Award night at the May Fair - status helps?
Nov 26, 2015, 10:19 am
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2003
Location: AA Plat / UA NOTHING / Alaska 75K / Hyatt Diamond / SPG LT Plat / Marriott Gold / Priority Club Plat / Hertz Pres
Posts: 24,709
I have redeemed award rooms with this property (which I happen to like very much) twice in the past year. They happen to have an upgrade price list, if you desire to confirm an upgrade in advance. I did this once, for a family room. The other time, it wasn't necessary as I wanted the two twin beds.
Personally, I feel that the double bed room would be adequate for a couple.
Personally, I feel that the double bed room would be adequate for a couple.
Thanks again
Nov 28, 2015, 11:06 am
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,048
This looks to be about the best thread option to ask this question so here it goes...
Planning award nights at the May Fair for late next summer. The two bed options offered are "1 dbl bed" or "2 twin beds". I searched across a variety of dates and those were the only two options available via points. For any couple visiting on point a is there really no better option these? Not even a queen bed? I'm sure I can call/email in advance and pay a little extra for a king bed but it really feels like a shakedown when you're not give a reasonable points option.
To anyone that's stayed here - is this just a language issue that I Goulding be concerned with or am I really going to have to negotiate?
Planning award nights at the May Fair for late next summer. The two bed options offered are "1 dbl bed" or "2 twin beds". I searched across a variety of dates and those were the only two options available via points. For any couple visiting on point a is there really no better option these? Not even a queen bed? I'm sure I can call/email in advance and pay a little extra for a king bed but it really feels like a shakedown when you're not give a reasonable points option.
To anyone that's stayed here - is this just a language issue that I Goulding be concerned with or am I really going to have to negotiate?
Dec 7, 2015, 12:46 pm
#18
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 544
I have an award reservation for next week, and I seem to be in a "1 Double bed, Non-smoking, Superior Ki" which I take to actually be a Superior King room. Will update depending on what I actually get but, with Gold status, I assume it won't be the tiniest room in the place...
Dec 8, 2015, 2:21 pm
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,048
My Gold status was recognized with a single welcome drink voucher. (maybe if I was here with someone we would get lucky and it would be two!)
Apart from the email confirmation that said Radisson Blu Edwardian May Fair, there is absolutely nothing to make one think that this is a Club Carlson hotel. Some might think this is a very good thing!
But of course it seems they only notionally pay attention to CC status. And a points stay might be even less popular considering the £350+ room rates.However, unless there is a very specific reason to stay at a different CC hotel in London, this is surely the best points option, now that almost all have been bumped up to the 70K per night level. I assume the next devaluation will entail a new category to cover posh hotels such as this one.
Dec 9, 2015, 3:31 pm
#20
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 544
The good news is that I was given a King size bed, which is what the "double bed" actually is - the room is a decent size. (about 30% larger than the renovated room I had at the Park Lane Sheraton) The bad news is that I was on the lowest floor facing inwards, so I had a view of a wall. And there isn't really a desk to work on, just a table. The shower is in the bathtub, with large bottles of shampoo, shower gel mounted on the wall. I'm sure if I looked closely I might find a posh brand name beneath the May Fair branding and I know it is more environmentally friendly to have refillable bottles, but I couldn't help noting that you only normally see such things at lower class Park Inn, Holiday Inn Express, etc. hotels...
My Gold status was recognized with a single welcome drink voucher. (maybe if I was here with someone we would get lucky and it would be two!)
Apart from the email confirmation that said Radisson Blu Edwardian May Fair, there is absolutely nothing to make one think that this is a Club Carlson hotel. Some might think this is a very good thing! But of course it seems they only notionally pay attention to CC status. And a points stay might be even less popular considering the £350+ room rates.
However, unless there is a very specific reason to stay at a different CC hotel in London, this is surely the best points option, now that almost all have been bumped up to the 70K per night level. I assume the next devaluation will entail a new category to cover posh hotels such as this one.
My Gold status was recognized with a single welcome drink voucher. (maybe if I was here with someone we would get lucky and it would be two!)
Apart from the email confirmation that said Radisson Blu Edwardian May Fair, there is absolutely nothing to make one think that this is a Club Carlson hotel. Some might think this is a very good thing!
