News in brief:
Eurostar rebrands its travel classes
Eurostar has announced new names for its three travel classes. This is part of a ‘tidying up’ exercise following the merger with Thalys and the rebranding of those services under the Eurostar banner.
From 4th November, Eurostar services to/from the UK are being sold with the following three classes:
- Eurostar Standard (was ‘Standard’) – 4-across seating (2×2), no food or drink included, no lounge access, no priority check-in
- Eurostar Plus (was ‘Standard Premier’) – 3-across seating (2×1), light meal and drinks included, no lounge access, no priority check-in
- Eurostar Premier (was ‘Business Premier’) – 3-across seating (2×1), larger meal and drinks included, lounge access included, priority check-in
It is important to note that there are no changes to the benefits of each ticket type, except for a small change to the refund rules:
- Standard and Plus tickets are refundable up to seven days before departure for a £25 fee
- Standard and Plus tickets can be exchanged for another service up to one hour before departure for NO FEE, although any fare difference must be paid (no refunds are given if you change to a cheaper service)
- Premier tickets are fully refundable or exchangeable at any time before travel and up to 48 hours afterwards (up to 60 days afterwards until 4th November)
There MAY be a food change in Eurostar Premier. It isn’t spelt out, but until 4th November the website offers:
“Hot meals designed by Raymond Blanc, served with champagne at your seat”
From 4th November, it says:
“At-seat fine dining and drinks served by your dedicated on-board team”
…. with no mention of Blanc or champagne.
Get an 80% bonus when you buy IHG One Rewards points
Until 7th June, you can buy IHG One Rewards – the InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza etc hotel scheme – points with a bonus of 80% for most people.
It is being advertised as a ‘mystery’ bonus but the majority appear to be getting 80%. You will see your offer when you log in.
The page to buy points is here.
The bonus kicks in with a minimum purchase of 5,000 points, unless you have been targetted for a different deal.
The purchase limit has been increased to 250,000 points meaning that you can receive a maximum – with the bonus – of 450,000 points for $2,500 (£2,000).
You would be paying 0.44p per point. This is higher than our target value of IHG One Rewards points of 0.4p but it isn’t difficult to beat 0.44p on a good day.
I wouldn’t buy speculatively with an 80% bonus as I am fairly sure that a 100% bonus for everyone will be along in a few months. If you need to top up your account in advance of a planned short-term redemption, however, you might as well do it whilst the bonus is on.
You won’t be seeing a better deal before late June at the earliest given the 8th June end date of this offer.
Premier Inn Torquay Harbour opens
We don’t normally cover Premier Inn openings, but we have a soft spot for any new hotel which can liven up the generally dire offerings found in British seaside resorts.
Hilton opened a Hampton hotel in Torquay a couple of years ago. The Premier Inn (the second in the town) was due to open around the same time but hit serious delays when the contractor went into receivership and the local council, which was funding the project, had to find and fund a replacement.
The 120 room Premier Inn Torquay Harbour is built on the site of a car park. It includes 28 ‘Premier Plus’ bedrooms for visitors who want higher quality amenities and additional in-room features.
A photo of the new hotel is above.