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W Miami South Beach to Rebrand as Waldorf Astoria
One of Miami Beach’s best-known luxury hotels is about to enter a new chapter. The W Miami South Beach will close in mid-August, leaving the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio before reopening in late 2027 as the Waldorf Astoria Miami Beach.
The hotel has long been one of the top W hotels, with some of the highest room rates in the portfolio, a fantastic beachfront location on Collins Avenue, a party atmosphere, and large suites.
The hotel was purchased by the Reuben Brothers in 2024 for around $400 million, the same investors behind the upcoming Waldorf Astoria Admiralty Arch. The hotel will undergo a major refurbishment ahead of its rebranding.
There will be:
- 348 spacious ocean-view suites with private balconies and a contemporary aesthetic
- A new lobby centred around Peacock Alley, Waldorf Astoria’s signature arrival experience
- A new food and beverage programme led by world-class culinary talent
- A fresh spa and wellness experience along with an improved fitness centre.
- Improvements to the 48,000-square-foot pool deck, including private cabanas
- Updated event spaces perfect for private gatherings, celebrations, and social occasions.
Marriott already has a fantastic collection of luxury hotels across Miami and Miami Beach, with Ritz-Carlton, EDITION and St. Regis all well represented. Hilton, on the other hand, has lacked a luxury beachfront property on Miami Beach, despite the Waldorf Astoria brand growing. However, the Waldorf Astoria Miami skyscraper is set to open in 2028.
If you’ve been hoping to book W South Beach under Marriott, you’ll need to stay before the hotel closes in August. Once the property reopens, it has the potential to become one of the best properties in Hilton’s US portfolio.
Waldorf Astoria does seem to be a better fit for the hotel, and we’re excited to see how the renovation progresses!
£100 Uber Vouchers for Turkish Airlines Business Class from Stansted
Turkish Airlines (TK) has announced a new benefit for Business Class passengers travelling from Stansted. A £100 Uber voucher will be provided to put towards the journey to the airport. The offer applies to eligible tickets purchased and travel completed between 8th July and 31st December 2026.
Flights must be operated by TK with the codes TK1242, TK1244, or TK1246. Connecting itineraries beyond Istanbul are also eligible, provided the qualifying Stansted flight is included.
The offer will help TK compete with Emirates for Business Class passengers at Stansted . However, the Emirates chauffeur coverage is more comprehensive. It’s available to book in both directions for up to 70 miles, and you can add extra mileage if you’re travelling further.
To get your voucher, you’ll need to email your reservation number to [email protected]. The journey to Stansted must be completed on your departure date before the flight’s departure time. Unfortunately, the offer is not valid for flights returning to the UK. UK. The departure-day restriction also means you cannot use the voucher to travel to a Stansted airport hotel the night before your flight.
£100 should cover a substantial part of the cost of many trips to Stansted and could make the airport a much more appealing option, especially if you live in East London, Essex, or near the M11. TK travels to more countries than any other airline, so there are plenty of options to connect onward from Istanbul.
The exact terms and exclusions are not yet clear, but we will post an update if more details are released.
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Norwegian Honours Its BA Bet After England World Cup Win
Norwegian has now followed through on the bet it started with British Airways last week after England beat Norway 2-1 in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final.
Norwegian had to replace its Instagram profile picture with the British Airways logo for 24 hours. To their credit, the promise was kept.
Norwegian took the defeat in good spirits, joking that the bet would “forever live in all our hearts”.
The social media teams have certainly done very well out of this exchange. The bet has attracted a huge amount of attention, gone viral, and kept plenty of people entertained. I’m sure other airline social media teams will be trying to think up something just as successful.
England will now face Argentina in the semi-final on Wednesday, but few bets are likely to top this one. It’s nice to see airlines having fun with things like this.