But of course it seems they only notionally pay attention to CC status. And a points stay might be even less popular considering the £350+ room rates.However, unless there is a very specific reason to stay at a different CC hotel in London, this is surely the best points option, now that almost all have been bumped up to the 70K per night level. I assume the next devaluation will entail a new category to cover posh hotels such as this one.
Mar 10, 2016, 11:44 am
#21
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PHX
Posts: 4,787
Doesn't seem to be a dedicated review thread, so I'll use this one to discuss a recent stay.
We just had a two-night stay. I used free night vouchers from the U.S. credit card. The stay was ok -- good, not great. As gold, we got a standard room. At check in the clerk didn't seem to understand the concept of a free night, and we were made to wait while he called a supervisor to explain why our rate was showing as zero (she had to explain that it was a free night.) The room was fine. Pretty large -- but just basically a big square with a credenza with a tv by the door and a nice bathroom. The closet was in the bathroom. We received two free drink vouchers -- we used them at the bar and they were pretty generous about what they would let us order. House drinks or specialty cocktails. I think maybe we got two free drinks because we had two separate reservations, so we got lucky there even though the two separate reservations caused some other annoyances.
The service was average. There were hotel employees everywhere -- like four manning the concierge desk and several doormen, but I think it was mostly for show. Upon check in we asked for them to remove some items from the mini-bar so we could use it to keep milk cold without getting charged by the automatic system, and it took nearly an hour for someone to come up. The concierge was misinformed about using Oyster to Gatwick, and our wake up call on departure day was 10 minutes late. One did help key me back up to my room when I did not have my key, so that was my main exposure to the hotel service.
Credit card authorization for charges was by far the most cumbersome I can remember at any U.K. hotel. Since we used two night certificates, it was in the system as two separate reservations, and while they let us keep the same room, it was not seemless to say the least. We had to complete two separate check ins, and for each, they took a 100 pound credit card charge. It wasn't just an authorization, but a full charge, which meant we had to stop back by the desk at check out, so they could process a refund. (My credit card shows the two separate 100 pound charges, but no refund yet, so I may need to chase that down.) Check in took about 10 to 15 minutes, and check out was a bit annoying, because not only did I need to produce the card so they could process the refund, but they actually offered the refund in converted dollars, which is totally lame and presumably would have cost me quite a bit in the dynamic conversion. We needed to get to Victoria to get to the airport, so the check out process seemed a bit unnecessary. Plus, because it was two separate reservations, of course, my key stopped working on the first day and we had to explain the situation and get a new key cut.
These are all minor annoyances, I suppose, but we had moved over from the Conrad, and the experiences were night and day.
The location is good, though May Fair is not exactly my cup of tea, and it was tough finding much interesting right around the hotel in the evening without walking quite a bit. Bed was firm but comfortable. Heavy manual curtains kept the light out in the morning, and there was plenty of room for our stuff. Shower was nice, but the gel and shampoo attached to the wall was tacky. Breakfast was 30 pounds per person, so we decided against it -- they offered at check in to prepay for all in our party for both days for 22.50 per person per day, but we decided against that too. Had a snack in the bar with our free drinks -- it was expensive but very tasty.
They put out a nice tower of little candies and mints each evening, which was a nice touch and seemed to be a big hit with the kids.
Probably a little less than gracious to complain about two free nights in a 300 pound per night hotel, but if I were paying cash I can't imagine this would be a top choice.
We just had a two-night stay. I used free night vouchers from the U.S. credit card. The stay was ok -- good, not great. As gold, we got a standard room. At check in the clerk didn't seem to understand the concept of a free night, and we were made to wait while he called a supervisor to explain why our rate was showing as zero (she had to explain that it was a free night.) The room was fine. Pretty large -- but just basically a big square with a credenza with a tv by the door and a nice bathroom. The closet was in the bathroom. We received two free drink vouchers -- we used them at the bar and they were pretty generous about what they would let us order. House drinks or specialty cocktails. I think maybe we got two free drinks because we had two separate reservations, so we got lucky there even though the two separate reservations caused some other annoyances.
