The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 23rd February

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• Anna says:

  23 Feb23 February 10:03

  Is there an official definition of self-catering as per the proposed opening from April 12th? I’m just wondering if places like Staybridge Suites would qualify.

  • Super Secret Stuff says:

    23 Feb23 February 10:08

    I think the reference is self contained, so if both the restaurant is closed and daily room cleaning is suspended then places with a kitchen (like Stalybridge Suites) should be allowed to open.

    (Just my opinion)

  • stevenhp1987 says:

    23 Feb23 February 10:17

    “Overnight stays away from home in this country will be permitted and self-contained
    accommodation – those that do not require shared use of bathing, entry/exit, catering
    or sleeping facilities – can also reopen,”

    https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/963491/COVID-19_Response_-_Spring_2021.pdf

    Point 110

    • meta says:

      23 Feb23 February 10:46

      The infographic shows domestic overnight stays as something different to self-contained accommodation. This would imply hotels too. It is quite ambiguous and hopefully the actual legislation will clarify.

      • Anna says:

        23 Feb23 February 10:49

        Which section is that in, @meta? All the announcements today treat self-catering and hotels as separate entities with separate opening dates.

        • meta says:

          23 Feb23 February 11:07

          Page 33 (37 in the pdf).

      • stevenhp1987 says:

        23 Feb23 February 11:13

        The same document also states “Remaining accommodation, such as hotels, hostels and B&Bs;” for 17th May (page 37 of doc, 41 of pdf).

        I think they are using two infographics for the same thing (self-contained accommodation).

        Perhaps they originally had hotels in (for same household only) and forgot to remove the infographic after moving hotels to 17th May?

    • Anna says:

      23 Feb23 February 10:46

      Hmm the issue would seem to be the entry and exit facilities as the UK doesn’t tend to have US style accommodations with separate entrances. Though anyone who’s ever stayed on a camp site will be able to confirm that there’s precious little distance between individual tents and caravans!

    • Michael C says:

      23 Feb23 February 10:47

      So a cottage, but NOT a self-catering apartment?

  • Rich says:

    23 Feb23 February 10:21

    Sharing a lobby and lifts would mean not self-contained, I guess.

    • Tariq says:

      23 Feb23 February 10:47

      That’s how I’d read it if the regulations reflect accordingly. I would imagine an old style motel with outdoor entrances to individual rooms would be OK!

      • Anna says:

        23 Feb23 February 10:58

        That’s what I was thinking, though some of those are pretty nice these days!
        I’ve trawled through the document and on page 33 there is a diagram showing “domestic overnight stays (household only)” and “self-contained accommodation (household only)”. It’s not clear whether these represent separate accommodation types or they refer collectively to stays which are domestic (i.e in England), in self-contained accommodation, involving one household!

        • Anna says:

          23 Feb23 February 11:05

          110.
          Overnight stays away from home in this country will be permitted and self-contained
          accommodation – those that do not require shared use of bathing, entry/exit, catering
          or sleeping facilities – can also reopen, though must only be used by members of the
          same household.

          This is definitely ambiguous, it could read that hotel AND self-catering stays might be on as long as you stay in your household group.
          Further on it mentions that domestic overnight stays are also permitted from May 17th, so presumably this could mean that at this point you can stay with someone from another household.

        • stevenhp1987 says:

          23 Feb23 February 11:46

          On the off-chance, I’ve just booked some IHG reward nights which I’d prefer to use rather than spend £600 of cash on an Airbnb for my Early May Bank Holiday trip!

• WaynedP says:

  23 Feb23 February 10:26

  Interesting news emerging re Boeing 787s. Not sure if I should be concerned about 787 safety or not.

  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-23/boeing-787-issues-mushroom-with-no-fix-in-view-air-lease-says

  • marcw says:

    23 Feb23 February 10:30

    It’s related to those quality control “issues” Boeing faced at the Charleston factory. So no plane has been delivered from that factory since October… frames are just pilling up. Not that there’s a rush to deliver them… but it seems there hasn’t been any progress made. Only time will tell.

• AnotherUser says:

  23 Feb23 February 10:32

  Wonder if they’ll clarify guidance – lots of Airbnb flats are in buildings with common entrance, lobby etc…

  • Andrew says:

    23 Feb23 February 10:45

    My actual apartment where I live does!

    • Anna says:

      23 Feb23 February 10:59

      Well find out, Andrew, and put us out of our misery!

    • AnotherUser says:

      23 Feb23 February 11:04

      Yeah – will be the case for many! I can appreciate that there are higher risks with holiday lets (when I was in a flat I’d see the same half dozen people on the stairs…if go visit a few cities I’ll see lots of different people). If the only holiday lets that are allowed are those with their own front door, though, that will particularly hit some parts of the country.

      • Anna says:

        23 Feb23 February 11:08

        110.
        Overnight stays away from home in this country will be permitted and self-contained
        accommodation – those that do not require shared use of bathing, entry/exit, catering
        or sleeping facilities – can also reopen, though must only be used by members of the
        same household.

        This is definitely ambiguous, it could read that hotel AND self-catering stays might be on as long as you stay in your household group.
        Further on it mentions that domestic overnight stays are also permitted from May 17th, so presumably this could mean that at this point you can stay with someone from another household.

