The HfP chat thread – Saturday 4th September

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

• Patrycja says:

  4 Sep4 September 10:40

  Room upgrades with Marriott – I’ve seen comments in the forum that you are more likely to secure an upgrade when contacting the hotel via chat prior to arrival. Can someone please explain the process? I’m off to Spain in a week. One hotel booked with Emyr but second was cheaper directly with Marriott.

  • KBuffett says:

    4 Sep4 September 10:49

    There’s a chat feature on the Marriott app. Use that and request an upgrade and quote your status etc etc. Special occasion blah blah. I don’t recall how far in advance of check in the chat feature become functional.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      4 Sep4 September 10:52

      Three days before check in from memory

      • Patrycja says:

        4 Sep4 September 11:16

        4 days to go! Thank you!

    • Patrycja says:

      4 Sep4 September 11:16

      Brilliant, I used the chat before but not for upgrades

  • Harry T says:

    4 Sep4 September 11:06

    Chat opens up three days before your stay. I usually message to tell them my arrival time etc, then segue into a conversation about how I would appreciate an upgrade based on my status and/or loyalty to that particular hotel.

    • Patrycja says:

      4 Sep4 September 11:17

      That’s a great tip 😊 I will do just that

    • Patrycja says:

      4 Sep4 September 11:18

      Great tip, I’ll do just that!

    • David says:

      4 Sep4 September 11:26

      I do the same – get in contact a few days before by chat or email – speak to the hotel’s Loyalty rep.
      Just before you get to the desk check the availability of upgrades on your phone.
      At the desk ask for an upgrade if its not offered and explain why and that there are better rooms available – also be familiar with the loyalty programme rules (some hotels try to make their own rules).
      If still no success ask to speak to manager ( try and find out their name first).
      Last resort – phone loyalty help line or Amex FHR.
      DON’T GIVE UP!! – They usually give in.

      • Patrycja says:

        4 Sep4 September 12:04

        Thank you! This is extremely helpful.

      • KBuffett says:

        4 Sep4 September 13:00

        You’ve called AmEx FHR from a property when you’ve been refused an upgrade when there’s availability? Please detail how that went

        • David says:

          4 Sep4 September 13:33

          This was the Park Hyatt in Istanbul – had a very long discussion with the person on the desk – who claimed that the FHR upgrade specifically didn’t apply to the room I had booked – refused to get the manager.
          Phoned Amex – got upgraded.

• Sam says:

  4 Sep4 September 10:48

  Yikes. BA Amex disaster. Have the free card with membership year ending September 15th, spend of 11k. Had planned to upgrade to BAPP this weekend to take advantage of the new companion voucher terms post Sept 1st. Unfortunately there has been some ‘additional spending’ by a certain supplementary cardholder which has pushed me over 12k – I now have one of the new economy only companion vouchers. If I still upgrade to BAPP before my membership year is out, will my ‘economy-only’ voucher be upgraded to the ‘proper’ voucher as part of the upgrade, or will I just be amplifying my woes by spending an unnecessary £250?

  • TGLoyalty says:

    4 Sep4 September 10:53

    It won’t be upgraded and I suspect because you’ve already earned it on the free card then won’t switch it because you’ve upgraded to BAPP

  • KBuffett says:

    4 Sep4 September 10:55

    No

  • Dave says:

    4 Sep4 September 11:03

    I guess when you signed up there was an option to sped £20k for the old voucher. You could try and get them to remove the new voucher on the basis that you where planning to spend £20k and they have now taken that option away. You don’t have much time to your anniversary date though

• Duncan Stevenson-Price says:

  4 Sep4 September 10:49

  I may be travelling to Madrid in a couple of weeks, for only 2 nights. The information on testing isn’t super clear… returning to Scotland requires a test within 3 days of returning, but does this HAVE to be done in Madrid? Anyone have experience with a day-of-departure rapid antigen test at Madrid airport, as these seem to meet the Scottish governments requirements for travel home, but it feels uncomfortable leaving it so late. Testing in Madrid at the weekend seems hard to do. Could we do the airport Antigen test when we arrive in Madrid?

  • TGLoyalty says:

    4 Sep4 September 10:55

    Doesn’t have to be done in Madrid

    You can use the same test for entry into countries (that require them) and to return when it’s a short trip like yours.

    • Duncan Stevenson-Price says:

      4 Sep4 September 11:03

      Oh, interesting. So I could get a lateral flow test on Friday at Edinburgh airport, and use that test when returning to the UK two days later on Sunday? That would save the faff of doing it while we’re in Madrid, for sure.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        4 Sep4 September 11:48

        Yes. Or just use Chronomics, qurad, project screen etc.