The service was average. There were hotel employees everywhere -- like four manning the concierge desk and several doormen, but I think it was mostly for show. Upon check in we asked for them to remove some items from the mini-bar so we could use it to keep milk cold without getting charged by the automatic system, and it took nearly an hour for someone to come up. The concierge was misinformed about using Oyster to Gatwick, and our wake up call on departure day was 10 minutes late. One did help key me back up to my room when I did not have my key, so that was my main exposure to the hotel service.
Credit card authorization for charges was by far the most cumbersome I can remember at any U.K. hotel. Since we used two night certificates, it was in the system as two separate reservations, and while they let us keep the same room, it was not seemless to say the least. We had to complete two separate check ins, and for each, they took a 100 pound credit card charge. It wasn't just an authorization, but a full charge, which meant we had to stop back by the desk at check out, so they could process a refund. (My credit card shows the two separate 100 pound charges, but no refund yet, so I may need to chase that down.) Check in took about 10 to 15 minutes, and check out was a bit annoying, because not only did I need to produce the card so they could process the refund, but they actually offered the refund in converted dollars, which is totally lame and presumably would have cost me quite a bit in the dynamic conversion. We needed to get to Victoria to get to the airport, so the check out process seemed a bit unnecessary. Plus, because it was two separate reservations, of course, my key stopped working on the first day and we had to explain the situation and get a new key cut.
These are all minor annoyances, I suppose, but we had moved over from the Conrad, and the experiences were night and day.
The location is good, though May Fair is not exactly my cup of tea, and it was tough finding much interesting right around the hotel in the evening without walking quite a bit. Bed was firm but comfortable. Heavy manual curtains kept the light out in the morning, and there was plenty of room for our stuff. Shower was nice, but the gel and shampoo attached to the wall was tacky. Breakfast was 30 pounds per person, so we decided against it -- they offered at check in to prepay for all in our party for both days for 22.50 per person per day, but we decided against that too. Had a snack in the bar with our free drinks -- it was expensive but very tasty.
They put out a nice tower of little candies and mints each evening, which was a nice touch and seemed to be a big hit with the kids.
Probably a little less than gracious to complain about two free nights in a 300 pound per night hotel, but if I were paying cash I can't imagine this would be a top choice.
Mar 20, 2016, 10:10 am
#22
Join Date: May 2007
Location: DFW
Programs: WN A+, AA, HYATT DIAMOND, SPG
Posts: 1,125
Staying next week for 6 nights on points (2+2+2, booked last night free before the devaluation) and booked the biz class room for 105k. Would like to ask for an upgrade from mgmt. Anyone have a personal email for the manager for this hotel?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
Mar 20, 2016, 5:09 pm
#23
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: UA-1K, MM, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium
Posts: 4,432
Doesn't seem to be a dedicated review thread, so I'll use this one to discuss a recent stay.
We just had a two-night stay. I used free night vouchers from the U.S. credit card. The stay was ok -- good, not great. As gold, we got a standard room. At check in the clerk didn't seem to understand the concept of a free night, and we were made to wait while he called a supervisor to explain why our rate was showing as zero (she had to explain that it was a free night.) The room was fine. Pretty large -- but just basically a big square with a credenza with a tv by the door and a nice bathroom. The closet was in the bathroom. We received two free drink vouchers -- we used them at the bar and they were pretty generous about what they would let us order. House drinks or specialty cocktails. I think maybe we got two free drinks because we had two separate reservations, so we got lucky there even though the two separate reservations caused some other annoyances.
The service was average. There were hotel employees everywhere -- like four manning the concierge desk and several doormen, but I think it was mostly for show. Upon check in we asked for them to remove some items from the mini-bar so we could use it to keep milk cold without getting charged by the automatic system, and it took nearly an hour for someone to come up. The concierge was misinformed about using Oyster to Gatwick, and our wake up call on departure day was 10 minutes late. One did help key me back up to my room when I did not have my key, so that was my main exposure to the hotel service.
Credit card authorization for charges was by far the most cumbersome I can remember at any U.K. hotel. Since we used two night certificates, it was in the system as two separate reservations, and while they let us keep the same room, it was not seemless to say the least. We had to complete two separate check ins, and for each, they took a 100 pound credit card charge. It wasn't just an authorization, but a full charge, which meant we had to stop back by the desk at check out, so they could process a refund. (My credit card shows the two separate 100 pound charges, but no refund yet, so I may need to chase that down.) Check in took about 10 to 15 minutes, and check out was a bit annoying, because not only did I need to produce the card so they could process the refund, but they actually offered the refund in converted dollars, which is totally lame and presumably would have cost me quite a bit in the dynamic conversion. We needed to get to Victoria to get to the airport, so the check out process seemed a bit unnecessary. Plus, because it was two separate reservations, of course, my key stopped working on the first day and we had to explain the situation and get a new key cut.