        • Russ says:

          23 Feb23 February 12:06

          Ambiguous it is Anna. Real sticky point is we have people here who probably do more travelling than the general population, who strive to follow the rules. It’s no wonder people start questioning those in charge’s competency.

        • Rob says:

          23 Feb23 February 12:24

          Can’t see how a hotel would not fail the ‘shared entry/exit’ bit.

        • Anna says:

          23 Feb23 February 12:41

          The shared entry requirement is only stated in respect of self-catering accommodation.

        • Michael C says:

          23 Feb23 February 14:31

          A forensic linguist would certainly see “Overnight stays away from home in this country will be permitted AND self-contained accomm. can ALSO reopen” as referring to two different subjects.

    • C says:

      23 Feb23 February 11:06

      If you ask, they’ll tell you it’s too dangerous to stay at home.
      [comment in jest]

• Youllnever says:

  23 Feb23 February 10:38

  Has anyone else had the Disney+ avios offer trɑcked with a purchase amount of £48.34 instead of £59.99? It’s stating that I’ve collected 1,412 avios instead of the expected 1,500 avios.

  • Yuff says:

    23 Feb23 February 10:43

    I got the same email

  • Andrew says:

    23 Feb23 February 10:44

    Usually things track ex-VAT although seemingly regardless of whether the item actually has VAT on it, eg food, children’s clothes etc.

    • Youllnever says:

      23 Feb23 February 10:47

      Thing is, even if it was excluding VAT, £59.99/1.2 would still be £49.99, not £48.34?

  • Optimus Prime says:

    23 Feb23 February 11:04

    Me too. It says 1416 avios on my account.

• Russ says:

  23 Feb23 February 10:40

  Was just checking out the current Marriott offer and it appears that if everything goes to Boris’s plan we have 12th-27th April left to take advantage of the offer. I’m looking for a new UK property so hopefully even if the planned unlocking doesn’t come off I’ll still have a valid reason to travel.

  • WaynedP says:

    23 Feb23 February 10:58

    Are there any Marriott properties eligible for the 2x offer that will pass the “self-contained accommodation” definition in place between 12 April and 17 May (IF no disruption to planned dates) ?

    Probably too many ifs and buts, so I’ve personally given up on taking advantage of the offer.

    Maybe best gaming option (as a whole community) is not to try to use the offer, giving Marriott bigger incentive to repeat (or extend) once we can freely book hotel stays again ?

    • Russ says:

      23 Feb23 February 12:10

      True but I have a reason in that I am looking for another property.

      To be honest I thought some time ago that all one had to do to leave home was put one’s house on the market, ‘sell it’, there is six months delay with solicitors completing, buyer’s mortgage offer runs out after six moths, house is mine again. But I wouldn’t do that….

      • Russ says:

        23 Feb23 February 12:11

        *months

  • JohnT says:

    23 Feb23 February 12:43

    Still some hotels offering Welcome back 25%+Breakfast rates in later May even in London!

• WaynedP says:

  23 Feb23 February 10:44

  VS LHR-JNB scheduled for 7 March just cancelled by VS, as fully expected.

  Email states “we’ll automatically keep your ticket open to rebook for travel all the way up to 30th April 2023, with no change fees.
  If you fly on the same route by 31st May 2021, we’ll also waive any difference in the fare.
  And if you’d like someone else to benefit from your ticket, we can make a name change too.”

  I know I’ll be entitled to refund, but rescheduling has greater value for me.

  • marcw says:

    23 Feb23 February 11:09

    But if you reschedule to 1st June onwards… you still have to pay the fare difference. So what’s the point really? Free loan to VS?

    • WaynedP says:

      23 Feb23 February 14:28

      Favourable initial price, need to travel for personal reasons so am fairly price inelastic, even if need to pay some fare difference still likely to swallow the cost, especially if re-booking beyond 21 June minimises chance of £1,750 10-day quarantine still being in place.

      Happy to support VS to foster some competition on the route I need, which now only has BA and Virgin offering direct flights after SAA’s demise.

      • Ben says:

        23 Feb23 February 16:07

        Interesting @WaynedP just as you expected. I didnt rebook mine so I hope they will still allow me to rebook at those prices before end of May (if hotel quatantine etc is over)

• Yuff says:

  23 Feb23 February 10:47

  Has anyone swapped etihad redemption flights and not needed redemption seats available when re-booking.
  I’ve just tried to swap our Easter seats to a later date and they’ve said you need redemption seats available on the flight you are booking.
  Hopefully they will cancel the flights although I gather only flights to London are currently banned so the outbound flight won’t get cancelled currently

  • C says:

    23 Feb23 February 11:08

    I had a similar line on a heavily discounted revenue flight. The agent gave me a line about flexible rebooking within 2 weeks of the cancelled flight (which still would have been in April…) or else needing same class availability. If the flight was cancelled, try HUACA.

• Louise says:

  23 Feb23 February 10:54

  Sorry if this has already been discussed but tried to do a manual Avios to nectar conversion online this morning and this service seems to have been suspended – message says you have to call instead. Guessing this is linked to the frauds reported in the press? Anyone know if this is going to reinstated?

  • Rob says:

    23 Feb23 February 11:08

    It was working for an hour or so last night with a trial of 2FA running. I imagine once the bugs in 2FA are ironed out it will restart.

    • idrive says:

      23 Feb23 February 12:41

      which 2FA? what do they use, number on file or email on the ba account? or else?

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