The HfP chat thread – Friday 28th May

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• joseph jordan says:

  28 May28 May 08:36

  why ? ‘long covid’ is a recognised long term illness, and its a risk they dont want to insure against. might not suit you, but clearly not ‘awful’

  • Neil says:

    28 May28 May 08:46

    Touché, but they didn’t ask if I had “Long Covid” which is a defined and recognised illness, they simple asked if I tested positive for covid in the last 12 months which meant i wasn’t covered. I could have had long covid and had a last positive test 14 months ago – I would be covered! Hence In my opinion its a lazy question…

• rob says:

  28 May28 May 08:48

  **TIER POINTS FOR AVIOS FLIGHTS**

  • HBommie says:

    28 May28 May 08:52

    Avios for Avios flights

• Rich says:

  28 May28 May 09:01

  I’ve got a RFS booked for next week which I’ll be cancelling. The cash element was £82.50.

  Are they still applying only a 50p cancellation fee to RFS, or will it be the full £35? In which case I can ask for a FTV, right?

• Crafty says:

  28 May28 May 09:11

  For Harry T, from yesterday

  Leeds is not great for mid-tier hotels – there are plenty of them, but none are great. I would agree with the consensus that the DT or the Marriott is most likely to meet your needs, the Hilton I would not trust the air con which you said is important to you.

• Karl says:

  28 May28 May 09:17

  For anyone interested here’s my Hiton Garden Inn Snowdonia Review
  LOCATION – really nice, views of gorgeous countryside on 3 sides (powerstation well-hidden behind a fence on the other), set back from a quiet B-Road so pretty quiet. Two nice pubs 20-min walk away, nothing else within walking distance.
  ROOMS – large rooms as standard. Look great as brand new. Excellent beds/shower. Quality fixtures and fittings – Smeg fridge/kettle and huge TV. Slightly weird layout with shower/toilet in booths and sink within the main room. You can see the silhouette of person showering from the bed! Only ever seen this sort of room in Asia.
  RESTAURANT/BAR – bar has central London rather than provincial Hilton prices. Really nice terrace to sit on and have a drink overlooking the lagoon. Didn’t eat in the restauarant as mixed reviews and pricey (burger and two pints would set you back £30). Instead had a lovely mean in one of the aforementioned pubs.
  BREAKFAST — a decent spread considering COVID. Hot and cold-buffet with a mixture of self and staff-service. Quality was what would be expected from a 4-star hotel.
  STATUS – not sure if reception were aware as not mentioned at check-in. I’m Platinum and paid for the cheapest room and ended up with a Queen Room on the lagoon side, although on the first floor with the view mostly of the bar roof so probably a slight upgarde. Stayed in two UK HGIs before and always go a free drink/$10 F+B voucher but nothing offered here. Doubt a late checkout would have been avaialble as rooms still weren’t ready for new arivals at 5pm.
  OTHER THINGS – staff seem friendly and try to help, probably doesn’t help them that the hotel is completely full at opening. Amex doesn’t seem to work – tried card at check-in and in bar and got “card not accepted” on machine. Tried to charge drinks to room account to be told “we don’t do that here.”
  Overall, despite a few teething issues, this hotel has the potential to be a really nice place to stay for a break in North Wales.

  • Memesweeper says:

    28 May28 May 09:32

    Thanks Karl

    Can’t charge to room? Hope that gets fixed! Otherwise sounds great

  • BuilBackBetter says:

    28 May28 May 11:08

    You mean diamond?

    • Travel Strong says:

      28 May28 May 12:57

      Safe bet. Did you know you lost your ‘d’ a few days ago? (buil back)

    • Karl says:

      28 May28 May 16:40

      Yes Diamond – been staying at a few Mariotts this week so mixing the terms up

  • Travel Strong says:

    28 May28 May 11:46

    Thanks. I will follow your lead and eat out. I nabbed 2 x nights in a king room on 27k/night points rate, so happy with that! IME the vouchers for free drinks / F&B / extra points if spending £xx in restaurant all stopped when covid started, not had anything like that on any Hilton stays in the past year (all UK stays).

    Sounds like breakfast consistency needs to be something Hilton addresses as travel restarts – I always have a good experience, but its a different experience everywhere for sure.

  • The Savage Squirrel says:

    28 May28 May 16:01

    Thanks Karl really helpful.
    Yes I did think the menu prices were pushing it for the location and how does a burger cost more than a steak? – existing reviews may be much more forgiving if restaurant was priced closer to a mid-market provincial hotel . Eating out looks the way to go.

    • Karl says:

      28 May28 May 16:43

      Burger £16, steaks £22-£26 plus automatic 10% service charge added. Don’t mind paying this if they’re nice but reviews suggest the food is pretty average.

  • Karl says:

    28 May28 May 16:46

    Update from talking to the receptionist during checkout: F+B not being able to be added to room bill was just one staff member not being aware of this, should be fine in the future. Amex link was down for a bit yesterday and all up and working now.

• Benilyn says:

  28 May28 May 09:39

  If you have an 8hr stopover with Qatar J in Doha, what are your options typically? Travelling with a baby so can’t just wing it unfortunately.

  • Eric the Half a Bee says:

    28 May28 May 09:44

    AM lounge or (v. Expensive) airside hotel. I’ve had long solo layovers in the lounge a few times, but wouldn’t love the idea with a baby in tow. Might be a case of ducking it up and paying for the hotel room.

    • Eric the Half a Bee says:

      28 May28 May 09:44

      *sucking*

  • Rob says:

    28 May28 May 09:59

    The transit hotel in the terminal, which has a pool.

  • Lady London says:

    28 May28 May 10:45

    Having done that length of layover in the nicer Business lounge when they still served Krug, I wouldn’t do it again. I’d get a hotel.

    Al Safwa Lounge does have bedrooms and I believe travellers in some classes can buy their way in but I suppose bed access there can’t be guaranteed?

    If I took a hotel I’d probably look at seeing if I could switch to a later flight out to make it worth it.

    • Benilyn says:

      28 May28 May 15:25

      Will probably book hotel, c£238 dates I checked, not too bad I guess…..

    • Jonathan says:

      29 May29 May 08:35

      There’s only 4 bedrooms I recall & its first come, first serve so no guarantees. If it’s a daytime layover then very easy to leave airport & go into town. There’s not much to do but you might find wandering round the souk or museum of Islamic art preferable to wandering round the airport. Guess it depends how big your baby is & their sleep patterns.

• N says:

  28 May28 May 09:40

  How quickly does Bonvoy status update? If I hit status threshold for Titanium tonight, for example. When will my status update?

  • TGLoyalty says:

    28 May28 May 10:11

    5-7 days in my Experiance but YMMV

    • N says:

      28 May28 May 10:42

      Thanks!

• Laura says:

  28 May28 May 09:40

  @LadyLondon re European Sleeper yesterday, sadly no privileges for being such a small investor, things like free luggage and free tickets for those able to invest in the €thousands.

  • Lady London says:

    28 May28 May 10:46

    Tx Laura

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