The Radisson Vanderbilt in London is a very useful mid scale hotel. It is located right by Gloucester Road tube station, which is on the Piccadilly line that will whisk you into the centre of London in a matter of Minutes. it is one stop, or a short walk from High Street Kensington and Hyde Park. Being those few stops away from the centre of the universe does bring room rates down to more manageable levels- think £150 per night rather than £350!
The hotel itself is very will finished. The fittings and furnishing are impressive and in keeping with the beautiful building. The rooms can be a little small, but that is the nature of London and the building itself. They are always well maintained and clean. The breakfast is very good indeed- and I highly recommend indulging. A small Gym and a bar with some character complete the picture. This will be a hotel I use again when visiting London.
Showing posts with label hotels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hotels. Show all posts
Sunday, 28 June 2015
Wednesday, 20 May 2015
Pullman Putra Jaya
A quiet location and stunning rooms make this hotel an ideal getaway from the hustle and bustle of KL or other ASEAN cities. Those Platinum Le Club Accor members will enjoy access to an impressive lounge, which is usually peaceful. The pool is quite small for the size of the hotel, but I have never seen it too busy. There is also an impressive kids club. The hotel is located a short and inexpensive taxi ride from Putra Jaya Sentral station. It is inexpensive for a Pullman, usually coming in at around 280RM per night, just over £50. Possibly a good option for someone making use of some of the very generous Le club accor bonus promotions that have become rather frequent of late.
Monday, 18 May 2015
Pullman Kuching
Yesterday some tier point runs to and from the Island of Borneo were explored. If you do happen to find yourself in Kuching, the Pullman is a great option. In typical Pullman/accor style it is very sophisticated. The lobby is quite impressive, and the rooms very modern and comfortable. The breakfast is also very good. The pool is also great- though be prepared for disapproving looks from the ultra trendy guests (perhaps from Total?) when you rock up with noisy kids and inflatables!
The rates are fantastic, and rooms can usually be secured for less than £35. Amazing value- especially if you can tie your tier point run to Kuching in with a bonus points offer from Accor.
The link below will take you to the Accor site- and Aseanloyalty will earn a small commission from any booking you make. Thank you for your support.
The rates are fantastic, and rooms can usually be secured for less than £35. Amazing value- especially if you can tie your tier point run to Kuching in with a bonus points offer from Accor.
The link below will take you to the Accor site- and Aseanloyalty will earn a small commission from any booking you make. Thank you for your support.
Wednesday, 6 May 2015
Marriott Rewards- Why this is my main hotel loyalty scheme
Marriott has been my preferred hotel brand for the last five years. As with airlines I view the miles or points as secondary to a programme, and see the benefits for status as the main reason for concentrating stays with one brand. I have found Marriott Hotels keen to respect the benefits outlined in the plan, and they often go beyond what is required.
For me, the key benefit of elite membership is guaranteed lounge access this starts when you have gold status (50 nights) If the hotel has a lounge, you get access. No arguments. The one downside of this policy is that the lounges can be crowded. I find this more of a problem in Europe than in Asia though.
The room upgrades I have received over the four years have varied from spectacular (JW Marriott Khao Lak) to routinely non-existent (JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur). You get to know the hotels that upgrade, and those that don't. The Rennaissance in Kuala Lumpur is one that always does upgrade, and when I moved from Gold status to Platinum status I have often found myself in a Suite.
One drawback of the programme is that the only way to status is nights, although these can be earned from credit card spend in the UK and US, in general the only way to get nights in ASEAN is to stay. 50 nights for gold and 75 nights for platinum is a lot. But this means they can (and do) reward customers with status well.
A further drawback with Marriott rewards is that their points promotions are less generous than other brands- and the more you stay the worse your targeted promotions seem to get. Finally, I find the lack of centrally located mid range hotels in London a pain. During my next London trip I will be staying at a Radisson- where I have no status, because I wasn't prepared to fork out over £300 for a Marriott room.
If you think that Marriott rewards could be for you, the key is to get status as soon as you can. Customer service will often offer a challenge- stay X nights in 3 months and we'll give you Gold Status- in fact they sometimes give you Gold Status, and then let you keep it if you stay X times in three months. It is certainly worth an email to customer service if you have some Marriott stays in the near future.
Finally, arranging a "rewarding event" in a Marriott results in a 10 night credit to you account. I usually arrange two such meetings a year. The 30 qualifying nights I therefore need to retain gold status is a much more reasonable target to obtain.
For me, the key benefit of elite membership is guaranteed lounge access this starts when you have gold status (50 nights) If the hotel has a lounge, you get access. No arguments. The one downside of this policy is that the lounges can be crowded. I find this more of a problem in Europe than in Asia though.
The room upgrades I have received over the four years have varied from spectacular (JW Marriott Khao Lak) to routinely non-existent (JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur). You get to know the hotels that upgrade, and those that don't. The Rennaissance in Kuala Lumpur is one that always does upgrade, and when I moved from Gold status to Platinum status I have often found myself in a Suite.
One drawback of the programme is that the only way to status is nights, although these can be earned from credit card spend in the UK and US, in general the only way to get nights in ASEAN is to stay. 50 nights for gold and 75 nights for platinum is a lot. But this means they can (and do) reward customers with status well.
A further drawback with Marriott rewards is that their points promotions are less generous than other brands- and the more you stay the worse your targeted promotions seem to get. Finally, I find the lack of centrally located mid range hotels in London a pain. During my next London trip I will be staying at a Radisson- where I have no status, because I wasn't prepared to fork out over £300 for a Marriott room.
If you think that Marriott rewards could be for you, the key is to get status as soon as you can. Customer service will often offer a challenge- stay X nights in 3 months and we'll give you Gold Status- in fact they sometimes give you Gold Status, and then let you keep it if you stay X times in three months. It is certainly worth an email to customer service if you have some Marriott stays in the near future.
Finally, arranging a "rewarding event" in a Marriott results in a 10 night credit to you account. I usually arrange two such meetings a year. The 30 qualifying nights I therefore need to retain gold status is a much more reasonable target to obtain.
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