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Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh
An article appeared in The Caterer about one of Scotland’s most well-known hotels, The Waldorf Astoria Caledonian in Edinburgh. I reviewed the hotel in this article.
The hotel is apparently due to change from a Waldorf Astoria property into a Curio Collection by Hilton Hotelsthis summer. This will give the hotel more freedom to operate as it wishes since there are less rigid brand guidelines amongst the hotels in the group, which are known for their individuality. It will be interesting to see if it affects the Hilton Honors points and cash rates without the Waldorf brand attached.
This was the only Waldorf Astoria property in the UK, although the Waldorf Astoria Admiralty Arch in London is due to open in 2025. Hilton is really lacking in true luxury properties in the UK, with only the Biltmore and perhaps the Conrad St James being considered luxury hotels. The acquisition of SLH will solve this issue when it transfers over from Hyatt.
The 120-year-old Caledonia hotel was bought by private equity firm Henderson Park and hospitality management company Klarent Hospitality last summer. The new owners plan to extend the hotel by 2026 with the addition of nearly 60 more rooms.
The Caledonian was built between 1899 to 1908 and was originally owned by the Caledonian Railway Company, where the hotel takes its name and nickname “The Caley” from. The hotel has hosted many famous guests including Her Majesty the late Queen Elizabeth II and former US President Barack Obama.
20% off Marriott hotels
Marriott regularly runs a promotion known as Marriott Bonvoy Escapes for stays within the next four weeks. It offers 20% off hotels for Bonvoy members and 15% off for non-members. You need to book by Sunday for the following four weeks.
There are two versions, one with participating Marriott International hotels in Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and another for the US. Not all hotels participate, but if you are booking for the next four weeks or have a hotel stay that is flexible coming up, it is always worth checking out the prices.
In the Middle East (excluding the United Arab Emirates) and in some North African countries, the offer is available on weekend stays Wednesday through Saturday (Thursday or Friday night stay may be required and may be available seven days a week at select locations). In the rest of Africa, United Arab Emirates and Europe, the offer is available on weekend stays Thursday through Sunday (Friday or Saturday night stay may be required and may be available seven days a week at select locations)
The offer is not available at following hotel brands: EDITION, The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Bulgari, Marriott Vacation Club, Design Hotels.
There are some catches:
- Rates must be prepaid with at the time of reservation;
- Rates are non-cancellable, non-changeable, and non-refundable;
- Advance booking is required at least 48 hours prior to a stay in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
If you go to the Marriott Bonvoy special offer page and click in the “Destinations” box, it will show you a drop-down list of all the hotels included by country. Or you can type in the city if you know where you are going, and it will show what’s available. For London, for example, there is a great range showing, such as Westin London City, JW Grosvenor Marriott, and Marriott Park Lane.
BA Gatwick route changes
According to Flyertalk, British Airways is beginning to firm up its schedule for Winter 24, and a few changes are likely.
There is also a new short-notice summer route from London Gatwick to Edinburgh operated by CityFlyer. This means that the seat configuration will be 2-2 even in Club Europe.
The flights start on 26 May 2024 and operate once a week on a Sunday.
From Gatwick, there are several changes. Barbados has been removed for winter 24, however there now appears to be a second service from Heathrow instead. Both rotations are on a B787, but one is due to be the B787-10, which has Club Suites, so it is worth checking which one you are booking.
There are also currently no services scheduled to Amsterdam, Dubrovnik or Nice for the winter.
It is still relatively early for the final schedule but I’d expect it to firm up within the next month.
2 comments
Re BA Euroflyer autumn/winter flights from Gatwick.
Can´t book GVA or BA codeshare to MAD either (but can book on IB website up to 330 days in advance if you don´t need the TPs). All the destinations mentioned plus MAD and GVA, served by EasyJet and bookable until 2 March 25 (Dubrovnik to 2 November).
Conclusion, even BA Euroflyer is signed up to promoting ABBA!
I don’t completely understand why they have moved the second daily service to Barbados over to Heathrow. I always thought that Gatwick was perfect for the route – and always had slightly lower prices too!
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