The HfP chat thread – Thursday 20th May

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• Waddle says:

  20 May20 May 15:05

  Recommendations for UK Marriott Bonvoy properties for a staycation? I’m 4 nights away from retaining Platinum. Got no plans to go abroad at the moment. Langley already booked.

  • meta says:

    20 May20 May 15:44

    Apart from Langley, outside London the situation with luxury properties is dire. There is Trump golf resort in Scotland, Tribute portfolio hotel in Bath and University Arms in Cambridge.

    If you’re not fussed about the hotel, you can pick any of the Residence Inn’s. In general they are newer properties with better room decor, at least for me.

    • Rob says:

      20 May20 May 15:57

      Would generally agree with this although happy to be proved wrong. I’m not even sure about Bath given the nature of the hotel in the town centre – there is a limit to what it can offer. Now, if they’d link up with The Grove or similar …

      What is interesting is the number of luxury country retreats which have opened in recent years which feel no need at all to link with any of the big groups. Thinking of Beaverbrooks etc. Fairmont Windsor Park (coming soon) and The Langley are the exception rather than the rule. Don’t count Hilton Syon Park as its not exactly country.

      • meta says:

        20 May20 May 16:09

        Hilton Syon Park is considered luxury?

        • Rob says:

          20 May20 May 16:58

          I’ve not been for a few years but it was built as a Waldorf Astoria and with a budget to match. I admit not much seems to have been done since.

        • meta says:

          20 May20 May 17:11

          I’ve been 2 years ago and I wouldn’t consider it luxury at all from room decor perspective. Admittely I stayed in a standard room and wasn’t upgraded even as Diamond. The spa also wasn’t anything spectacular either and the restaurant service was okay at best and the food was really bad. The bar service and drinks selection was nice though.

• Ant says:

  20 May20 May 15:05

  I am so confused and hopefully someone has a more clear idea as I assume some websites are not updated.
  We are planning to go to Spain (Ibiza) on 5 June. We would have had our second vaccine by then. What do we need to get in? Do we need any tests?
  One website even said that EU passport holders can get in (me) and “immediate family members of a national of an Eu Member state traveling together” . If true I assume that qualifies my OH even though we are not married but same residence. And would that still require a test?

  If we need any tests i guess i need to book them asap.

  • Rob says:

    20 May20 May 16:00

    EU will confirm on Friday.

  • Anna says:

    20 May20 May 16:06

    Spain hasn’t lifted the travel ban on UK nationals yet so you need to be very sure you will both be allowed entry. Someone posted earlier about people being turned away on arrival in Mallorca (?).
    I am not sure whether just having an EU passport would get you in as you are entering from outside the EU (I may be wrong here though). On my Spanish passport application I have had to declare who my husband and son are so it may be that they have to have some official record of your immediate family/partner before they would be allowed to enter Spain with you. This seems logical to me, otherwise people could take anyone they liked and declare them to be immediate family, and Spanish bureaucracy is VERY, well, bureaucratic!
    Probably best looking on an official Spanish site re entry requirements; these are quite often in English due to the number of UK visitors and ex-pats in the country.
    There are a couple of Spanish residents on this site who may be able to clarify!

• John says:

  20 May20 May 15:13

  Hilton Amex offer: I don’t have the offer to save on my accounts but we have received 3 emails today inviting us to save the offer to our cards. It proves we were targeted but for reasons unknown unable to choose it. This always happens with Hilton offers and I’ve no idea why.

  • Jay says:

    20 May20 May 15:34

    Call or chat and get them to manually add it advising that you have been emailed.

• Tazzy says:

  20 May20 May 15:40

  EasyJet have changed my return flight by more than 5 hours. This doesn’t suit. Am I entitled to a refund? Thanks

  • ChrisC says:

    20 May20 May 17:20

    Has the flight number changed? If so then legally that’s regarded as a cancellation in which case you can have a refind.

