The HfP chat thread – Monday 5th July

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James says:

5 Jul5 July 11:33

Hi all

Does anyone know what’s going on with Crowne Plaza King’s Cross? Per the IHG website it now just says the hotel “remains closed” but seems fairly clear it was open earlier in the year. There’s also a TripAdvisor review which says the hotel has been “requisitioned” for government use.

We’re meant to be staying there at end of August but haven’t received anything cancelling our stay – but I now see I can’t book anything on our dates.

Any insight very gratefully received!
- blenz101 says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 13:19
  
  Sounds from the above it is being used as a quarantine hotel until the 1st November at least. Best bet would be to call them and find out so you can make other arrangements.
  
  Unlike airlines you have no consumer right to any alternative comparable room at another hotel. You may just get an email the week before telling you your booking is cancelled and refund to follow.
  
  In normal time if there had been an overbooking the hotel would likley walk you to another property (nice problem to have for them). However, these are not normal times if the hotel is getting 30GBP pppn for the use of your room they aren’t going spend 150+ GBP putting you up in a rival 4*.
  
  At best, the operator the CP KingsX may have other hotels nearby where they could move you to so that they still can take your money. You should call and find out so at least it is your choice where you are staying.
  - James says:
    
    5 Jul5 July 13:38
    
    Thank you – I really appreciate your response and advice. I am in no doubt I would be at the bottom of the list for the hotel sorting me out as 3 of the 4 nights are credit card freebies. Will contact them.
- Ikaz says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 14:42
  
  I stayed there last month (I got moved by IHG from the HiX city hotel that cancelled my booking a few days before my stay), so it was open until recently. Not a great experience to be honest (but nothing terrible). Only one member of staff at reception, lounge closed. Breakfast was fairly crap too, I wouldn’t return. As I said the sister hotel called me a few days before my stay and offered to move me here, so they might do the same for you
Ben says:

5 Jul5 July 11:45

Hyatt spend £250 get £100 back offer – My dad’s birthday coming up and looking to get him a couple of nights in a hotel in London. This is valid on checkout spend only, can I call up and pay over the phone using my Amex?

Also, which Hyatt would you guys recommend? Churchill / Great Scotland yard / Andaz? Leaning towards Great Scotland yard
- Sarah says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 12:17
  
  The Great Scotland Yard is lovely – we stayed last year for 3 nights and have only good things to say about the staff and the service we received.
- Harry T says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 13:28
  
  GSY
Doommonger says:

5 Jul5 July 12:16

if you don’t like him much then Hyatt Place in Hayes, you could get 4 nights for £250. otherwise the Churchill. 🙂

Doomey.
Rob says:

5 Jul5 July 12:23

The offer for ‘add 5 additional cardholders and get 3k per person’ has dissapeared from my business gold card. Does that mean it has been pulled?

I know sometimes the offers are a bit glitchy and things dissapear for no reason.
Motormike says:

5 Jul5 July 12:39

Hi everyone- I was wondering if anyone has had much success in increasing their Virgin credit card limit? My limit is disproportionately small compared to my Amex etc.. Have held the card for over 6 months. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
- Jonathan says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 12:50
  
  They’re notoriously stingy with their limits, people having limits a fraction of what they’ve got on other cards, and general refusal to give any any higher limits. I haven’t tried myself, this is just based on history of comments from loads of different HfP readers have said
- Sarah says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 12:59
  
  I was given an incredibly generous credit limit – £17000, so it might be worth asking for an increase
  - BP says:
    
    5 Jul5 July 13:08
    
    I got £20k so they do give out decent limits.
- Travel Strong says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 13:09
  
  Every 7 months I successfully creep the limit up with a phone call to request the max possible increase. From 7 to 9 to 11.
- Reney says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 13:26
  
  I have only done it once so far after holding the card for a year and I think I got a 5k increase. I made the request on the app, then needed to call about something and asked whilst on the call. They increased it right away.
- The Savage Squirrel says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 14:04
  
  I got 20k up from 15k on request. Haven’t asked for more since then because I don’t want a human looking at the spending pattern in that account 😀
  - Toppcat says:
    
    5 Jul5 July 15:10
    
    I am in pretty much an identical position. £5k increase on my first request, don’t think I will ask for any more…
- Motormike says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 16:33
  
  Thank you for the insights!
r* says:

5 Jul5 July 13:15

Incase it helps anyone to decide if they want to go or not, I just had a response from SS DV about if I can cancel once its inside the 10 day cancellation period should covid restrictions change and they said that they would be happy to keep the amount charged as credit for a future stay.

Not sure how that would work on a points booking exactly, but they have at least confirmed it would be rebookable (tho most likely just refunded I expect what with the intern presumably no longer around 🙂
The cyclist says:

5 Jul5 July 13:46

A question for HfPers, Do hotel chains have the ability to ban you from all of their properties for any real or imagined misdemeanour?
- Lord Doncaster says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 14:09
  
  Why not? Although most hotels aren’t owned by the brand plastered on the door.
- ankomonkey says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 14:18
  
  What do you have planned?
  - BJ says:
    
    5 Jul5 July 15:16
    
    …or what have you done? 🙂
- Memesweeper says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 14:30
  
  Keith Moon got banned from all Holiday Inns after a party. So definitely possible if you want to push the envelope …
- Anna says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 14:43
  
  Like any business they can refuse custom from whoever they choose, however I don’t see how they could subsequently stop you from booking under someone else’s name or indeed just opening another account with different details.
  - Andrew says:
    
    5 Jul5 July 14:47
    
    Although they would need to prove that it wasn’t due to a protected characteristic covered by the Equality Act if you took a legal challenge against them eg B&Bs refusing same sex couples.
    - Anna says:
      
      5 Jul5 July 16:10
      
      No – you would have to prove that it WAS a breach of the EA, and if the behaviour was sufficiently heinous I can’t see a court being overly sympathetic to a complainant!
      There have been cases of people getting bans from airlines for various misdemeanours, though of course it’s much harder (in theory) to pretend you are someone else when catching a flight!
  - BJ says:
    
    5 Jul5 July 15:19
    
    Not if discrimination is at the root of it, but I cannot see that happening at a large mainstream chain anyway.
- MQ says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 14:44
  
  Oewwww tell us more….what have you done/ or are planning to do 🙂
- ChrisBCN says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 15:26
  
  Book under different name/different payment card and they will never know, unless you did something so bad they have printouts of your face in each lobby!
- Mike says:
  
  5 Jul5 July 19:14
  
  The cyclist – where did you park your bicycle that may lead to your imminent ban ?
Ron says:

5 Jul5 July 13:51

Hello, thinking to book Hilton T4 for Legoland later this month. Family connecting room bed breakfast dinner for 204 a night seems like a very good deal (especially with Amex Hilton offer). The dinner is at Oxbo kitchen, what’s the food like? Is it young children (6 and 3yr old) friendly? Thanks.