These are all minor annoyances, I suppose, but we had moved over from the Conrad, and the experiences were night and day.
The location is good, though May Fair is not exactly my cup of tea, and it was tough finding much interesting right around the hotel in the evening without walking quite a bit. Bed was firm but comfortable. Heavy manual curtains kept the light out in the morning, and there was plenty of room for our stuff. Shower was nice, but the gel and shampoo attached to the wall was tacky. Breakfast was 30 pounds per person, so we decided against it -- they offered at check in to prepay for all in our party for both days for 22.50 per person per day, but we decided against that too. Had a snack in the bar with our free drinks -- it was expensive but very tasty.
They put out a nice tower of little candies and mints each evening, which was a nice touch and seemed to be a big hit with the kids.
Probably a little less than gracious to complain about two free nights in a 300 pound per night hotel, but if I were paying cash I can't imagine this would be a top choice.
We just had a two-night stay. I used free night vouchers from the U.S. credit card. The stay was ok -- good, not great. As gold, we got a standard room. At check in the clerk didn't seem to understand the concept of a free night, and we were made to wait while he called a supervisor to explain why our rate was showing as zero (she had to explain that it was a free night.) The room was fine. Pretty large -- but just basically a big square with a credenza with a tv by the door and a nice bathroom. The closet was in the bathroom. We received two free drink vouchers -- we used them at the bar and they were pretty generous about what they would let us order. House drinks or specialty cocktails. I think maybe we got two free drinks because we had two separate reservations, so we got lucky there even though the two separate reservations caused some other annoyances.
The service was average. There were hotel employees everywhere -- like four manning the concierge desk and several doormen, but I think it was mostly for show. Upon check in we asked for them to remove some items from the mini-bar so we could use it to keep milk cold without getting charged by the automatic system, and it took nearly an hour for someone to come up. The concierge was misinformed about using Oyster to Gatwick, and our wake up call on departure day was 10 minutes late. One did help key me back up to my room when I did not have my key, so that was my main exposure to the hotel service.
Credit card authorization for charges was by far the most cumbersome I can remember at any U.K. hotel. Since we used two night certificates, it was in the system as two separate reservations, and while they let us keep the same room, it was not seemless to say the least. We had to complete two separate check ins, and for each, they took a 100 pound credit card charge. It wasn't just an authorization, but a full charge, which meant we had to stop back by the desk at check out, so they could process a refund. (My credit card shows the two separate 100 pound charges, but no refund yet, so I may need to chase that down.) Check in took about 10 to 15 minutes, and check out was a bit annoying, because not only did I need to produce the card so they could process the refund, but they actually offered the refund in converted dollars, which is totally lame and presumably would have cost me quite a bit in the dynamic conversion. We needed to get to Victoria to get to the airport, so the check out process seemed a bit unnecessary. Plus, because it was two separate reservations, of course, my key stopped working on the first day and we had to explain the situation and get a new key cut.
These are all minor annoyances, I suppose, but we had moved over from the Conrad, and the experiences were night and day.
The location is good, though May Fair is not exactly my cup of tea, and it was tough finding much interesting right around the hotel in the evening without walking quite a bit. Bed was firm but comfortable. Heavy manual curtains kept the light out in the morning, and there was plenty of room for our stuff. Shower was nice, but the gel and shampoo attached to the wall was tacky. Breakfast was 30 pounds per person, so we decided against it -- they offered at check in to prepay for all in our party for both days for 22.50 per person per day, but we decided against that too. Had a snack in the bar with our free drinks -- it was expensive but very tasty.
They put out a nice tower of little candies and mints each evening, which was a nice touch and seemed to be a big hit with the kids.
Probably a little less than gracious to complain about two free nights in a 300 pound per night hotel, but if I were paying cash I can't imagine this would be a top choice.
The staff are wonderful and always very helpful and this hasn't changed in the 9 years I have been staying there.