    If not then what’s in the T&Cs about schedile changes and what they regard as ‘significant’ applies.

    5 hours comes to mind with easy jet and this article backs that up but its from 2019 and both BA and VS have different policies now so it may not be accurate for easyjet either https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/flight-changes/

    I’d call / email them and ask for a refund – you may be lucky.

  • Anna says:

    20 May20 May 18:02

    Tazzy – they moved my October flights to Bordeaux back by 7 hours, which meant that I would lose virtually a full day of my trip. I contacted them via the website, expecting to be told “tough” or just offered a change (plus any fare difference), but they gave me a full refund immediately and with no quibbling. They could teach BA a thing or two. So definitely worth a try.

    • Tazzy says:

      20 May20 May 19:10

      Thanks! When I went into the app I see that requesting a refund is an option. It was changed from last year and was only a 3 day trip to Malaga, which with the testing regime appears to now be pointless. Trips less than 7-10 days seem not to be worth the hassle

• Scott says:

  20 May20 May 15:51

  Some advise please: my VS outbound flight last Friday was cancelled but my inbound flight this Saturday is still operating. I want to rebook for May 2022 but the flights aren’t going to be released until June. The CS agent insisted I have to take a travel voucher but if prices in April 2022 is anything to go by, prices will 40% higher than what I have already paid. So I am reluctant to take the voucher.

  Where do I stand on this? Can I just hold out till June to rebook? What about the inbound flight?

• Sukes says:

  20 May20 May 15:57

  Afternoon all. Am currently sitting in a pub for the first time in countless months having made it into Heathrow from Belfast this morning – feels gd! No issues/Qs at Belfast, 1st person to greet us at end of airbridge at T5 was a v stern looking police officer, a nice welcome back to the normality you are enjoying in England. Anyway I’m finally getting to pass go & collect my Amex Plat free £175 Waitrose money. Is my recollection correct that I can go to a Waitrose& buy a Waitrose gift card & I can use that at J Lewis? Many Thks & cheers

  • Andrew says:

    20 May20 May 16:51

    Correct.

    • Sukes says:

      20 May20 May 16:55

      Ta Andrew

  • James says:

    21 May21 May 01:12

    Free money? You’re paying best part of £600 it.

• mr_jetlag says:

  20 May20 May 16:09

  Eurostar extending points and tiers by 6 months, as I just missed Carte Blanche before lockdown I’m not too fussed but others might be.

• Jo Smith says:

  20 May20 May 16:12

  Does anyone know… if BA cancels my flight but moves me to another one a couple of hours later – is that enough to trigger a cash refund rather than having to get a voucher??

  • Anna says:

    20 May20 May 16:24

    Yes if you now have a new flight number.

    • Genghis says:

      20 May20 May 16:47

      Even if not, yes, assuming it’s material to you – check the terms for exact wording, although IIRC still not clearly defined.

      • ChrisC says:

        20 May20 May 17:28

        Must be the topic of the day. Just responded above re easyjet!

        BA policy is 4 hours before they regard it as significand thus refundable.

        Rob wrote about this last October

        https://hfp2022.headforpoints.blog/2020/10/24/british-airways-schedule-change-refund-4-hours/

        BUT as LL says if you have a new flight number then that counts as a cancellation and you can have a refund or rebooking to a future date for no extra cost if that’s what you want.

        But if you want rebooking check to see if the price is less if so take the refund and rebook. If it’s more expensive then take the rebooking option

        • Genghis says:

          20 May20 May 18:00

          Documented terms of contract trump BA policy:

          9a3) If, after you buy your ticket:

          we make a significant change to the scheduled departure time of your flight;
          you find this change unacceptable; and
          we or our authorised agents cannot book you on another flight which you are prepared to accept;
          we will give you an involuntary fare refund.

          https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/legal/british-airways/general-conditions-of-carriage

          “Significant” not defined. For the second time today, contra proferentem applies.

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