Club people • January 2015
They say that booking a summer holiday is the best cure for the January blues. But if you’re stuck on where to go, don’t fret – Claire Bentley, managing director of British Airways Holidays, picks the hot new hotels to book for 2015, as well as answering your questions about solo travel and collecting Avios
Which new hotels will be added to the British Airways Holidays portfolio for 2015? How did you pick those hotels?
We’ve got quite a few hotels that are being added to the portfolio for next year. The two at the top of my list are the Ikos Olivia in Halkidiki, Greece (opening in May 2015) and the Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney (see offers below). Both are five-star properties, but that’s not all we look for: so, for example, the all-inclusive Ikos Olivia has a unique dine in or out concept – meaning that guests, as well as being able to choose from four à la carte restaurants (one of which is overseen by a Michelin-star chef), can also dine at two specially selected local beachfront restaurants (reservations required). The Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney, which opened in August 2014, stands out from the crop of Magic Kingdom hotels with its luxury touches – including a Tom Fazio-designed golf course, an adults-only pool and a rooftop steakhouse – while still being minutes from the theme parks.
Can I collect Avios on my British Airways Holidays booking?
Executive Club Members can earn two Avios for every pound spent with British Airways Holidays – this is in addition to the Avios and Tier Points that Members earn on the flight element of their booking. Our teams work with hundreds of hotels around the globe to get the best deals and customers also benefit from ATOL protection, guaranteed savings when booking a flight and hotel together, the opportunity to pay with a deposit, and 24-hour support when on holiday.
Most of the British Airways Holidays deals are based on two people travelling together – are there any offers for those of us who fly solo?
Traditionally, the majority of our customers have been parties of two adults travelling together, so a lot of the deals we show are designed to be appropriate for this audience. This doesn’t mean that we don’t have discounts and deals available for customers who are travelling alone or for families and other larger parties.
For example, when we advertise discounted holidays during a sale, our discounts will be made up of both the flight price (available to customers travelling in any party size from one to nine) and on the hotel - we can get discounts on combinations of one adult in a room, two adults in a room, one adult and one child in a room, and so on. So savings are available for a wide range of party sizes, not just those you will see advertised.
The British Airways sale is now on.
This article has been tagged BA, Travel Tips