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TLFL Party prize update
The TLFL reader party will be held on this Friday 19 January from 6.30pm at Conrad St James in London. We still have at least one more substantial prize to add, but we have now secured a couple more. Here is the list so far:
- Virgin Red have donated 50,000 points. This is enough for a standard season Premium Economy return to Dubai, Cape Town, most of the US except the West Coast or even the Maldives. You can also spend Virgin Points on a whole range of redemptions from sausage rolls to experiences. For example, I am going to see Peter Kay at the Virgin Red Room private box in Manchester with my points!
- Hilton hotels have donated afternoon tea at the newly renovated London Hilton on Park Lane. I was very impressed with the new rooms, restaurant and bar when I stayed twice recently. You can find my recent review here.
- The Wine Flyer has donated a case of 12 bottles of South African Wine. The Wine Flyer allows you to earn and redeem Avios on wines. I ordered some at Christmas and was pleased to see you could choose individual bottles if you wanted something high end or get a mixed case for something better value. They even do “Almost Perfect” cases at a discount if you want a bargain.
- Virgin Atlantic merchandise – his ‘n hers T-shirts and a travel bag
- Reward Flight Finder Lifetime Gold membership to help you set alerts and search for Avios flights with ease.
IHG Flash sale and 20% off new hotels
Flash sale
Until 24 January, IHG has 20% off their best flexible rates, plus IHG One Rewards members will get to enjoy an extra 10% off.
To get the discount, you need to stay for a minimum of 2 nights between 8 February – 30 May 2024, and have your stay start at least 21 days after your booking date. The offer is available for hotels in Southeast Asia, the Maldives, South Korea, Japan, Guam, and Saipan.
You can find the offer page here and the list of participating properties here.
New hotels offer
IHG is also offering up to 20% off the Book Early and Save rate when you book a room with breakfast* at any of the participating hotels within the first 6 months of opening. Plus IHG® One Rewards Members get an additional 10% off. The offer is worldwide.
You can find a list of new hotels and the offer details on this page.
Virgin Atlantic offering 10,000 Points with Virgin Voyages
Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic Holidays are still offering savings of up to £100 per person. Virgin Atlantic Holidays savings are bookable until 31 January for travel up to 31 December. Savings apply to the total cost of the holiday, excluding taxes, APD, surcharges and other compulsory charges which may apply at the time of booking. You can find more information here.
Virgin have now introduced a new offer with 10,000 bonus Virgin Points when you book a Virgin Voyage with Virgin Atlantic Holidays before 31 January. The offer is exclusive to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club members, new or existing. Virgin Voyages are also offering 70% off 2nd sailor bookings, up to $600 in free drinks and $300 sailor loot.
I have been on a short cruise with Virgin Voyages and really enjoyed the modern adults-only luxury vibe that was way more relaxed than many cruises. You can read my review here.
More information is available here.
MGM reveals what Marriott members can expect, and it’s not good news
It was announced last year that Marriott would take over the partnership with MGM hotels, which are mainly situated in Las Vegas. Previously, you could do a status match with Hyatt, which, even at the mid-levels, gave you MGM Gold, meaning that no resort fee was due. Now, although there is still no firm date other than early 2024, we have the details of the status matches and Bonvoy benefits.
As a recap, here is what will happen with the MGM hotels:
Four will be affiliated with existing Marriott collection brands:
- Bellagio Resort & Casino – The Luxury Collection
- ARIA Resort & Casino – Autograph Collection
- Park MGM Las Vegas – Tribute Portfolio
- The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas – Autograph Collection
Seven MGM Resorts destinations in Las Vegas will join the MGM Collection:
- Vdara Hotel & Spa Las Vegas
- MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
- The Signature at MGM Grand
- Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
- New York-New York Hotel & Casino
- Luxor Hotel & Casino
- Excalibur Hotel & Casino
Five MGM Resorts destinations in other U.S. locations will also join the MGM Collection:
- Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa (Atlantic City, New Jersey)
- Beau Rivage Resort & Casino (Biloxi, Mississippi)
- MGM Grand Detroit (Detroit, Michigan)
- MGM National Harbor (Oxon Hill, Maryland)
- MGM Springfield (Springfield, Massachusetts)
Benefits for Marriott Bonvoy Members
Sadly, the benefits for those at the mid-tiers are much worse than if you matched previously with Hyatt, where you received all the benefits of MGM Gold, which included waived resort fees. Considering that Platinum Elite normally get 2pm check out except at resorts, I’d say giving 2pm is hardly a benefit.
However, if you stay at hotels that are actually part of the proper Marriott brands, you should still get your usual benefits or close to, so I’d be aiming to stay at those. The Cosmopolitan or Aria would be my pick of the four. Currently, the Cosmopolitan has slightly altered the terms of benefits for Marriott Bonvoy members, which you can find on this page. Nothing is stated yet for the other three but I would expect similar.
Benefits for MGM status members
If you have status with MGM, however, you do get a status match, which is valid until the end of 2024.
- MGM Rewards Gold >> Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite
- MGM Rewards Platinum* >> Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite
- MGM Rewards NOIR* >> Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite
You can find all the information on this special MGM Marriott page.
