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Old Oct 22, 2018, 11:03 pm
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Principal hotels UK joins IHG

I posted in the new hotels thread, but this may warrant it's own thread for discussion. Anyone know these hotels?


Email blast from IHG today...

We’re excited to announce that Principal hotels are joining the IHG® family. This means that by the end of 2018, you will be able to earn and redeem with IHG® Rewards Club at Principal properties across the United Kingdom.

It’s an exciting time of change for Principal hotels and IHG®. Hotels will become a part of the IHG® family beginning now through December 2018. Once a property becomes IHG® Rewards Club eligible, we will update the change here.

From landmark buildings in the heart of Britain’s most iconic cities to countryside manors with plenty of charm, each property offers unique discoveries at every turn.

Book now to start earning points and redeeming rewards at these exciting new IHG® hotels. We’re looking forward to giving you worthwhile experiences at these truly unforgettable destinations.


Coming Soon to IHG® Rewards Club:

The Principal London Hotel, London
The Principal St David’s Hotel, Cardiff
The Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square Hotel, Edinburgh
The Principal Blythswood Square Hotel, Glasgow
The Principal Manchester Hotel, Manchester
The Principal Edinburgh George Street Hotel, Edinburgh
The Principal Met Hotel, Leeds - Now Available
Wotton House Hotel, formerly a De Vere property
The Principal York Hotel, York
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Old Oct 23, 2018, 12:25 am
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Three of the originally announced properties (two in Oxford and one in Glasgow) are missing from the list. Looking at the press releases, these were meant to join IHG later so I imagine they will follow in 2019.

Good that we can earn IHG points before each property is rebranded.

Principal London becomes the Kimpton Fitzroy next week.
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Old Oct 23, 2018, 12:49 am
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They are generally outstanding. The amount of money Starwood Capital spent refurbishing them was obscene.

Kimpton Fitzroy should be the best IHG property in London.
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Old Oct 23, 2018, 3:41 am
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Originally Posted by Raffles
They are generally outstanding. The amount of money Starwood Capital spent refurbishing them was obscene.

Kimpton Fitzroy should be the best IHG property in London.
Is there air conditioning in the guest rooms in case the summer days are very hot?
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Old Oct 23, 2018, 6:41 am
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I have stayed a couple of times at the Principal London (formerly the Hotel Russell on Russell Square).

A lot of money (and I mean millions of £'s) was spent on its transition from Hotel Russell to Principal and it was very very nice. However it never seemed very busy and even one of the managers said it was quite often 'dead'. I am not sure if Principal's pricing put people off (I was always on a corporate rate paid for by my then employers) but it did seem on the expensive side of things, in comparison to other 'luxury' hotels.

The Principal at York similarly. A lot of money spent on it, which I think was never recouped over the small amount of time Principal operated it.

I look forward to triyng both once under the ihg umbrella.

BM
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Old Oct 23, 2018, 11:11 am
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I wish IHG would email when the hotels are actually a part of IHG Rewards Club, not to tell me they're coming at some point this year (until there is a delay...)
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Old Oct 24, 2018, 7:55 am
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I have just tried to book at the Principal in York, where the IAG website states that 'rooms are not available until the 31st October 2018'.

However when clicking on 'show available dates' none are available after this date - I searched upto and including December 2019 and not one night is available in 13 months.

Either their website is duff or they do not want me as a customer!

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Old Oct 24, 2018, 9:54 am
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Originally Posted by BarneyMcGrew
Either their website is duff or they do not want me as a customer!
"Website is duff" is the answer to the majority of questions about IHG. But this is an integration and those things take time. I'm not going out of my way to book these until they are fully integrated. There are lots of other IHG options in the UK.
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Old Oct 24, 2018, 8:36 pm
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70,000 points for the Fitzroy - I thought there might be an opening offer! I wonder how they will treat RAs?
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Old Oct 25, 2018, 1:36 am
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Originally Posted by quitecontrary
70,000 points for the Fitzroy - I thought there might be an opening offer! I wonder how they will treat RAs?
The opening offer is more likely going to be for paid stays than for point-redeeming stays.
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Old Oct 25, 2018, 2:13 am
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Originally Posted by quitecontrary
70,000 points for the Fitzroy - I thought there might be an opening offer! I wonder how they will treat RAs?
I stayed in it not long after it opened (As a Principal) and I'll be honest if there was a category higher than 70k it would be in it.

I'm also astonished that it's been branded a Kimpton tbh. I think there has been desperation to put a Kimpton in London and this is the first opportunity that came along. This should have been an IC
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Old Oct 25, 2018, 8:01 am
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Originally Posted by quitecontrary
70,000 points for the Fitzroy - I thought there might be an opening offer! I wonder how they will treat RAs?
The 'opening offer' is here:

www.ihg.com/kimptonhotels/content/us/en/stay/special-offers/london-fitzroy-offer?cm_sp=OSMEU-6C-GB-EN-FOF-AIX-COM-1541-Kimpton-UK

Basically:
Exclusive 10,000 IHG® Rewards Club points for our first guests. STAY DATES: October 29, 2018 - March 31, 2019 BOOK BY: March 31, 2019

We've just opened our first hotel in the UK and to celebrate, our first guests will be treated to 10,000 IHG® Reward Club points. Book your hotel getaway to Kimpton Fitzroy London today.

Indulge in all the Kimpton perks:
  • Free WiFi for all guests
  • Spa Benefit for all IHG® Rewards Club members, plus Elite Members get £15 Raid the Bar credit
  • Nightly hosted evening wine hour
  • Complimentary morning coffee and tea service
  • Yoga mat in every room
  • Complimentary PUBLIC bikes
  • Even more wellness perks

It is still not cheap though.

BM
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Old Oct 25, 2018, 1:00 pm
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I couldn't figure out if the 10k is per night or per stay. Could somebody enlighten me?

Edit: Found it. 10k per two consecutive nights.

Last edited by 1flyer; Oct 25, 2018 at 1:05 pm
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Old Oct 25, 2018, 1:22 pm
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Originally Posted by quitecontrary
70,000 points for the Fitzroy - I thought there might be an opening offer! I wonder how they will treat RAs?
If they're bookable with 70k points, does that mean the (pre-devaluation) Chase Anniversary nights can be used, too?
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Old Oct 26, 2018, 1:44 pm
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The rates at the Kimpton London are outrageous. Over £300 for a room with a single bed!

i am so disappointed by this. A decent room is over £350 a night and it isn’t even an IC which might make it a little more worthwhile as a RA.

I am working a lot at St Pauls these days and was thinking this would be a good option in fairly easy uber distance of work, but I shall be sticking with the really rather nice and dependable Hilton Bankside as my go to property in London with decent Corp rates.
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