TheNoisyScot

An EMEA version is available here, which echoes the US version and is perhaps even more black and white.

I particualrly like the additional "note":
"Reward Nights should not be viewed as “free stays”. Reward Nights should be a celebration of thanking the guest for their loyal patronage. Hotels are reimbursed for all Reward Night stays."

ag51

Maybe they're in the same position as the IC (i.e. all of their rooms are promised to people connected with the games, or the press, as part of the sponsorship deal - it's the right side of London for Stratford), and they only went on sale by mistake.

soitgoes

They offered to let the poster pay cash for the rooms, though. I did think of another motivation. For reward nights, the hotel won't see any money until after the stay, while for normal reservations a deposit could be collected.

Amyrlin

It would be nice if some hotels here is the UK took that a little more to heart

swintonowl

During the worldcup the hotels had contracted their room inventory to FIFA so didnt even give me an option to pay cash. They asked me to contact the agency's they had sold the rooms to. I of course did not accept this and opened a case with UK priority club, all they did was contact the hotel and then tell me what the hotel told me (although it took them 3 weeks to do so), then they tried to wash their hands of it. In the end I contacted the CEO of Intercontinental and got a response (phone call) from his PA within minutes. He took it to the regional manager and they decided to honour all of my booking with the exception of 1 hotel IC Sandton (which had been block booked by FIFA execs) so they offered to move me to another IC property, pay first night and provide taxi's.

Andrew Cosslett was the CEO and it was his EA that responded to me. I still have the emails

Intercontinental have paid a fortune to be an Olympic partner and I am sure that the last thing they will want is bad press on this for the sake of a few rooms on points. I have now emailed CP Docklands and told them that I expect them to honour the booking and if not I will take this to IC management.

Danthecran

Thats too bad, it would have been nice to help out a fellow FT'er if i end up not going.

Thanks for the reply!

Amyrlin

You can go into the booking and add an extra guest after its booked

Raffles

Are you sure? I thought the box did not show if you only book for 1 pax. What would happen, for eg, at hotels in Germany where they charge a premium for 2 in a room?

Amyrlin

I cannot gurantee this will work, but I often have to go in and put in the extra guest; often my OH will arrive at the hotel before, me, if he is on the reservervation he can check in before I get there (has always been OK, even if I forgot to change the booking to 2 adults when it was made).

Bookings in the UK are USUALLY (not always) based on 2 people sharing. I have only had to do this for UK and Denmark.

I have done it in the UK, and as this was a UK hotel, it is certianly worth a try. If I remember correctly, if you log into to IHG and bring up the booking, clicking to look at the reservation, there is a tab to click on to add an extra guest. If you cannot do it call IHG.

Obviously if a room allocated has been designed as a single this may be an issue, but as reward nights are for 2 adults it should not be a problem.

Monkey & Minkey

It seems I am out of luck for the 3rd, 4th and 5th of August. No rooms available but I have been told by one IHG hotel that their inventory has not yet been "signed off for release" whatever that may mean.

swintonowl

After a number of emails from CP Docklands stating that they would not honour my bookings they finally reneged and have decided to honour them but only after I contacted the executive office of the CEO of Intercontinental who apologised on their behalf and contacted their GM to get it resolved.

bartla

Hi Folks,


Just a short post to inform you Hotel Indigo London Paddington loaded new award nights for the London 2012 Olympics.

Availability on all days from July 29, 2012 until the end of the Games August 12, 2012 (except one night: Aug 5 - Aug 6)

Enjoy!

stimpy

Thanks! I just made a reservation. Interesting that this hotel doesn't show up in a PriorityClub search for London. I had to go to the property website to book it.

Is this hotel open yet? Has anyone stayed there? How would it compare with the CP St. James?

bartla

You're welcome. Hotel Indigo Paddington opened in 2009. I stayed for a weekend earlier this month. My review: http://travel.bart.la/2011/09/12/hot...on-paddington/

stimpy

Huh. I did some poking around and I see why I have never heard of this hotel, despite countless searches on the PC website for London hotels over the years. This hotel lists itself as 6km from the city center, and I only search for hotels within 5km of the city center.

Well my question stands. Should I stay here or the CP St. James during the Olympics? I guess I have about 10 months to decide.