight to Miami, which was (a) rerouted from Gatwick (b) also had an equipment change and (c) was then moved by two whole days!

        • Mel TS says:

          15 Jul15 July 21:27

          Well I guess that’s what I’ll be doing on my 2 days off work – calling virgin repeatedly. I shall look forward to that! And shall try to remain polite.

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