      • John says:

        4 Sep4 September 15:06

        It also saves you a lot of trouble if you get covid in Spain.

• Dan says:

  4 Sep4 September 10:54

  Severely OT – but the FT Weekend seemed to have increased their prices by 30p to 4.30.

  • Jonathan says:

    4 Sep4 September 12:44

    Buying printed newspapers is fast becoming a dying trend.

    Why bother buying a newspaper when it’s got unupdated news in it already ?

    • The Savage Squirrel says:

      4 Sep4 September 18:13

      Because nobody has bought newspapers to get the very latest news for at least 80 years yet they still exist. They are, and always were, about a greater depth and breadth of coverage and analysis.

  • BuildBackBetter says:

    4 Sep4 September 12:56

    Any good weekend print subscription offers from FT or other papers? Trying to reduce my screen time.

  • KBuffett says:

    4 Sep4 September 13:01

    £5 for yesterday’s news…..
    I’m sure people will have issues with the carbon footprint involved with production and delivery

    • Rob says:

      4 Sep4 September 14:00

      Not a lot of news in Weekend FT, it is literally 90% features.

• Harry T says:

  4 Sep4 September 11:02

  Any car hire recommendations for Heraklion? We are heading to Domes of Elounda in October and it looks like our choices are pay through the nose for taxis or hire a car.

  • Aso40 says:

    4 Sep4 September 12:36

    We used Fair Deal Corfu Car Rental based on good online reviews, and worked well. They deliver and collect for free – we arranged to meet at the ferry terminal for drop off and timing was perfect.

  • @mkcol says:

    4 Sep4 September 16:00

    I used AVIS at CHQ, was really happy with price, vehicle & availability. Plus the rental car park was just outside the terminal.

  • Harry T says:

    4 Sep4 September 16:36

    Thanks, everyone 🙂

  • OP says:

    4 Sep4 September 18:01

    Taxis (and Domes own transfers to/from Heraklion) are not unreasonable around Elounda, so as long as you don’t want to go any further than say, Agios Nikolaos, when in the resort, you might find yourself totally fine without.

    Can give you some restaurant and room tips if helpful, have stayed at Domes and the Blue Palace a few times!

    • Harry T says:

      4 Sep4 September 22:11

      @OP please do give me all the hints and tips you can! It’s our first time. I shall ask the hotel about transfers too.

• George K says:

  4 Sep4 September 11:07

  I was dreading taking BA to MCOL for refusal to cover any duty of care costs, so I dumped this on the lap of Amex Plat insurance in the end. Two-week wait, and full payout yesterday. I didn’t want BA to get away with paying nothing, but didn’t have the stomach for the legal route amidst a family bereavement. So I guess we both won.

  Anyway…

• MKB says:

  4 Sep4 September 11:15

  In the new world of dynamically-priced hotel rewards, I suspect I may be enjoying my very last points stay that offers exceptional value.

  I am currently in one of the two Moselle-view one-bedroom suites — the one with the octagonal living room with wrap-around balcony — at Schloss Lieser in Germany. Two nights for 20,000 Marriott Reward points per night and two Suite Night Upgrade awards.

  This is a stunning property in a gorgeous location and thoroughly recommended. It’s a 90-minute drive from Frankfurt airport, 60 from Luxembourg, and even closer from Hahn. [We had to move our LUX flights (£162 each in Club Europe) to FRA after BA cancelled the former. A further late schedule change caused us some logistical problems, but had the bonus of using a 787.]

  Room rates now seem to be 35,000 or 40,000 points per night, which makes the cash rates considerably more attractive. If you have status or SNAs, this hotel should be on your radar.

  I can also recommend the restaurant at the Hotel Nicolay 1881, fifteen minutes drive away in Zeltingen-Rachtig, which offer German-themed food that is entirely vegan, which I’d previously have thought a contradiction in possibilities. It was packed with Germans.

  • Harry T says:

    4 Sep4 September 11:19

    Glad to hear about this interesting looking property. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to use the 20k nights I booked, as it’s just too awkward to get to easily for a weekend trip from the NE 😥

  • John says:

    4 Sep4 September 15:07

    BA was selling LUX-LHR for £14 last summer

• Amo says:

  4 Sep4 September 11:21

  Any recommendations for travel insurance that provides adequate Covid related cancellations for a relatively young adult for a short trip?

  • TJ says:

    4 Sep4 September 11:56

    Staysure and Coverforyou came out pretty well when I did some analysis recently. However, COVID policies are riddled with small print and quite a few grey areas, so if you have a specific circumstance you want to cover then it’s best to just give them a quick call to ask/confirm.

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.